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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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”.