clipped from jewelrymaking.about.com

Jewelry Making and Ethics

Jewelry components such as beads, gemstones, metal findings, and wire have their origins from miners, gem cutters, and manufacturers from all over the world. By the time many jewelry designers get a strand of gemstone beads into their hands, it would be difficult to point to any one source other than the wholesaler we may have purchased it from. We hope that those who worked to create these components are treated fairly and that the environment was not extensively harmed either, but it is really difficult to know all the details. Even our wholesalers may not be able to tell us about every single person who had a part in creating the components.