As I mentioned yesterday, Valentine’s Day is an irksome holiday. So we’re repossessing it in fashion’s name this year. We say for the next week, make a conscious decision to wear only what you love.

To get you inspired, we’ve published our Love, Ethically issue for your reading pleasure:

• For the next seven days, decide you’re going to feel like a million bucks and make it happen. Here’s some pointers on how to make that happen.
• To remind you to dig deep in your accessories drawer during your week of fabulousness, we offer our second annual ethical jewelry guide — written with the bride-to-be in mind but really, everyone can use a little sparkle in their lives.
• Kara interviewed her friend Elizabeth D. for the inaugural Real Girl Ethics column, our newest feature where we profile a real person and what ethical style means to them. (Got someone in mind who would make a great subject? Email us here!)
• If you’re one of the people whose boyfriend pops the question this weekend, you’ll be sure to have wedding brain. Tracy DiNunzio from RecycledBride.com offers her insight into the enduring popularity (and ease!) of green weddings.
• On a more serious note, the recent controversy over Love magazine’s decision to publish eight supermodels’ measurements got us thinking: Shouldn’t we put more effort into building self-love, rather than holding ourselves up to impossible standards? Read our quasi-feminist manifesto here.
• And as always, we bring you Seam Ripper, our compilation of Behind the Seams blog articles on the subject of love if you’re in the mood for more reading.

Whether you’re dropping subtle hints of solitaires to your boyfriend or putting the finishing touches on your wedding regalia, every bride-to-be contemplates diamonds at some point. And for those who think green, ethical jewelry choices abound now — from wedding sets to the perfect complements to your wedding gown.

Read on for our top picks from our favorite eco-designers and resources.

Diamond in the Rough

For the girl who eschews the round brilliant, Melissa Joy Manning's diamond slices are a modern take on the diamond solitaire. (Courtesy of MelissaJoyManning.com)

For the girl who loves nature in all its rough-hewn glory, what better engagement ring for her than a diamond slice from Melissa Joy Manning? This 4.2 carat milky white giant ($7,940), bezel set in 18 karat recycled gold, could be the perfect fit. And better yet, 10 percent of all sales through March 2010 will be donated to the American Red Cross’s earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti.

Pearls of Wisdom

Wearing a strapless dress but feeling bare on top? This multistrand pearl necklace (£39) from Eco-Monkey is a youthful (and well-priced!) update on the classic and gives just enough coverage above your decolletage.

Something Old

Check off the “something old” and “something blue” from your list with this vintage diamond and sapphire bracelet ($3,495) from Ross Simons’s estate collection. It’s circa 1980, so it’s not exactly old old, but it is so pretty that you’ll want to justify any reason to buy it.

Modern Vintage

If you want to ensure your diamonds come with a clean background, BrilliantEarth.com’s Diamond Flower Stud Earrings ($1,500) are guaranteed conflict free from Canada. The total carat weight for these studs reaches two-thirds of a carat and are set in a delicate vintage-inspired floral pattern in 18 karat white gold. (Not to mention they don’t scream “wedding jewelry” — you can wear these for life.)

Eternity Is A Long Time

Why not spend it on something classic that will never go out of style? Choo Yilin Artisan Jewelry is a newcomer to the ethical jewelry set, but her timeless trinity eternity bands (price upon request) handcrafted from reclaimed metals should be a part of every bride’s wedding set.

It’s pouring rain in L.A. today and I could really use a pick-me-up to get me in the mood for the weekend. My top contender is this pair of goldtone pyramid stud earrings by Etsy seller BRadleyBB.

I really like how they’re softer than hard-edged pyramid studs, and edgier than too-basic gold posts, like the kind they pierce ears with. And best of all, they’re made from upcycled buttons from a vintage shirt (hence the speckled look of wear).

Oh yeah, and they cost less than a panini. Also available in silver if yellow gold isn’t your thing.

BRadleyBB Zone Stud Earrings in Gold, $5 at Etsy.com.

A month ago, when we were running our BrilliantEarth.com giveaway, we got a few emails from our vegan readers to complain about the labeling of pearls as ethical.

For them and others who refuse to wear fashion derived from any animal, there’s a new book out that explores the pearl industry and how the Chinese are revolutionizing the way pearls are made and marketed.

DeepGlamour.net reviews Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls:

As Chinese technology got better, more and more freshwater pearls came on the global market at a fraction of the price of their international counterparts. By the late 1990s, the best of the Chinese freshwaters were virtually undetectable from increasingly scarce Japanese akoyas, and soon, the Chinese pearls were available in even larger sizes than the Japanese species would allow. Symmetrical freshwater Chinese pearls now come as large as 14 millimeters (that’s as big as a marble), and are getting larger. Their skin can be flawless and comes in a multitude of colors (pink, blue, violet, orange, gold, gray), some right out of the shell, others the result of dye, chemical, and radiation treatments.

The flooding of so many Chinese pearls into the world market presented a problem for producers of more expensive pearls (just about every producer outside China). It’d be akin to the De Beers diamond syndicate discovering a competitor had come up with a new process that could create a genuine diamond, not a zirconium knockoff, but a real diamond that cost pennies to the thousands De Beers diamonds fetch. No wonder the worldwide pearl industry started screaming.

To be clear, the Tahitian pearls we gave away in our sweepstakes came from a farm that sustains an entire indigenous population without wasting freshwater or electricity, so while the pearls are harvested by sacrificing oysters, there can be good that comes from such an industry. But as with most ethical outlets, the good comes from a smaller production scale that values quality over quantity.

We love eco-conscious costume jewelry as much as the next gal but the pickings for baubles made with precious jewels and metals are slim indeed. There are a few notable exceptions — Melissa Joy Manning and BrilliantEarth.com among them — and now we can add Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery to that list.

Ms. Yilin herself contacted us this week with information about her Singapore-based line:

Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery has set out to demonstrate that luxury and fine jewellery can coexist. It first started work with the hill tribe artisans in northern Thailand. By working with them, the label helps sustain a centuries-old culture which would otherwise be in danger of dying out; the effects of modernity see many young tribesmen leave their villages for the cities to seek employment. The renewed demand for their hand-forged silver provides the tribesmen with a form of employment that allows them the choice to continue with their traditional way of life.

The label has since expanded its sustainability outreach to using eco-friendly, reclaimed precious metals, and sustainably sourced gemstones that include the avoidance of conflict-free diamonds. In addition, it helps support and raise awareness of traditionally marginalised groups like the hill tribe people and the environmental destruction caused by the use of certain types of material like coral.

Is it time to start sending Valentine’s Day hints to your beau? You can shop her beautiful and delicate creations at Cate.com.sg.

Wal-Mart, Claire’s, and several other retailers have temporarily stopped selling costume jewelry manufactured in China while federal consumer-safety groups investigate reports that many items are contaminated with high levels of cadmium, a known carcinogen.

According to the Associated Press (AP):

Lab tests were conducted for the AP on 103 pieces of low-price children’s jewelry such as charm bracelets and pendants purchased around the country. Virtually all were imported from China.

Twelve items had cadmium levels of at least 10 percent by weight. One piece had a startling 91 percent, and others contained more than 80 percent. The government has no restrictions on cadmium in jewelry.

Children can be exposed by sucking or biting such jewelry. But without direct exposure, most people do not experience its worst effects: cancer, kidneys that leak vital protein and bones that spontaneously snap.

The worrisome results came in tests of bracelet charms sold at Walmart stores, at the jewelry chain Claire’s and at a Dollar N More store. High amounts of cadmium also were detected in “The Princess and The Frog” movie-themed pendants.

The use of cadmium is favored by Chinese factories because it is cheap and pliable. It is commonly found in rechargeable batteries and circuitry, but it is also poisonous and can affect brain development in young children. Dangerous stuff.

Hundreds of stalls line the street during a Sunday handicrafts market in Buenos Aires. (M.J. Prest/EthicalStyle.com)

Ola chicas! Kara picked up my blogging slack while I was on vacation in South America, and I want to publicly thank her for doing such a bang-up job keeping everyone entertained.

I plan to write more about what I saw fashion-wise while in Brazil and Argentina, but the first thought I’d like to explore focuses specifically on Argentina. The peso crisis of 2001, a disastrous decision by the government to devalue the Argentinian peso to next to nothing, still resonates throughout the country today. When the majority of Argentina’s citizens woke up one morning to find their life’s savings had become worthless, people had to get creative in how they would make money.

One industry that flourished as a result? Handicrafts. In most of the touristy sections of Buenos Aires, you can find artisans selling handmade beaded necklaces, beautiful earrings, silver rings, and all manner of small goods using Argentina’s famous leathers — from belts to bags to wallets to sandals. Some of the artisans have set up boutiques and some sell their goods on the street, but what they all have in common is a commitment to high craftsmanship — and quality that only improves as the artisans have more practice.

It made us think of how Etsy has really exploded since the United States suffered its own economic meltdown in 2008. We’ve heard anecdotal evidence of people who have lost their jobs only to find their passion in their previously-neglected hobbies. Not everyone is lucky enough to make a living out of making jewelry, but for some it can be a side business that satisfies creative urges while bringing in a little income.

Etsy shop owners, care to comment?

In honor of our tee-shirt giveaway courtesy of Fashion Loves People — a brand that donates $1 from every tee sold to fight human trafficking — we’ve found a bunch of other stylish gifts that support nonprofit groups. If you’ve procrastinated on your Christmas shopping, these couldn’t come at a better time:

• John Hardy plants a bamboo sapling in Bali for every Woven Leather Bracelet ($195) sold — perfect for the tree-hugger in your life.
• Have a niece who’s a miniature fashion plate? Ann Taylor is donating a  generous 60 percent of the sales from its adorable Cashmere Toddler Cardigan ($98) to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
• Paige Premium Denim designed the Be Comfortable in Your Genes Bracelet ($25) to raise awareness of bulimia and anorexia among young women, and proceeds benefit the National Eating Disorders Association.
• MAC Cosmetics’s longrunning Viva Glam line ($14) has expanded to seven shades of lipstick and three shades of lipgloss — but as always, 100 percent of the sales are donated to the nonprofit MAC AIDS Fund.
• Send a Sweet Home ($35.95) box of cookies from the Dancing Deer Baking Company and 35 percent of the proceeds will support One Family, a nonprofit coalition that helps homeless women and children.

We’re counting down the final hours of our Brilliant Earth giveaway! The entries are rolling in and one of our readers will be lucky enough to take home this gorgeous pair of sustainably made Tahitian pearl earrings, valued at $450.

We will be accepting entries until 5 p.m. PST, and the winner will be announced this evening. See the contest terms here. Bonne chance!

I don’t remember the year, but I have this childhood memory of my mom getting a brooch from some relative for Christmas. The thing was just ugly. A jumble of beads and ribbon, a lot of pink and primary colors, and two tiny theater masks had been glued onto the monstrosity. She loathed it, and there and then is when I gave up the institution of the brooch. I left cameos and pins out of it, and I never wore a brooch.

Until now.

This summer I inherited a lot jewelry from a relative (not the one who had given my mom the awful brooch!), and became the skeptical yet curious owner of a handful of lovely vintage brooches — something I had long avoided learning how to wear. After some searching the internet and keeping my eyes peeled, I found a thousand ways girls like me have creatively worn their brooches.

The History of the Brooch:

Brooches (or broaches) have been around since ancient history. The Romans would secure their cloaks and clothes with them (togas, anyone?), calling them fibula. (The fibula’s descendant is, you guessed it, the safety pin.) Think Roman, bejeweled Vivienne Westwood.

Today, brooches are excavated in archaelogical digs across the planet, and although they are one of the best indicators the particular date of an ancient find, a brooch from 1,000 years ago wouldn’t be all that out of place on a cute sweater today. Seriously.

A Brooch’s Bottom Line:

Brooches are all about combining function and beauty. If you have to pin something together, down, across, or up, why not use a beautiful jewel to do it?

Below are two lists. One suggests uses for a brooch that combine both function and beauty — the traditional usage of a brooch, shall we say.  The second list is uses of a brooch that are purely for aesthetic value, no function required.

Let’s get on with it!

Functional:

• Nip a blazer in
• Hold a sweater shut
• Use as a clasp for a ribbon belt
• Wrap a winter scarf around your neck and secure with a brooch
• Slip on a silk head scarf and pin in place at the back
• Take a long thin nice scarf and throw one end over the shoulder and secure where the pieces intersect with a pin
• Make a layered ribbon bracelet and secure it with a brooch
• Place front and center, to secure the neckline of a wrap dress or shirt.

Decorative:

• Pin on the side of a turtle neck
• Top a hat with an outrageous decoration to make even Robin Hood jealous
• Spruce up the lapel of a blazer
• Use a cluster of pins to make a lapel where a lapel would be
• Secure it on a necklace of several strands of pearls or beads
• Put a brooch, and perhaps a few more, on the straps of a bag
• Attract all eyes to the neckline of your favorite winter wool dress
• Attach to a headband, off to one side
• Pin the collar of a cowl neck sweater in place.

A Few Last Tips:

I was raised in the South, and while I imagine a progressive woman can wear a brooch on whichever side of her body she chooses, I wear them on the left. It’s proper, traditional etiquette.

And one more thing: Maybe instead of always trying to “hide the safety pin,” we could all try a brooch once in a while. If you don’t feel think the brooch is strong enough to hold something in place, use safety pins, and then cover the metal evidence with a brooch.

As for a vintage brooch that by some happy circumstance has come into your possession with matching earrings, it’s crucial to style them right to avoid looking “dowdy.” My solution has been to tone down my outfit’s complexity — say, basic black pants and a purple cowl neck sweater — but make my hair and overall aesthetic a little more professional punk rocker. Like a high pony tail with a teased-up bump in the front. It’s as close as you can get to a faux hawk in the office!