Society, as a whole, has grown removed from its environment. Too many of us are consumers now – we purchase, consume, and dispose – often in a rapid cycle. People chase after the next big trend, and mass-market retailers are ready to satisfy with mock-ups of designer jewelry, conveniently made by the thousands and thousands in a third-world country’s workshop. H&M offers $10 bracelets; Forever 21 offers $5 necklaces. They fall apart after a few uses. So what? They’re cheap, and look good – for now.

Is this really the inevitable track that the modern’s consumer mind goes down?

I don’t think so – we, the team at Elysieme, don’t think so. It’s not only important what something is, but what it was, and what it will be. Here’s what I mean:

“What [something] was” means the heritage of the item, where it came from, and how it was made. Who was responsible for the design of the piece? Are the peoples responsible for designing and crafting these jewels able to live well? Are the manufacturing processes conscious and ethical? What do they stand for? What are their ideals and beliefs?

How about “what [something] will be”? By that, we mean the quality behind the item – how it wears and endures, as well as its affect on its environment. Is the craftsmanship behind the item sound? Will it last for years and years, possibly to be passed onto another loved one?

In the end, all these answers have to be positive. We’ve got to look at the long term, beyond the temporal consumer mindset. And if we sell less? That’s fine – let’s just enjoy the journey together.