Interview: Vivien Johnston, ethical jeweller

Published on Sunday 21 February 2010 11:42

"I can come off a plane from Brazil covered in mine dust," says Vivien Johnston, Glasgow-based owner of Fifi Bijoux jewellery. "Then fix my face in the airport toilets, before catching another flight to go to a party, where I'll find myself air-kissing Jimmy Choo."

For 32-year-old Johnston, who launched her ethical accessories company back in 2006, life is full of slightly surreal contrasts.

There's the glamorous side of her job, which involves hobnobbing with the likes of Annie Lennox, launching her spring/summer 2010 silver and engagement ring lines and attending the annual fashion weeks, not to mention spotting her designs in Vogue and, last week, the Australian version of Grazia magazine. Even George Alagiah texted her recently to say he was wearing a pair of her cufflinks while presenting the Six o'Clock News.

However, there's also the nitty-gritty of developing her jewellery, which may involve visiting one of the community gold mines she's working with in, for example, Argentina.

That's because her luxury pieces (which include hummingbird-emblazoned earrings and orchid pendants) utilise only fairly traded precious metals and gemstones – which is almost unique in the luxury jewellery world.

You might have encountered Fifi Bijoux, if you've tried to take part in The Big Swap, part of this year's Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February–7 March). This campaign encourages us to swap the products we use for fairly traded versions. It's not too difficult to change your coffee or chocolate brand. However, a wardrobe might be slightly harder to ethically upgrade, despite the existence of companies like People Tree, which commissions designers such as Eley Kishimoto to produce snappy diffusion lines.

And tracking down fairly traded luxury jewellery is virtually impossible.

Johnston, who established the British Ethical Jewellery Association, has almost cornered the market, which is especially interesting if you consider that a couple of years before setting up her company, she had no knowledge or interest in fair trade products.

That situation changed when she became head of design for a commercial jeweller, which meant she was responsible for sourcing manufacturers.

"I discovered that traceability was a real problem," she explains. "The chain of custody wasn't accessible, so we didn't know how materials had been produced, mined or cut. I found that quite frustrating, as I thought businesses and consumers should know the provenance.

"After all, when you're dealing with small, high-value products, it's easy for smuggling to fund mucky politics – as you'll realise if you've seen the film Blood Diamond. This can have a huge impact on people's livelihood and communities."

Her final push to set up Fifi Bijoux involved a friend asking her to design and source material for an "ethical bling" platinum ring, so he could propose to his girlfriend – a human rights worker. Johnston eventually found the metal she needed, from a small mine in Columbia and, nowadays, she buys her gold and silver from artisanal mines in Argentina and Bolivia, with a share of all profits being ploughed back into local communities.

These suppliers also tend to pan for gold using low-impact methods that don't require the use of cyanide or mercury – potentially dangerous chemicals (used in metal extraction) that have a big impact on the environment and human health.

A reduction in the use of these additives is a bit of an eco-coup, if you consider that, according to experts, the production of all UK wedding rings results in three-quarters of a ton of poison as an annual byproduct.

However, despite its credentials, Fifi Bijoux still can't use the Fairtrade trademark, as this organisation is going through the final stages of development that will allow it to cover precious metals. While Johnston waits for the go-ahead, there's hot debate about how fairly traded luxury jewellery will be identified to consumers.

"We do wonder if people want the same mark on their bananas as they'll get on their engagement ring," Johnston explains.

Still, despite the virtuousness of all Johnston's projects, you could argue that, if you're worried about the impact of buying precious metals, then you should just stick to the costume stuff. For those of us, however, who're set on buying luxury jewellery (especially for those unavoidable proposal purchases), at least there's another, more ethical route to explore.

"Customers buy the product because it makes them feel good. Not because they want to change the world," says Johnston. "Someone described my business as a 'hearts and minds' company. First of all you capture their heart with the design, and then the story behind it captures their heads."

Fifi Bijoux, www.fifibijoux.com; Fairtrade Fortnight, 22 February–7 March, www.fairtrade.org

This article was originally published in The Scotsman on 20 February 2010