Q: Is it possible to manufacture my jewelry in recycled silver and/or recycled gold?
A: Yes. We offer production in recycled 925 silver and recycled 9K/10K/14K/18K gold.
Q: Where are the recycled metals sourced from? Can you provide a certificate of origin?
A: These recycled metals are sourced from the Bangkok-based office of a European-headquartered Responsible Jewellery Council-certified metallurgical company. If you proceed with production in recycled metals, we are happy to provide a certificate from our supplier to verify that these metals used in your order are indeed from recycled sources.
Q: What is the quality like?
A: The quality remains as excellent as that of non-recycled metal grains.
Q: Is there any added cost?
A: This eco-friendly option has become increasingly popular in the demi-fine market, and it’s also one that we encourage among our clients, as sustainability is one of our company’s key priorities. For these reasons, we now purchase recycled sterling silver in bulk, and are happy to offer production in recycled sterling silver to our customers at no additional cost. Production in recycled gold is slightly more expensive than non-recycled gold, but we would be happy to offer you a quotation so that you can compare and see what might be workable price-wise.
Q: Can you do all production in recycled metals?
A: Please note that some findings and chains are sourced from our supplier base, rather than produced in-house, and not currently available in recycled metals. We prioritize quality in selecting these chains and findings, and some suppliers do not yet offer them in recycled metal versions, although it’s something that we will continue to monitor.
Unfortunately, the precious metals that we use for plating do not come from recycled sources at the moment. We make great efforts to ensure the consistency, durability, appropriate micron thickness, and correct hue of our plating as we apply it to each piece, and use a Fischerscope x-ray fluoroscopy machine to carefully measure the precious metal content of our plating baths on a daily basis, as well as to run spot QC checks on plated pieces before shipment. Working with such a tightly-controlled plating line means that we need to use only the best materials, technologies, and testing procedures, and we haven’t found a recycled option that meets our standards yet. We will keep our customers posted if we do find anything in the future.
Q: Any other sustainable options?
A: We also offer compostable polybags as another measure by which our clients can reduce their environmental impact. The polybags carry a message explaining that they are made of compostable materials, so they are great for educating customers about a brand’s commitment to sustainability.