Ethical jewellery designer, Pippa Small
Pippa and Cora at the podcast recording studio
REV On Air: Ethical Production with Jewellery Designer Pippa Small
In this episode, we sat down with Pippa Small, a traveler, human rights activist, and ethical jewellery designer. From an early age, Pippa was exposed to different cultures by her mother, who was quite an adventurer. From those early years of traveling, she was instilled with the desire to explore other places and connect with different kinds of people.
Pippa and the Brand
It was through this interest that she became involved in human rights and working with remote communities all over the world. Pippa explained that she was enamoured with seeing the traditional crafts and skills of other cultures and even though she was warned against it, she wanted to give these craftsmen all over the world a commercial market. Her brand Pippa Small is truly a partnership between her and the artisans she works with, in places like Afghanistan, Jordan, Myanmar, Bolivia, and Panama. As we live in a time plagued with migration due to climate change and conflict, it is important to create safe and creative jobs, so people do not always have to flee their homes in search of money. Pippa Small provides this for people and as the brand has grown, the stories and voices of the craftsman’s and artisans has spread too.
The Jewellery Industry
Simple gold bangles have been on trend now for a while but do we, as consumers, really know how that gold is extracted? The answer is, through mercury, which is used to extract gold from rock. Pippa explains that the poisonous substance never goes away and “seeps in the rivers, sea, and people’s bodies,” causing an array of deadly health problems. Lots of big companies still use this method, as it is cheap and effective, but disregard the effects it has on the local communities and ecosystems around the mines. Smalls suggests that “a kind of veil has been lifted,” in most industries, and that it is easier than ever to pick out the bad companies.
Feeling Connected
It is through brands like Pippa Small that we can become more connected to the products we buy as the brand is truly transparent. We need to consume less of course, but it is key when buying to question where your money is going and who is making your products. With Pippa Small, we know exactly where our money is going and “is going to have such an impact.”
