John Esposito, former student in the Gemmology and Jewellery Arts programs at George Brown College, is no stranger to getting his hands dirty, both literally and metaphorically.

From growing up in a working-class family back in England to barreling through 100-hour work weeks at one point, his path certainly has been rocky. But his determination has paid off. Esposito is the owner of a local studio known as Malleable Jewellers, a Toronto-based small business that prides itself on jewellery that is sustainable and ethical.

The company is one of two Fairtrade Licensee Goldsmiths in all of Canada. This means that they ensure all gold used in their products is easily traceable and more importantly, supports appropriate working conditions and wages for laborers. Malleable is also a Fair-minded Certified Supplier.

In an interview with the Dialog, Esposito outlined his career journey and spoke about lessons he learned along the way.

Esposito dipped his toes into the jewellery world through what he called “the back door.” He initially had taken on a job that allowed him to experience buying and selling precious gemstones, and eventually set up his own business back in the UK.

Moving to Canada required him to get a work permit, which brought him to GBC’s program. Following his Gemmology studies, he received excellent advice from a diamond broker: “Diamond certifications are great, but you need to understand how gemstones work in metal and jewellery” Esposito decided to bolster his knowledge with the Jewellery Arts program and fell in love with designing.

He says that the tools and skills that he developed at the college are “priceless” and that he values the depth of his knowledge about how a piece is made or why it has been made that way. The in-depth understanding of jewellery creation was necessary for Esposito to eventually found his own jewellery business.

When colleges were on strike in 2017, he set himself up with the equipment and clientele for the early stages of Malleable, taking on commissions whenever he could. And when he returned to school, he was suddenly juggling course assignments on top of work. At the time, he operated out of his old condo where space was tight and dust flew everywhere.

Now with his own studio, he and his expanding team participate in four tradeshows a year. With a careful eye on how and where the business can improve, making changes after trial and error has allowed Malleable to flourish and evolve.

“What I say to people who want to get into the industry and really want to make it – it’s definitely not for the faint of heart,” Esposito confessed. “And I think determination and perseverance are the two key factors that have kind of gotten me to where I am today.”

Those qualities have surfaced through a passion for the industry itself. When asked why he loves creating jewellery, he said: “I like that we can create change,” he said.

While jewellery designers aren’t literally saving lives like nurses and doctors, Esposito believes that they have their own opportunities to help people through supporting ethical working conditions, not only for mining communities but for his own workers. “We can be leaders in a marketplace, which can kind of transfer to any marketplace, to show, like, this is how we treat our employees and this is how you also should be treating employees.”

Esposito guesses that there are only approximately 80 to 100 designers across the world who work with fair-mined and fair-traded precious metals.

“Not everyone is socially switched on,” said Esposito. “Not everyone knows what fair-trade is, what fair-mined is.” Most people don’t think about the working conditions of those who extract metals such as gold and silver, and how their lives can be drastically improved with that support.

“I think part of the problem is that where the marketplace hasn’t had a great amount of demand, then jewellers haven’t really switched on to it,” he said, which could account for why so few jewellers work with fair-trade companies.

Although some jewellers have begun to advertise lab-grown diamonds or recycled jewellery because there is a demand for those now, “It’s baby steps, in all honesty,” Esposito says.

Recycled stones are great, but they aren’t traceable. Fair-mined materials, on the other hand, are traceable throughout their entire journey. Miners are also paid a premium of $6000 on top of the purchase price, and companies are required to manage harmful chemicals to minimize their environmental impact.

Another big reason why jewellers might avoid fair-mined certified metals is higher costs for the consumer. The way that Malleable addresses this problem is by charging the same amount for a piece that is made with fair-mined metal versus recycled metal. This requires the business to lower their profit margin, which many jewellers don’t want to do.

Esposito argues that since price is tied so closely with the sustainable aspect of the Malleable, it actually brings in more customers.

“There’s around eight pricing factors on average in a job… so in reality, you’re only lowering a certain portion of that cost, and so you’re only losing a certain amount of money, but you stand to gain a higher volume. So it’s kind of a no-brainer in a way.”

Although it isn’t ideal, Malleable does recycle precious stones as well. Having grown up in the large, industrial city of London, Esposito was always keenly aware of how quickly the planet can change due to human influence. That alongside a seminar he attended at GBC on fair-trade products is what gave him the idea to move in that direction. In this way, sustainability became another cornerstone of the business alongside ethical practice.

As growth has steadied and Esposito has taken on more of a supervisor role, he is pleased to have the opportunity to focus on his favorite aspect of jewellery-making: stone casting. Malleable’s Kimberlite collection uses this specialized technique, which involves handcrafting a wax mould and setting untreated precious stones inside while allowing the gems shift freely before they set in place. This results in a truly one-of-a-kind, unique piece.

This method of stoning is quite niche, and as such Esposito was often advised to pursue a different route. But with a strong push and some supportive faculty members at GBC along the way, he was able to use the technique for his thesis. Using resources from the college and in consultation with his professors, he was able to master it.

“So whenever we sell a Kimberlite piece, it’s a very personal thing to me. I get a lot more happy when we sell one of them than something else. Because it’s like we have a shared vision,” he said.

To future graduates of GBC, Esposito encourages them to develop self-respect. “Don’t settle for less and know your value,” he emphasized, noting that it’s important not just for your own sake, but for other workers as well. “If we have that kind of collective action of ‘no, we’re not going to settle for like 15 dollars an hour anymore.’ We need to be able to live and support ourselves rather than having two or three jobs… We need to strive for that.”

And while he admits that it can be difficult to do that, so much can be accomplished when we persevere. “Don’t just stop when you hit your first roadblock. Just drive right through it.”