Our Ethos

As a small maker-owned operation, we are proud to operate independently from outside investors and thus able to run our business in a way that reflects our social & environmental ethos. The goal of our business is to support our local and global communities while providing financial support and creative opportunities to our small team

We work in this art form with a reverence for the millennia of jewelry that precedes us and for the Earth that gave us our materials. Every aspect of our production is focused on recycled materials, local production, and responsible sourcing. 


Recycled Materials

The gold we use is recycled. Semi precious stones and organic materials are often repurposed from antique jewelry. Sensitive materials like red branch coral are never sourced new.

Local Production

The vast majority of our jewelry design, casting, stone setting, and assembly all happens in or around Burlington, Vermont. This allows us to oversee production methods, ensure quality, lower our carbon footprint, and circulate revenue back into our local economy.

Responsible Sourcing

Where there are gaps in our recycled materials or elements we can't produce ourselves, we work with US-based partners who are equally committed to fair trade sources and environmentally conscious practices.

Beneficiary Projects

Every quarter, Rackk & Ruin allocates a portion of profits to causes we care about. We are proud of the list of organizations that we've worked with so far.

The Zaynab Project: GAZA Relief The Zaynab Project is a women-led, 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit delivering critical aid to families and orphaned children across Gaza. They work directly on the ground to meet urgent needs and build pathways toward resilience and dignity, without delays, middlemen, or commissions taken from the cost of aid.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency A nonprofit agency that provides humanitarian aid and development assistance to Palestinian refugees.

Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund To support and expand legal resources available to organizations that protect asylum seekers, immigrants, and marginalized people facing deportation or detention.

Vermont Access to Reproductive Freedom Working to ensure Vermonters have the right to control what happens to their health and bodies.

Palestinian Children's Relief Fund PCRF's Gaza Relief and Recovery campaign provides urgent aid and supports long-term recovery in Gaza. Funds will supply medical aid, treatment, food, water, and necessities for affected families. The organization also focuses on rebuilding healthcare facilities, and funding trauma counseling and mental health services to foster healing in the community.

The Intervale Center A dynamic non-profit in Burlington, VT that implements innovative, replicable and place-based solutions to address some of global agriculture’s most pressing problems. They are transforming the food system from one that is degrading, anonymous and industrial, to one that is restorative, familiar and human-scale. The Intervale Center is working to foster a local food economy that is good for people and the planet.

Barre Community Relief Fund In July of 2023, the catastrophic and historic flood in Barre gravely affected multitudes of businesses, homeowners, and people living and working in the area. The Barre Community Relief Fund has been established to help raise money for assistance in recovery and rebuilding.

Generator Makerspace Generator is an artist studio, classroom, and business incubator at the intersection of art, science, and technology. They provide tools, expertise, education, and opportunity to enable every member of our community to create, collaborate, and make their ideas reality.

New Farms for New Americans A community based gardening and agriculture program for refugees and immigrants.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Home to the Lakota and Dakota nations, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is committed to protecting the language, culture and well-being of its people through economic development, technology advancement, community engagement and education.

Vermont Works for Women Vermont Works for Women is working to create an equitable Vermont where people of all identities and backgrounds have equal access to opportunities and to thrive economically – where they make confident, deliberate choices about life and work that reflect an expansive grasp of what’s possible.

WRUV The radio voice of the University of Vermont. It is a non-profit, non-commercial, educational entity licensed by the FCC comprised of UVM students, staff and community members

Every Mother Counts Working to make the maternal health journey before, during, and after childbirth safe, respectful, and equitable for everyone, everywhere.

Black & Brown Founders Providing community, education, and access to small businesses, allowing them to launch and build tech businesses with modest resources.

The Brigid Alliance A referral-based service that provides people seeking abortions with travel, food, lodging, child care and other logistical support.

Mercy Corps A global team of humanitarians working together on the front lines of crisis, disaster, poverty, and climate change to create a world where everyone can prosper. Beyond delivering aid to meet urgent needs, we develop long-term solutions to make lasting change possible.

South End Arts and Business Association SEABA supports artists, entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities in the South End Arts District, home to the most incubator businesses per square mile in Vermont.

Raices Texas Raices delivers legal and social services to people and families who want to put down roots in the U.S. -- and cultivate welcoming communities that uphold our collective freedoms.