I'm so proud to announce that Vellva is now officially PETA-Approved Vegan.
What Does PETA-Approved Vegan Mean?
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a non-profit organisation which campaigns globally to end cruelty to animals with the belief that 'animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment or abuse in any other way'. To promote the use of non-animal derived products including cosmetics, clothing, food, and jewellery, they created PETA-Mall, an online directory of businesses which have been certified by PETA as being vegan and cruelty-free.
In order to achieve this PETA-Approved Vegan status, a business has to breakdown each item they produce into a list of components and provide certification from their manufacturers that each component is vegan. This is then thoroughly checked by PETA and PETA-Approved Vegan status is granted. As a fully approved business, Vellva can be found in their directory here.
To support PETA-Approved Vegan businesses and products, check out the directory and look out for the above logo when shopping.
What Is Vegan Jewellery?
Vegan jewellery is simply any jewellery that does not contain animal derived products, such as leather, silk and shells. Real pearls, whether naturally occurring or cultivated, are not vegan as they are formed when an irritant enters a mollusk shell causing it to secrete and coat the irritant in nacre, which in time builds up to create a pearl. For more information on how pearls are formed and the differences between natural and cultivated pearls, check out our blog post on pearl FAQs here.
What Are Crystal Pearls and How Are They Vegan?
As a vegan alternative to real pearls, I use crystal pearls in all Vellva jewellery, a type of man-made, imitation, or faux pearl. Unlike other pearls in this category which can often be lightweight, plastic and low quality, crystal pearls are high quality beads crafted in central Europe from a crystal glass core dipped in a special pearlescent coating created to replicate the beauty and lustre of natural pearls. This coating is 100% vegan unlike that of other imitation pearls which often use ingredients like fish scales to achieve a pearlescent effect.
Crystal pearls are also a more durable alternative to many natural pearls which have to be handled very carefully to avoid damage, making them perfect for everyday wear.
Why I Chose Vegan Crystal Pearls
Speaking as both a business-owner and a jewellery consumer, I believe that given the option to have a high-quality, man-made pearl which causes no disruption or harm to an animal, and is just as pretty as the natural alternative, then it’s a no-brainer - crystal pearls win.
Discover Vellva's Vegan Pearl Jewellery
Every single item on the website is PETA-Approved Vegan so you can shop in confidence knowing that the jewellery you buy is pretty af AND cruelty-free.
Thank you for reading,
Marie-Claire, Vellva Founder