Antique jewellery can captivate us with its poetry and stories of the past, reminding us of human ingenuity, cultural expression, and generations of skilled craftsmanship. But for those of us beginning to reckon with the colonial legacies of jewellery, these glimmering fragments of history can also pose uncomfortable questions.

Can we wear an antique Victorian diamond ring, for example, without interrogating the conditions under which that diamond was mined - or the imperial networks that granted British jewellers access to gold in the first place? For us at Lebrusan Studio, part of engaging with ethical jewellery is investigating the stories that are missing, and bringing them back into view.

This blog post explores what it means to approach antique jewellery from a decolonising perspective; how jewellers and wearers alike can honour the artistry of the past without turning a blind eye to its entanglements with empire.

 

What does ‘Decolonising’ Mean?

Cecil Rhodes, founder of De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines in South Africa

Decolonisation, in its broadest sense, is the process of dismantling and challenging the lasting impacts of colonialism on aspects of society, including education, culture, and deeply entrenched power structures. It involves identifying and critically examining colonial systems and relationships, and working to create a more just and equitable society.

A decolonising approach to jewellery invites us to go further than simply accepting that the damage has already been done – it implores us to consider not only how we perceive antique jewellery today, but how we interact with it. Decolonisation in this context is not about perfection, nor about rejecting the past wholesale. It’s an ongoing practice, which involves:

• Acknowledging the colonial systems that shaped jewellery histories.
• Challenging dominant narratives that romanticise empire or ignore its violence.
• Reclaiming and centring perspectives that have been excluded, especially those of Indigenous peoples and formerly colonised communities.
• Redistributing power and resources, whether through reparative practices, ethical sourcing or transparent storytelling.
• Buying antique jewellery through a decolonising lens means being willing to sit with complexity; acknowledging both the beauty of craft, and the horrors, without letting one erase the other.
   

Unpacking the Past: Jewellery’s Ties to Colonial Exploitation

Antique Victorian components, ready to be reimagined through our Reclaimed Vintage collection

Jewellery has always been political. For centuries, precious materials such as gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls have been extracted and traded through systems of violence, exploitation and displacement. These systems were often legalised and sustained by the European imperial powers from the 16th to 20th centuries, and many still persist in different forms today.

Take, for example, the rise of diamond jewellery in the 19th century. The discovery of diamonds in colonial South Africa in the 1860s marked the beginning of large-scale commercial diamond mining, much of it reliant on land dispossession and racialised labour control. Similarly, much of the gold used in 18th and 19th century European jewellery came from territories in South America and West Africa, where colonial powers operated brutal extractive regimes.

In this context, each piece of antique jewellery exists within a broader historical framework that includes conquest, slavery, resource extraction, and the hoarding of wealth by imperial elites in the northern hemisphere. Whilst these structures might feel distant today, it’s important to recognise that their legacies remain present in contemporary inequalities – including who gets to wear, own and profit from jewellery. Expect another article on this topic from us soon…

 

A Framework for Enjoying Antique Jewellery Ethically

‘Florence,’ our Reclaimed Vintage necklace crafted from antique Victorian gold chain and T-bar clasp, reclaimed broken diamonds and an eco-friendly Tahitian pearl

 

If you love antique jewellery but wish to align you values with decolonising principles, here are some guiding questions and practices for us to consider together:

1. Learn the histories, especially if they’re uncomfortable
Before buying a piece of antique jewellery, try to gather as much information as you can on its materials, time period and location of origin. At our sister brand, The Vintage Ring Co., every piece of jewellery we sell is independently assessed by a third party valuer at the London Assay Office and subsequently accompanied by a unique certificate of authenticity to offer as much information as we can glean in writing.

These details are an opportunity to ask yourself: Was this piece of jewellery created during a time of peak colonial expansion? What do you know about the trade routes that made its components possible? Are there symbols or motifs like “Orientalist” design tropes that appropriate or exoticise non-European cultures?

Knowledge is power. By informing yourself on these histories, you interrupt the tendency to romanticise the past and instead build a more honest relationship with the jewellery you wear.

 

2. Ask sellers about provenance and storytelling 
Antique jewellery dealers and traders who engage thoughtfully with provenance (the known history of a piece) can help you make informed choices. It’s very rare to trace the full supply chains of older pieces of jewellery, but any responsible antique jeweller who knows their stuff should be willing to discuss the cultural context of the pieces they’re selling and foster transparent storytelling. Beware of sellers who use vague, loaded language like “exotic,” “tribal,” or “Oriental” – these terms are often rooted in colonial ideology that flatten cultural complexity and reinforce damaging stereotypes.

 

3. Consider reparation-inspired buying practices 
If you’re buying antique jewellery that you know is rooted in colonial wealth, consider supporting reparation-aligned efforts in tandem. This might involve:

• Supporting jewellers of colour or hailing from formerly colonised countries who are reclaiming traditional techniques.
• Donating a portion of your jewellery budget to organisations supporting Indigenous land rights or community wealth-building. Alternatively, you might wish to seek a jeweller committed to donating a proportion of their profits to similar initiatives themselves. We at Lebrusan Studio, for example, plant trees in the Andes for every piece of jewellery we sell and donate a fixed quarterly sum to The Water Project’s work in Sierra Leone, a country that suffered 11 years of a civil war fuelled largely by feuds over the diamond mining industry and the traffic of blood diamonds.

 

4. Think about how you wear and talk about your jewellery
Adopting a decolonising perspective doesn’t stop at considering what, how and where you buy – it’s also about how you carry your jewellery, and your role as a vessel for transformative discussion. Are you perpetuating the myth of innocence, or honouring the complicated history of your jewel? Are you prepared to respond insightfully and truthfully when someone asks about your antique necklace or ring?

Moralising your jewellery in this way does not need to be joyless; it is simply a practice of rejecting narratives that erase or obscure the role of empire in creating the very conditions for it to exist. We believe that the most beautiful jewellery is that which serves a proactive purpose. If yours plays a role in encouraging us to learn from our mistakes and foster a safer and fairer society for the future, what could be more inherently beautiful than that?

 

Can Jewellery Serve as a Site of Repair?

Joias, Arabel Lebrusan’s commemorative coin depicting Eliane Mello and her 6-month-old unborn child who died at the Brumandinho iron mine disaster in Brazil in 2019

As the conversation around decolonising jewellery evolves, we’re beginning to see exciting examples of jewellery being used as a way to action justice and repair. Our Reclaimed Vintage collection, for example, salvages components from antique Victorian pieces and pairs them with responsibly sourced materials like reclaimed broken diamonds and eco-friendly Tahitian pearls. Challenging the idea of misfits and Western canons of beauty and value, these one-off necklaces, earrings and rings convert historic relics into new, intentional forms. In doing so, we are not erasing history, but transforming it for the future. You can learn more about our thoughts on remodelling antique jewellery sympathetically here.

These jewels also serve as indirect catalysts for discussion about colonial histories, scaling down vast issues to tactile forms. Our founder – jewellery designer, visual artist and creative campaigner Arabel Lebrusan – hones a practice that often treads the fine line between jewellery and art. Art jewellery, from her perspective, is a tangible and relatable medium through which complex ideas can be explored, opening dialogues bigger than aesthetics.

“I find meaning in creating physical metaphors to amplify the stories that desperately need to be told,” Arabel says. “Creating art jewellery helps me cope with the injustices of this cruel world we live in; to process humanity’s tragic histories of abuse, exploitation, and inequality. I hope it will also help others.”

Jewellery is not just a static symbol of wealth or power – it can also be a medium of storytelling, resistance, and healing.

 

To approach antique jewellery through a decolonising lens is to acknowledge relationships; relationships to history, to community, to accountability. It means seeing a brooch not just as a treasure, but as a relic of a particular world - and asking whose stories are held within its stones. It means treating jewellery not just as ornament, but as evidence. It also means recognising that beauty, in all its richness, doesn’t have to be divorced from responsibility. In fact, the deepest beauty might come from confronting history honestly - and choosing, every day, to wear it differently.

 

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Love, Arabel & Team