Recycled Gold and Recycled Silver: what are they?

You may have noticed the and logos on some of our product pages.
And you may have wondered what they mean. Here's a handy fact sheet tohelp you.

Recycling precious metals

Demand for precious metals outstrips global production, and resources are finite. Mining not only has a negative impact on the environment, but also poses health and social problems.
For example, to extract 20 g of pure gold, some 20 tonnes of various mining wastes will have been produced, 450 g of CO2 will have been emitted into the atmosphere, and a furthers into the atmosphere, 50,000 liters of water will have been used, as well as 20 kg of sulphur oxide and 150 liters of fuel will have been consumed. Not to mention the precarious working conditions and exploitation of children in some countries.

The jewelry sector is often singled out for criticism, but more and more people are organizing to change things.
One solution? Recycling gold and silver. Precious metals have been recycled for thousands of years: coins were melted down to make new coins or jewelry.

• Recycled gold

Gold can be recycled ad infinitum without losing any of its properties. Once out of the smelter, it retains its color, malleability and ductility. Recycled gold is collected in specialized gold-buying stores (broken or mismatched jewelry, coins...), or comes from workshop waste during jewelry manufacturing (gold filings, cutting offcuts, etc.), from the medical field, or from computer equipment...
It's an ecological and ethical idea to meet growing demand without extracting more gold.

• Recycled silver

Silver doesn't lose any of its qualities once it leaves the foundry, and can be worked normally. Recycled silver is collected in the same way as recycled gold.

At Perles and co, we're sensitive to social and environmental issues. So we've chosen to work as much as possible with responsible companies who share our values.
All our suppliers, who recycle their precious metal waste, use recycled silver and gold from the jewelry industry. Some buy from recycled metal refiners, while others work with certified companies that are members of the Responsible Jewellery Council.

What are the advantages of recycling precious metals?

• Preserve natural resources.
• Manufacture new objects.
• Reduce landfilling of mining waste.
• Avoid pollution (reduce greenhouse gases, reduce water pollution, limit the use of toxic products such as mercury and cyanide, limit global warming...).
• Save energy during extraction.
• Ensure good working, safety and health conditions.
• Eliminate child labor.
• Eliminate companies that support criminal organizations.

The Responsible Jewellery Council

What is the Responsible Jewellery Council? In French, it translates as : The Responsible Jewellery Council. It's a global organization created in 2005. It is made up of companies from the jewelry, watch and jewelry industries, as well as their suppliers.
Its aim is to promote a corporate policy of awareness of ethical, social and environmental issues, and respect for human and children's rights.
It involves all players in the industry, from mines to points of sale. All companies are welcome to join, whatever their size.

The Council for Responsible Jewelry has established a code of good practice, known as the Code of Practices (COP).
This regulation verifies, among other things, that no metal has been extracted under conditions that could violate human rights (child labor, slavery...), that have contributed to the degradation or destruction of the earth's surface, that have harmed the environment, or that have been used to support criminal or terrorist activities (tax fraud, money laundering).
Originally, the code covered gold, diamonds and platinum. Since 2019, it has also covered colored gemstones and silver.
Each year, a certificate is renewed and issued after verification of the code's correct implementation.

What's in it for the customer? Membership of this organization guarantees ethical and fair extraction conditions, as well as improved traceability. So they can choose to buy responsibly.

To find out more, visit the Responsible Jewellery of Council website.