Now let’s get into the numbers.

That’s an 87% drop in emissions.

Take a single recycled silver ring, weighing 1.2 grams:

Multiply that across our entire collection, and the impact adds up. In 2024, we purchased 3,720 grams of recycled silver, saving an estimated 357 kg CO2e from being released into the atmosphere.

That’s like keeping a car off the road for more than 1,400 kilometers.

 → READ THE FULL IMPACT REPORT

Recycling silver is part of a bigger picture: the circular economy. Instead of digging up new silver and leaving behind poisoned soil, polluted rivers, and empty landscapes, the circular economy keeps what already exists in use.

That means:

When silver is recycled, product life cycles are extended many times over. This is why we encourage you to bring your old silver jewelry and silverware to our showroom. We’ll recycle it for you and give you store credit in return. Your forgotten necklace or dented spoon can become part of a new piece of jewelry.

Mining silver comes with heavy costs: erosion, water contamination, toxic chemical use, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. To make it worse, most silver isn’t even mined on purpose. Over 70% of global silver supply comes as a byproduct of mining other metals.

Because silver is usually treated as “extra”, there’s little incentive to create ethical mining systems the way there are for gold. That makes silver tricky and expensive to source responsibly.

We tried. We even asked our gold miners if they could mine silver for us. But they found only trace amounts, not enough to separate or purify sustainably. Financially and practically, it didn’t weigh up against silver’s lower price.

That’s why recycled sterling silver became our path forward.

Before we landed on recycled silver, we tried everything else.

The Fairtrade and Fairmined gold systems don’t specifically certify silver, but do offer the silver and platinum byproducts from their certified gold mines. That makes this silver ethical by proxy. There are a number of authorized suppliers of Fairmined and Fairtrade in North America and Europe, but not in Indonesia.

Next stop: our Borneo gold miners. We asked if they could source silver for us too. 

They found some, but only in trace amounts, and mixed in with the gold. One recent batch of gold flakes they sent us contained just 11% silver.

We talked to researchers at the Metallurgy Department of Institut Teknologi Bandung and Indonesia’s Research Centre for Mineral and Coal Technology Development. They confirmed what we feared: Yes, safer silver purification methods exist, but the silver output is too low. The process is complicated, requires sophisticated tools and chemicals, and just isn’t viable for small scale artisanal mines in Indonesia.

In short: the environmental benefit doesn’t outweigh the cost, financially or practically.

So we made peace with that fact. And turned to the next best thing.

In 2020, we began sourcing recycled silver from Umicore, a trusted global refiner and a leader in responsible recycling. They’re Chain-of-Custody certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council and listed as a Conflict-Free Smelter by the Responsible Minerals Initiative.

At the time, this felt like the best option available. But eventually, importing recycled silver started to feel... counterintuitive.

The paperwork, delays and changing import regulations were one thing. But flying it all into Indonesia? That was adding emissions on top of the very emissions we were trying to avoid.

So we made the switch. Today, our silver comes from a local Indonesian refiner who recycles post-consumer silver from sources like old jewelry, electronics, silverware and even medical waste.

Every recycled silver necklace, bracelet, ring or chain you buy from us now uses this locally recycled silver. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s the most sustainable option available to us today. And it’s one we’re proud to share with you.

You don’t need to let broken chains or forgotten silverware gather dust. Bring your old silver to our showroom so we’ll recycle it for you, and give you shop credit in return.

That’s the circular economy in action. Instead of wasting limited raw materials, we keep them in use for as long as possible. Repair, reuse, recycle. Each time silver is recycled, its life cycle is extended.

It’s a small step that makes a big difference, and we invite you to be part of it.

Bring in your old silver jewelry or silverware today and trade it for store credit toward something new. 

Recycled silver isn’t the perfect solution. It doesn’t stop new silver from being mined. But it does cut emissions, reduce waste and keep the circular economy moving.

It’s one of those small, imperfect steps that adds up when you keep going. Just like our mercury free gold journey, this is the silver chapter.

So when you see “recycled sterling silver” on our ethical jewelry, know this: it’s jewelry made from what already exists. It’s jewelry with a story. And it’s jewelry that saves the earth a breath of fresh air.