Jenn Dewey holds a deep commitment to ensuring that her business and jewelry making practices reflect her values of social and environmental justice, as well as empathy and compassion for all people and beings. Jenn also holds deep appreciation for diverse cultural experiences and aesthetic expressions. Her business vision is to help bring awareness to important issues in jewelry and contribute to improving them, to provide a sales channel for underrepresented and indigenous artisans, and to create artful jewelry pieces for her clients - while having the lightest possible impact on the planet through her craft.
At Jenn Dewey Designs, the jewelry Jenn makes and the artisan works she sells are not just adornment, they are also a tool to help build a more ethical and inclusive jewelry industry.
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EMPATHY & COMPASSION
One of Jenn’s favorite mantras, “Sustainability is Love!”, is a way that she reminds herself that showing compassion for others and the earth is at the core of all she does. The vibrant natural world is often negatively impacted by human activity, as has been the case with the status quo of the jewelry industry. Therefore, Jenn makes her materials sourcing decisions based on principles that ensure great care for all people along the supply chain and for the environment.
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DIVERSITY & EQUALITY
Jenn’s aim is to use her own platform to also uplift, celebrate, and share widely the works of artisans who are underrepresented in the jewelry industry. She sources artisan works as directly as possible during her own travels to various parts of the world such as Morocco, Central America and Native American territories in the US. Inclusivity is an important value for Jenn as she welcomes and embraces working with clients from diverse backgrounds. She welcomes clients of all race, ethnicity, creed, gender, orientation, size or disability.
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SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
The production of materials like precious metals and gemstones historically has significant social and environmental impacts. One of the keys to understanding these impacts is the traceability of these materials from jeweler all the way back to their origin. Jenn prioritizes fully traceable materials, so that she can ensure that the social and environmental impacts align with the impacts she wants her business to have. For this reason, Jenn Dewey Designs is a Fairmined licensed brand. Fairmined gold is mined in accordance with a rigorous standard that ensures environmental protections and worker well-being. It also contributes to sustainable development in the communities near the mines.
Jenn also limits the use of harsh chemicals in her studio to ensure her own wellbeing as well as that of wildlife in the area, as metals studio chemicals can contaminate local waterways if not handled properly.
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SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT / PHILANTHROPY
On top of business practices that directly contribute to social and environmental justice, Jenn also contributes philanthropically to organizations that focus on issues material to her business. Organizations to which she donates 10% of her profits include: Mercury Free Mining, The Coral Reef Alliance, Environmental Defense Fund, Roubideau Rim Wildlife Rescue, Native American Rights Fund, High Atlas Foundation, Doctors Without Borders.
Jenn Dewey Designs’ Sourcing Policy
At Jenn Dewey Designs, we focus on handmade jewelry and also sell vintage pieces and artisan works. Our Sourcing Policy covers these three categories of jewelry differently and specifically as follows. Click items to read the Sourcing Policy.
Vintage Jewelry Pieces
Vintage pieces sold through Jenn Dewey Designs are acquired primarily while traveling in Morocco, Europe and the SW United States - at this time. Jenn makes all possible efforts to ascertain that the piece is being sold by the wishes of the maker/owner and purchases at the asking price without negotiations. While language can sometimes be a barrier, Jenn works to gather as much information as possible about the piece, such as: who made it, when, and where; whether the maker and seller are local to the area visiting; and if there is a middleman involved, how they pay the owner of the piece(s). Jenn tests the metal pieces to ascertain the content of gold and/or silver.
Secondarily, some vintage pieces are purchased through a reputable international auction site. Through this purchasing process, Jenn looks for sellers who have a positive reputation over five years in the business, who have a relationship with the culture that the piece is from, and who are able to answer questions about how they acquired the item. All items sold through this auction site include a donation of a portion of proceeds to various international non-profits.
New Artisan Works
Jewelry
Through her personal relationships, Jenn has also come to source artisan jewelry directly from Navajo and Kewa Pueblo artists. Jenn’s focus in purchasing these pieces is to help keep alive traditional craftsmanship techniques and materials and to bring the artform to a wider audience.
Made by Jenn
Pieces newly made by Jenn are made using gold, silver, platinum, colored gemstones, and diamonds. For all jewelry materials, responsibly artisanally mined materials are prioritized and reclaimed materials are the secondary option. (What is considered responsible, for the purposes of this policy, are operations that meet a certifiable standard and/or provide evidence based assurances of operating by internationally recognized standards or guidelines such as OECD or CRAFT code.) Each material has unique considerations and availability of the preferred type of sourcing varies by material.
Precious metals
Gold, silver, and platinum used in Jenn Dewey Designs pieces fall into categories of Fairmined (newly-mined, known origin), recycled, and newly mined material of unknown origin, with purchasing prioritized in that order.
GOLD
Fairmined is the primary option for the gold Jenn uses to make her pieces. For findings or other components that are not available in Fairmined gold, Jenn purchases SCS certified recycled gold pieces from Hoover & Strong and Stuller. Lastly, when it comes to some jewelry components, such as chains, clasps and mountings - if neither Fairmined nor certified recycled options are available - Jenn discusses handmade options with the client, and alternative materials.
SILVER
Fairmined is also the preferred certification for silver. However, it is less readily available than Fairmined gold and therefore, certified recycled silver is a more common source for Jenn’s pieces.
PLATINUM
The Fairmined certification does not include platinum mines in its scope. When working with platinum, Jenn purchases materials and/or mountings from Hoover & Strong or Stuller. Both provide recycled platinum, with a mix of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled material.
Diamonds
Currently, the prioritized sourcing option for diamonds in Jenn Dewey Designs jewelry is antique and/or post-consumer. This is verified through supplier certification from SCS Global or other direct evidence of the stone being post-consumer such as it being purchased at an estate sale or being removed from a piece of jewelry that shows signs of wear. Newly mined diamonds (of Canadian origin) and/or synthetic diamonds could be purchased per customer request but are not sourced for Jenn’s ready to wear collection. In the future, as sources of responsible and traceable artisanally mined diamonds become more readily available, Jenn would still prioritize post-consumer diamonds, until able to personally verify the social and environmental impacts of said responsible and traceable diamonds.
Colored Gemstones
Because a much larger percentage of colored gemstones are mined by artisanal miners as compared to diamonds, there is a greater availability of responsibly, artisanally mined colored gemstones. Therefore, Jenn purchases newly mined colored gemstones mainly through programs that provide assurances of traceability to artisanal mines. If a product listing mentions “Fair Trade” in reference to a color gemstone, this refers to the supplier Columbia Gem House’s created and trademarked “Fair Trade Gems” protocols rather than a certification.
Post-consumer gemstones are sometimes utilized as well. These are purchased from a supplier with SCS post-consumer recycled certification or that can provide other direct evidence of the stone being post-consumer such as it being purchased at an estate sale or being removed from a piece of jewelry that shows signs of wear. In rare cases, some gemstones are also purchased second-hand from others’ personal collections.
Textiles & Decor
Generally, the same sourcing parameters apply for textile and decor purchases and for artisan jewelry. In addition to those parameters, Jenn looks for textiles that have historical significance or that “tell a story”.
About Jenn
Jennifer (Jenn) Dewey is a studio jewelry designer, creative goldsmith, nature lover, conscientious traveler and vintage jewelry collector... residing in Ridgway, Colorado, where she operates her, environmentally and socially responsible, fine metalsmithing studios.
Jenn Dewey Designs is a FAIRMINED licensed brand.
Along with this online gallery - Jenn sells her original jewelry designs and goldsmithing through brick and mortar galleries, creates custom jewelry pieces for personal clients (see Archives Page), and has exhibited through juried art and music festivals.
Jenn's former brick and mortar gallery/trading post, AMULET Arts - located in Ridgway, CO - moved online in 2022, during Covid.
MENTORS:
Jennifer has studied under the following jewelers, organizations and artisans: Harold O’Connor (CO), Valentin Yotkov (Italy & CO), Biomimicry.org (Mexico), Andy Cooperman (AZ), Juan Laredo (NOLA), Beau Staley (Dolce Jewels - Telluride), Tony Newlin (CO), Thomas Mann (NOLA), Margo Manning (NOLA), Merry Pierce-Lowrey (NOLA) and more.
EXHIBITIONS:
Her work has been exhibited through Slate Gray Gallery (Telluride, CO) - Mountain Film Exhibit 2023, Linhardt Design - Fairmined Show (NYC), Stronghouse Studios (“Ekphrasis”-Telluride), Dolce Jewels (Telluride), Bounty Hunter (Telluride), Velvet DaVinci’s Anti-War Medal Show (San Francisco), I/O Gallery (New Orleans), New Orleans Arts Council Gallery, Bayou Trading Galleries (New Orleans), Madison Museum of Contemporary Arts - Museum Store (Madison, WI), Telluride AIDS Benefit Fashion Shows, Arroyo Gallery - Art & Architecture Weekend (Telluride), and several juried art and music shows across the U.S.
AWARDS:
Jenn is a recipient of Fashion Group International’s Alpha Award (NOLA) for her “Harmony Rosette Baby Rattle” in sterling silver and cultured pearls.
Sheep Mountain Alliance Award, 2013 - For Jenn's work with wildlife rescue in the region.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Jenn Dewey Designs is currently a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG), Colorado Metalsmithing Association (COMA) and Ethical Metalsmiths.
INSPIRATION:
Jenn's original jewelry designs are often inspired by elements of nature and iconic surroundings. From life giving rivers and trees, to ancient artifacts and architectural elements… her desire to translate such items into adornment began early in childhood. An example would be her acorn and oak leaf jewelry designs… having grown up in Wisconsin, where her home was surrounded by towering white oaks, her love of the smooth burgundy colored acorns and fragrant oaks became a part of her design aesthetic and early inspiration. Twisting colorful electrical wires, from her father's workshop, with twigs and acorns - to make rings and ornaments for her hair... nearly every early childhood craft project became a form of adornment, for Jenn!
Through her extracurricular study of art and philosophy, while earning a BA in Communications at Ripon College, she learned that the acorn holds great symbolic meaning across nearly every world culture. Symbolic of fertility and birth by some cultures, and symbolic of strength and wisdom by others... Aristotle considered the acorn the “greatest symbol of potentiality”.
Honoring and expressing nature's symbolism through Jenn's art and jewelry can be likened to the preservation of an ancient language… with adornment being a most potent and primitive form of artistic expression and multi-cultural communication, throughout history.
It is Jenn's hope that art and jewelry can serve as a vehicle for communicating peace, equality, truth, justice and wisdom… or amuletic, for personal healing, strength, identity and love.
Jenn's curiosity about the natural world, material world, and culture, has led to many treasured adventures and travels... such as, studying biomimicry with the Biomimicry Institute in Vera Cruz, Mexico... visiting the Kuna (Guna) Indians of the San Blas Islands, Panama... to an exploratory solo drive across Morocco, which fueled her interest in Moroccan arts, vintage world jewelry and textiles.
As a resident of SW Colorado, Jenn is fortunate to have also developed relationships with several Native American artisans and jewelers - from the Navajo Nation and the Santo Domingo Pueblo, primarily.
When not busy at the workbench, Jennifer is always up for an adventure – she craves cultural diversity, unique foods, studying and collecting arts and antiquity - and travel; enjoys camping, canoeing, hiking, beaches, snorkeling and sailing; experiencing the arts in all forms; volunteerism and environmental stewardship; serving as board member/wildlife transporter for Roubideau Rim Wildlife Rescue (501c3) in Olathe; contributing to local sustainability and conservation efforts; and spending quality time with her partner, family and friends.
Glossary of Terms
- Antique - an item that is at least 100 years old
- Artisan Works - items that are handcrafted by individual artists
- Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) - “formal or informal mining operations with predominantly simplified forms of exploration, extraction, processing, and transportation. ASM is normally low capital intensive and uses high labor intensive technology. “ASM” can include men and women working on an individual basis as well as those working in family groups, in partnership, or as members of cooperatives or other types of legal associations and enterprises involving hundreds or even thousands of miners.” (from the OECD)
- Assurance - a proof of a claim, whether verbal, written, photographic, or other direct evidence
- Certification - an official document given by an organization after sufficient proof has been gathered that a specific standard was met
- Fairmined - A label applied to gold and silver that is sourced exclusively from artisanal and small-scale mining organizations that meet the requirements of the Fairmined Standard written by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM).
- Findings - pre-manufactured components sometimes used in assembling final jewelry pieces
- Post Consumer - Materials such as metals and gemstones recovered from used consumer products for reuse in new products.
- Recycled - A term applied to metals and gemstones purchased or used by consumers (post-consumer), or are a byproduct of manufacturing (pre-consumer) or finished goods that were never in circulation (pre-consumer) that are reused in the manufacturing of new products.
- Vintage - an item that is between 20 and 99 years old