Peruse was set up in the spring of 2006, to try and bring together a collection of ethically sourced and fairly traded jewellery and accessories at affordable prices.

There had been several well-publicised cases of ‘sweatshop style’ production of goods for the Western consumer, often showing children working terribly long hours for practically no money at all. As a mother myself, I felt that I had to change my purchasing habits and started to be far more questioning and careful about what I bought. To my surprise and delight, fair trade didn’t just mean coffee and bananas. Ethical buying policies can ensure that just about anything can be fairly traded. So I thought I’d share my finds with others – and here they are, I hope you like them too!

At Peruse, we don’t just talk about fair trade making a difference, we try to take steps towards change.

Our customer service policy

Customer service is an important part of Peruse. We will aim to deliver any goods you buy within 5 working days – and if we can’t, we’ll contact you with an explanation. If you are unhappy with your goods, please return them to us within 14 days of deli

very, explaining the problem and we will offer a full refund. We want you to be happy with everything you buy from Peruse!

Our corporate social responsibility projects

Money from Peruse goes towards sponsoring a little girl called Phornphana in Northern Thailand. This is done through an organisation called Plan International (www.plan-uk.org), which helps make a difference to children born in poverty around the world. Phornphana lives with her mother, who is a farmer, and is able to go to school, rather than work in the fields where they grow maize – her future will be very different from her mother’s.

Money is also sent to Feed the Children UK (www.feedthechildren.org.uk). Wherever there is famine, conflict, disease or poverty, it's always the children who are most vulnerable. Operating from offices in Twyford (near Reading) and Bristol, Feed The Children UK concentrates aid on children suffering the effects of poverty, especially those who have been orphaned or abandoned.

Our attitude to recycling

Wherever possible we try to use recycled goods and be environmentally friendly with our packing and wrapping. Each piece of jewellery you buy from Peruse will come in a hand-made pouch made from pretty reclaimed cotton fabric and tied with a ribbon. All outer packaging (bubble wrap, envelopes and brown paper) will be reused whenever possible. Small steps towards big changes!

For more information call 01386 422354 or send an email.