Many of the products on this website are simple to identify in terms of material origin. Our policy is to (wherever possible) reclaim and recycle high quality materials, therefore a number of products on this website incorporate antique and vintage components. This inevitably makes each product unique and unrepeatable.
This strategy, whilst requiring extensive research and focused purchasing, gives considerable cost advantages on rare materials which would not be otherwise available. Any savings are naturally passed on to the customer. Some of these components are in remarkably good condition despite their age (which can be considerable). Some have been hidden away for decades, whilst others are of an original high quality but now in a current reclaimed state known colloquially as "Shabby Chic". Antique, vintage and previously owned products and components are (by definition) not in new condition - although nothing is incorporated into any item unless we believe it to be fully fit for function.
All components and materials are ethically sourced from known suppliers or individuals in the UK and (very occasionally) in the EU and USA. All materials are legally in our possession and legally incorporated into our products.
CITES is the worldwide agreement for the protection of species through the regulation of trade in wild flora and fauna adopted (with additions) in the EU as regulation EC No 338/97 and applies in the UK, with Schedule 1 (EU Annex A) being the category of most concern. The only CITES listed items of recent origin we handle (incorporated into our products for trade) are naturally moulted feathers from healthy birds from Schedule 2 or lower, sourced in the UK from known ethical aviaries or kept as well-loved pets.
A limited number of materials from old (more usually very old, pre World War 2 and pre CITES) previously owned products are occasionally reclaimed (physically and spiritually) to be incorporated into some of our new products. We do not agree the killing of, collection of, or the destruction of the habitat of, any threatened or endangered species or bio-system. We fully support the objectives of CITES and other protection programmes.
Some products utilise food industry sidelines such as leather. Some of these leathers are specialist and hand prepared. If we are supplying a sheepskin we prefer to supply a rare breed one as this helps the commercial viability and continuity of rare breed stock which will otherwise disappear. Other hides and skins are sourced from UK parkland managed or wild herds where strictly controlled ethical culling occurs in order to manage both the environment and the species - usually with government agency administration or agreement. The purchase of such parkland hides (which have difficulty entering the mainstream retail sector due to small volumes and erratic supply) helps support the continuing viability of vulnerable parkland systems.
Almost all other animal products incorporated in our products are old, at least vintage and frequently antique.
Wood species are of local origin wherever possible, harvested from drop wood or naturally fallen trees. Rare and tropical woods are only used if reclaimed from existing antique items. This meets the aim of minimising environmental and species impact, and supporting sustainability and biodiversity.
Environmentally friendly processes (such as dyes for leather) are used in crafting any item. Animal free products on the site are identified as such.
All jewellery on the skyravenwolf website is vintage or antique and not made by us. We do not sell jewellery using crystals harvested by modern aggressive mining techniques. If a stone is named it is believed to be present in the item as we were advised when the item came into our possession. Art glass and mock stones are present in most of our jewellery, although these are usually of a high quality and can easily fool many people who think they are "real" stones when they are not.
We sell our jewellery on how it looks and recommend you buy on the same basis. It is often difficult to identify where some vintage and antique artefacts originated from - but many of our items are attributable to being made in the UK. It is not always easy to identify the exact material from which many of these items were made. If silver (for example) is hallmarked then it is silver and is stated as such - otherwise it can be described as silver alloy or silver tone. The situation is complex and is not helped by the fact that until the late 19th century a large amount of silver was not hallmarked, particularly in Scotland.
All items made by us are carefully crafted to be the best they possibly can be in the full expectation that they will give their owners many years of pleasure and good reliable service.