Since spring is all about that golden glow, we’ve hand-selected a group of garments that you’ll want to wear when the weather turns warm.

The beginning of a new season brings with it emerging trends and clothes that help us say goodbye to stale winter wardrobes. Springtime, in particular, conjures up visions of idyllic seaside locales and warm, sunny places that exude both fun and relaxation–and of course that golden glow. So when your closet matches the season, it can make you feel even more ready to conquer the rituals you know and love.

Shimmery, matte, shiny, or dark, there are many different versions of gold, and there’s certainly one to flatter your personality and look. To prove it, we’ve rounded up five different pieces that any woman would be proud to have in her closet.

1. Stardust Sequin Jacket

This statement jacket is outfitted with embroidery and sequins that are sure to dazzle wherever you go. We’re especially liking this as your go-to office-to-evening piece, since it has such stellar transformative powers. Although this would look sweet paired with a little black dress, the structure-less fit to this jacket lends a casual edge, allowing you to pair it with less formal attire, too. Jeans, skirts, tanks, tees, and even sneakers or sandals are not off limits with this effortless piece. Priced at $328.

2. Deep Gold Kimono

If this reminds you of the ’70s, that’s the point. Fortunately, it’s been given a modern twist with the open deep-V front, tie waist, and gold foil finish. The kimono style top would look great paired with a variety of different pieces. A one piece swimsuit and wide-leg pants, a sexy bralette and jeans, your two piece bikini, or a simple tank and shorts would all work well with this blouse. Priced at $68.

3. Shimmering Midi Skirt

The golden glow of this skirt is awesome for the office, or date night, making it as versatile as it is beautiful. The midi length is flattering on a range of body styles, as it the rise. For work time attire, we recommend pairing the skirt with a soft cream colored sweater, a simple necklace, and lace-up loafers. For weekend fun, we recommend pairing the skirt with with a crop top or strappy bodycon tank, statement earrings, and a pair of ankle tie heels. Priced at $98.

4. Bright and Shiny Bomber

If you’re in need of a go-with-everything jacket that’s light enough to wear on spring evenings, but still substantial enough to keep you warm, then look no further than this golden bomber jacket. The design and color will add instant cool girl style to any outfit you pair it with. Try as a coverup with a sexy black dress, a sheer lace blouse, or with a simple tank, pair of shorts, and sneakers. This also makes an excellent pairing for the bralette tops that are trending big this season. Priced at $118.

5. Statement Embellished Mini

A beautiful embellished mini skirt like this one is perfect for those times when you want to turn heads. Whether you wear it to an event, or for a girls’ night out, it’s sure to help you stand out from the crowd. Styling this skirt is simple. From basic silky tucked-in tanks, to soft, slightly fitted sweaters, the possibilities are vast. When it comes to shoes, you can have fun here, too. Choose something edgy, like a flat boot, something sweet, like a strappy heel, or something trendy, like an ankle bootie for the perfect footwear pairing. Priced at $198.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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The post 5 Pieces That’ll Give You a Golden Glow: Friday Finds appeared first on EcoSalon.

Jewelry is just art you can wear.

For thousands of years, the beauty of gems and jewelry have driven people mad with lust. It’s not surprising that some enterprising, if not unscrupulous, people have tried to capitalize on these desires — either by thieving away real pieces or creating new, fake ones. The scholar Charles Truman recently reported that out of 49 pieces in the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a whopping 34 are fakes.

These ten infographics won’t help you spot any counterfeits, but they will give you some data to ponder while you save up for your next treasure.

The Most Expensive Jewelry Ever Sold at Auction: Gems that are flawless or have historical value have unimaginably high prices.

The World’s Biggest Heists: Even seemingly impenetrable vaults can be vulnerable.

Gold Rush: Gold is valuable, but Peyton Manning more so.

Blood Diamonds on the High Street: Ask where your diamond was mined to ensure that it comes from a conflict-free area.

History of the Modern Treasure Hunter: If you’re a scuba diver, sunken ships are a great source of lost treasure.

Global Gold Mines: Where is the gold?

Counterfeit Currency: It’s much easier to counterfeit goods than it is to fake currency.

History of a Diamond: Ancient Romans believed that diamonds were splinters from falling stars.

Cracking Fort Knox: If you’re planning an attempt on the most secure vault in the world…don’t.

The Gold Tree: Nearly 51% of gold mined today is used in jewelry.

Image: metalriot

The post 10 Infographics on Gold, Gems and Heists appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s hard to make generalizations about Americans. But here’s one I’ll buy: We tend to rush things. Especially our shopping. Right now, in fact, millions of us, having left our holiday buying to the last minute, are scurrying about picking up our remaining gifts, including those we planned on purchasing since we saw that Canon, Panasonic or Nintendo ad months ago.

What we don’t do is think a lot about stuff. Like the stuff we rush to buy and where the stuff that makes up that stuff comes from. For example, how many people in that insanely packed Best Buy I passed by this morning are going in thinking about where the tungsten in that cell phone they’re about to purchase comes from – and who’s making a load of cash on it way up the product’s food chain?

Well, somebody’s thinking about it. And they want you think about it, too.

The Enough Project is a group dedicated to “helping to build a permanent constituency to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity.” Their focus is primarily on Africa where, 15 years after the murder of more than 800,000 people in Rwanda, the global response to current bloodshed on the continent is pretty much the same today as it was then – way too close to nil.

And your next trip to Best Buy may play a starring role in this drama. A large percentage of high-tech gadgets in today’s marketplace are made using “conflict minerals” mined in the Congo (where diamonds are also at issue), the profits from which are fueling and encouraging mass murder and rape, and other atrocities throughout the region. (This is according to the U.N. Security Council’s “Final Report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo” released last month.) As for the size of the problem, consider this: in the last 15-plus years, conflict in eastern Congo alone has caused more deaths than from any war since WWII.

The deal with the minerals is this, says the Enough Project: “Worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year, the conflict minerals trade [the ores that produce the ‘3Ts’ – tin, tantalum, tungsten – and gold] provides incentives for rebel groups, militias, and criminal networks within the Congolese army to control strategic mines and trading routes through patterns of violent extraction and deeply exploitative behavior.”

Tantalum, tin and tungsten are critical elements used in laptops, mobile phones and other common electronics most of us use every day. Electricity is stored in tantalum, tin is used in circuit board soldering, gold is essential to wiring and tungsten is used to make mobile phones vibrate.

Here are five product areas the Enough Project thinks we all should be asking manufacturers questions about:

Laptops

MP3s

Digital Cameras

Video Game Devices

Mobile Phones

To deal with the problem, the Enough Project recently began working with major electronics companies, engaging (or attempting to engage) 21 industry leaders to call their attention to the issue and inquire about the steps they are taking to ensure their products are “conflict-free.” Last week, it released a report called “Getting to Conflict-Free Assessing Corporate Action on Conflict Minerals,” which ranks the companies as to how well they’re doing in identifying where their minerals come from and taking action to eliminate or at least minimize the use of materials from the region. High marks went out to HP (the best of the bunch), Intel, Motorola, Nokia, Microsoft and Dell. Worst of breed on the issue were Canon, Panasonic, Sharp and Nintendo.

The group’s objective is to have companies at the top of the minerals supply chain “use their buying power to influence their suppliers, exerting pressure down the supply chain, a model of change that has had success in the apparel, forestry, and diamond sectors.” The project’s website reports that it has “seen dramatic changes” since the group began its work, including the passage of conflict minerals legislation in the United States.

The Enough Project is not attempting to instigate coordinated boycotts of certain companies or products, but the group is asking you to take action by learning about which companies are cooperating with efforts to end such blood profits and which are not, and is providing a easy way to engage in the latter in a coordinated campaign.

“We would hope that consumers understand that some companies are clearly taking positive steps toward becoming conflict free, however there is still a long way to go,” Enough Project Policy Analyst Aaron Hall told EcoSalon. “Consumer driven action is one of the most powerful tools for change in our country, and we would encourage people to visit our website, click on the ‘take action’ tab and contact your favorite companies as well as elected representatives and let them know your concerns. If they have been productive on the conflict minerals issue, thank them and ask them to continue to do more. If they are behind the curve, ask them why and demand action. The reduction of violence and mass atrocities in eastern Congo will not be possible without the momentum and pressure created by consumer based action.”

While putting the onus on you – the consumer – is debatable in terms of its ultimate efficacy, it seems that few companies are in any mood to police themselves and governments seem to have little to no interest in atrocities occurring in the region. In any case, maybe the next time the tungsten in your cell phone gives you that little bzzz letting you know so-and-so is calling, consider it a reminder to maybe take some time to better get to know your stuff.

Images: Axel Bührmann, MC4 Army, blogefl, Creative Tools, doobybrain, cloneofsnake

The post Rise of the Killer Gadgets: The 5 You Need to Know appeared first on EcoSalon.

The second I spotted these gorgeous lights on Trendenser, images of these lovely recycled paper mache bowls lined with metallic leaf danced in my head. The silver (or gold) lining of these products provides an unexpected gleam of glamor. One of these products will provide sheen at the bottom of your treasures and the other will shed light over your gourmet meals while dangling above your dining table.

The Etco Paper Vessels come in confections of colors (white with gold, brown with copper, black with silver, etc.).

The Tom Dixon Beat Pendant Lights come in heaps of silhouettes to drop from your ceiling.

The post The Silver Lining appeared first on EcoSalon.

First Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, now gold diggers have upset environmentalists and economists. It’s been like 1849 online with blogs abuzz over gold prices, prospectors and water use in California.

The precious metal is priced at a record dollar high now, thanks in part to China and India snapping up gold reserves. Panic and pricing like that drives laid-off Californians to go panning and miners to “explore,” sometimes damaging the farthest corners of the Earth to get gold.

Eco- and business-bloggers alike want to know: Is the “value” of the ore real, especially since jewelry demand declined in the recession, and industrial demand for gold can often be met with other materials?

A fashion and custom jewelry designer, Lisa Linhardt, of Linhardt Design in New York City, says lots of bling seekers have no idea what environmental impact their fashion choices have until they find her. Focused on making “beautiful, sculptural pieces” first, she is also a green gold jeweler, in a good way.

Linhardt buys 100% recycled gold from casting houses and refineries that extract it from post consumer material, not newly-mined. She can also melt the jewelry you never wear to form something new in her studio (constructed with reclaimed barn wood). Gold’s value is real, she believes, but the industry needs a makeover.

Other designers should demand “Strict gold certification so we know what we’re buying is 100% recycled, and that the labor involved is fair trade,” she suggests. For now, she’s willing to do the original research and footwork herself.

Basic Reading:

“Jewelers are increasingly concerned about young shoppers who are becoming more educated about the impact of their purchasing decisions”¦” – GreenBiz.com feature on Cartier’s buying more responsibly-mined gold

“Gold is unlike any other commodity. It is costly to extract from the earth and to refine to a reasonable degree of purity. It is costly to store. It has no remaining uses as a producer good – equivalent or superior alternatives exist for all its industrial uses”¦Surprisingly people like to attach it to their earlobes or nostrils or to hang it around their necks.”– Financial Times blog entry discussing the true value of gold

“Many want to hide the unsavory aspects of how business is conducted in the jewelry industry. But a Blue Sky approach would have us differentiate ourselves by eliminating anything that disguises, hides or obfuscates practices within our industry. We want to differentiate ourselves by being upfront and having full disclosure. Then we want to advertise where we are supporting fair and ethical practices.” – An open letter to jewelers on how to deal with the “dirty” gold issue in FairJewelry.org

“Driven by record-high gold prices – [recently] $1,056 an ounce, double that of just three years ago – prospectors are flocking to the state”¦ Gold mining permits, or claims, on file with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for California have shot from 15,606 in 2005 to 23,974 this year”¦” – San Francisco Chronicle story on the New California Gold Rush

“California’s second gold rush has also created one recession-proof business. Keene Engineering of Chatsworth, Calif., makes the equipment you need to find gold – from plastic pans to large commercial rigs. The owners say their business has doubled”¦”-
MotherJones feature on the history of land use in California