• Natural and TRACEABLE

or

• Recycled (and old)

Lab diamonds, if they’re traceable (and most aren’t) are another option – there’s another post on the blog about lab diamonds.

CONFLICT FREE means very little.  A Kimberly process certificate means not a whole lot, unless you also know the mine of origin.  Russia is using proceeds of diamond sales (it owns Alrosa) to wage war against Ukraine… China, Venezuela, the UAE, the USA, India and many more are participants in the Kimberly Process.  The definition of a conflict diamond is “rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments”.  Which unfortunately means that if a legitimate government uses proceeds from diamonds to wage war on another country, then they aren’t conflict diamonds.  Not what you’d expect right?  Honestly, if you want a properly conflict free diamond, you need to know where it came from.

Recycled diamonds need to have come from old jewellery.  The jewellery industry mass produces jewellery, and recycles everything that doesn’t sell.  A diamond recycled today, might have been new a few months ago.  Old diamonds come in different cuts to modern brilliants – another way to know your stone is old (and not new last week).

Old stones offer huge savings in terms of emissions and energy use and are a much more sustainable option.  But back in the day, their ethics would have been dubious.

Lab created stones don’t need mining, but they do use large amounts of energy (heat) to make.  And they can have many of the problems of diamonds – many are made in India and China, so think human rights abuses, dodgy H & S, child labour.

New stones, if you know where they come from can be an option.  Canadian diamonds are traceable and produced under pretty rigorous standards of H & S, environment etc, but it’s still a huge hole in the ground in the Canadian arctic, not to mention the amount of energy used and subsequent emissions caused in their mining.

Ocean diamonds are hovered off the sea bed off the coast of Namibia.  Divers work in the water where the waves break, in small boats (not the huge ships you see on the Discovery Chanel).  I don’t have emissions figures to compare, but common sense would say it’s more sustainable and lower impact.

As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts

Lisa

The post What you really need to know about diamonds appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

This is because of a number of reasons:

• The jewellery industry mass produces and melts down what it doesn’t sell.  What was new one month can be recycled very soon ofter.
• If bullion dealers buying scrap are willing to turn a blind eye, they newly made jewellery (often distinguishable because it’s very heavy) can be traded in for recycling
• There’s no traceability.

That’s not to say that there aren’t good recyclers out there, there are, but there are also ways for the unscrupulous to get new gold from dodgy sources, into the recycled supply chain.

I think it’s important that when we look at ethics in jewellery, we also look at sustainability.  None of us can deny the current climate crisis (or some people do, but then you’re unlikely to be reading this blog).  We can’t just keep mining, the emissions and energy use are huge.  So, I wanted a better, more traceable recycled gold and this is what I do:

• I buy old jewellery at auction – the broken and worn out pieces.
• I dismantle everything and remove the stones (plans afoot for those, watch this space), then I send them to a refiner, here in the UK, who refines them (completely seperately) to pure gold.  The exact same process new gold goes through once it’s above ground.
• I can then alloy it into whatever colour or carat I need.

This is more time consuming and more of a faff when compared to just ordering gold online, BUT, it gives me a much higher level of traceability.

I know the age (by checking the hallmark) and I can tell it’s had a life (you can see the years of wear).  I know this is old gold.

It doesn’t make it perfect, but it is a recycled gold without the pitfalls of the commercially supplied version.

I’d love to know what you think

Lisa

The post A better way to source recycled gold appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

Pros

Less expensive – you can get a much bigger diamond for a lot less money

No mining – less environmental damage

More sustainable – they aren’t a natural resource that can run out.

Cons

If they aren’t traceable to the factory/lab of origin you have no idea what the working conditions are, whether child labour is involved, if there are human rights abuses, fair pay etc, or where or how they are cut (think health and safety and child labour)

If they aren’t traceable you don’t know where they originate from – most lab diamonds come from China and India (alongside Russia and the USA).

Lab diamonds are made in one of two ways HPHT (high pressure high temperature) or CVD (chemical vapour deposition).  HPHT technology uses a lot of energy to create those white diamonds, which means high emissions.  CVD technology uses less energy, but those diamonds need to be heated to make them colourless (white).

My advice

So, yes lab diamonds are cheaper and they avoid mining.  However if you care about where things come from and want your purchase to be sustainable and ethical, you need to have traceability.

If I was buying loose (i.e not already set into a piece of jewellery) lab diamonds, the “best” option would probably be to get one from the USA, though with the current state of affairs in the USA, it’s becoming debateable.  As far as I’m aware, there is currently no supplier of loose, traceable lab diamonds in the UK.

However, Skymined produce lab diamonds in the UK, they are owned by Dale Vince (of Forest Green Rovers and Ecotricity fame).  They only sell direct to the customer, so I can’t buy loose lab diamonds from them.  You personally can though, and if a lab diamond ring is what you want, this is the best place to go and get one.

Alternatively, consider a diamond recycled from antique or vintage jewellery, or a traceable artisanally mined coloured gemstone such as sapphire.

Moissanite is another often used substitute for diamond.  Unlike diamond (which is made of carbon) moissanite is made of silicon carbide.  It is a synthetic gemstone and is rarely found ocurring naturally.  It’s sold by Charles and Colvard  (and others) in the USA.

I’d love to know what you think and what your preference would be.

If you’re looking for the perfect ring, get in touch for a chat

The post Lab Diamonds appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

First up I guess is the sustainability aspect – reusing what’s above ground already is massively more sustainable.

But aside from that, offering a curated selection of antique rings (and the occasional other piece of jewellery when I see something I just can’t not buy) allows me to indulge a passion for antique jewellery, and hopefully bring you all along for the ride.

Why a curated selection?

There is so much antique jewellery out there.  Not all of it is in good condition, not all of it is suitable for everyday wear. Some of it is nothing special.  For every piece I buy, you can bet your life I will have bypassed another 20 pieces.  I’m going to keep these pieces at the affordable end of the scale, I’ll be buying rings that are more “ooh” and a little less “meh”.  They’ll need to have that certain something going for them.  Pieces in really lovely antique condition, lovely special things.

Value for money

Antique rings offer fabulous value for money.  You get something really special, really quite unique, with a bit of history thrown in too, for a fraction of what a new ring might cost.

Lets say you want a 0.75ct diamond engagement ring – you’ll get an antique engagement ring for perhaps £4000 in 18ct gold.  A new 0.75ct traceable Canadian diamond will cost you around £7500 on it’s own – that’s before you factor in the 18ct gold mount.  Go to the high street and you’ll get a mass produced 0.75ct gold ring with an untraceable diamond for around £5500.

Aside from that, whatever style you choose, antique rings offer great value, especially in these times of rising gold prices and cost of living.

Old cut diamonds

My absolute favourites.  Oodles of character, chunky cushiony cuts, designed to sparkle under candlelight.  Much in vogue during the 18th and 19th century, they came mostly from the old diamond mines of Brazil.

Unique

If you choose an antique engagement ring, you’re not going to find a friend or colleague wearing the same ring – a bit like choosing bespoke.  You get something that’s you.  Something that no one else has.  Something that speaks about who you are, your taste and your ethos.

Who are antique rings for?

The jewellery lovers, the antique jewellery collectors, those in search of a unique engagement ring, those looking to make their engagement ring budget go further and not forgetting those who care about the environment and want to make sustainable purchases.

Click here to check what’s currently in stock.

The post Antique Rings appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

Recycled precious metals are for the most part untraceable.

Refiners and bullion dealers can stop the illicit trade or gold or turn a blind eye to it.  See Christina’s article here for more information:

Using recycled gold won’t stop gold mining – people are making way too much money to ever stop.

Using recycled gold doesn’t support artisan and small scale miners and their communities in the way Fairmined and Fairtrade gold does.

However

Reusing gold that’s already been refined, uses less energy than having to dig it up and extract it from ore.  Can I give you figures to compare?

A high yielding gold mine might give you 8-10g of gold per ton.

A platinum mine might give you 2-6g of platinum per tonne (1.1 tons)

Platinum group metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium etc) are some of the rarest metals on the planet.

The more ore you have to dig up, the higher the energy cost of producing the precious metal.

In 2018, the World Gold Council estimated that gold mine production (ore extraction and refining, including energy supply, fuel etc) accounts for 32,689 tonnes of CO2 per 1 tonne of gold.

The report suggests that recycled gold accounts for 4228 tonnes of CO2 per 1 tonne of gold.  As opposed to around 30,000 tons of CO2 per tonne for newly mined gold. That’s a huge difference.  Read the report here

One thing to note though, these figures are for large scale industrialised gold mines – the figures for artisan and small scale mines are likely to be much lower.  I don’t think comparative figures are available, but I will ask my contacts at Fairmined and Fairtrade.

I’d expect the CO2 emissions of platinum to be higher than gold.  Because platinum is rarer, more ore has to be mined.  Much platinum in mined in South Africa where the energy grid is run off coal.  Platinum is more complicated to refine than gold and takes longer.  Platinum is harder to work, it melts (of a fashion) at a much higher temperature and has to be extruded rather than poured.

Gold melting point: 1064 degrees celsius.

Platinum melting point: 1768 degrees celsius.

I do think there is a place for recycled gold, sourcing from reputable suppliers is an absolute necessity to avoid it being a way for illicit or dirty gold to enter the supply chain.  I believe the best way to have recycled precious metal is to reuse what you already own.

The post Should we use recycled precious metals? appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

I thought you might be interested to know a bit about UK jewellery hallmarks. So, first thing, hallmarking is really important because it’s your guarantee that what you think you’re buying is actually what it is and by law, all precious metal must be hallmarked.  There are some exceptions, for instance, articles weighing less than 7.78g for silver, 1g for gold and palladium, and 0.5g for platinum do not need to be hallmarked.

A UK jewellery hallmark tells you: who made it, the year it was made, where it was hallmarked and the purity of the metal.  The three compulsory marks are the makers mark, the Assay Office town mark and the purity mark.

I’m using Liz’s lovely old ring here as an example, unfortunately, when this was repaired, the makers mark had been soldered over, but you can still see the anchor (The Birmingham Assay Office mark) the fineness (.625) which is 15ct and the date mark which is a J in a shaped cartouche. Date mark letters are used over and over again, but time it’s used it will be a different font inside a different shape cartouche. If you go to Birmingham Assay Office website you can search date letters from 1773.  The date mark on Liz’s ring is from 1858-59.  My work is hallmarked at the Edinburgh Assay Office, whose mark is the castle.

You can find out more about UK jewellery hallmarks on the hallmarking notice below.

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So first up, ring, email or make an appointment for a chat. I’ll want to hear your thoughts on what you want to create. If you’re designing this as a surprise, I’ll want to hear about your fiancee’s likes, dislikes and style. We’ll talk basics such as ring size and metal preference. You might want to take a design from one of the collections and customise it to make it more you. That could be a different style of setting, shape of band, type or size of stone, adding diamond set shoulders, really anything is possible. You can even incorporate stones and metal from family heirlooms.

Alternatively you might want to create a “story” ring. These are highly collaborative, completely unique pieces of jewellery. I’ll ask you to tell me your stories, perhaps how you met, your travels, your life together, or how you proposed, the things that are most meaningful to you both. From that I’ll take some time to think and weave your stories into a design before presenting them to you for your approval. We’ll then choose the metals, gemstones and diamonds we need (all responsibly sourced) before I get to work to bring your ring to life.

Once finished, it will be hallmarked at the Edinburgh Assay Office before being presented to you in one of Daniel Lacey Design and Furniture hand made wooden boxes. You can find out more here and here

If you’d like to have a chat, get in touch

The post Commissioning a Bespoke Engagement Ring appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

Did you know, pure gold isn’t often used for jewellery as it’s so soft?

We know pure gold as 24ct and it’s bright yellow in colour. When we make jewellery we alloy pure gold (or silver, platinum or palladium) with other metals to create precious metals with different properties, e.g. colour or hardness.

To create white gold, the pure gold is alloyed with silver or palladium, to create rose golds we alloy it with copper.

18ct gold is 75% pure gold (or 750 parts per thousand) which is why it’s hallmarked 750. 9ct gold is 37.5% pure gold and is hallmarked 375.

The cost of gold is directly related to the amount of pure gold and other metals in the alloy.

No matter whether a precious metal alloy is Fairmined, Fairtrade or 100% recycled, it is only the precious metal that these claims refer to. 

Unfortunately, there are currently no sources or Fairmined, Fairtrade or 100% recycled base metals such as copper or zinc (both commonly used in the jewellery industry) or for that matter metals such as lithium (used in batteries) cobalt, ruthenium (used in platinum alloys) rhodium (used to plate your white metal jewellery), iron, nickel, titanium etc.  As consumers, we need to put pressure on all parts of the mining industry to clean up it’s act, to stop human and environmental exploitation.  You can find out more about artisanal miners and their treatment here

The post Precious Metal Alloys appeared first on Lisa Rothwell-Young.

It’s difficult to know what you should be asking when you’re shopping for ethical and sustainable jewellery. 

Whether you buy from me, or someone else, here’s what you should be asking:

Where does this gemstone or diamond come from?  Can you trace it back to the mine?

It’s only possible to know if something is ethically and sustainably sourced if you know where it came from.  Traceable can sometimes just mean traceable to a country, or to a cutting shop.  When you find out which mine it’s from, do your own research, check you’re happy with the source.  Unfortunately there are many mining companies out there that say that are ethical, but also have documented human rights infringements or even cases of people being killed.

Is this gold (silver, platinum) 100% recycled?

In any recycled alloy, only the precious metal content of the alloy will be recycled.  (Even with Fairtrade and Fairmined, only the precious metal parts of the alloy will come from Fairtrade or Fairmined sources).  Recycling non precious metals is not considered to be economically viable.  That said, you want all of the precious metal to be recycled for maximum environmental benefit.  

Is this gold or silver Fairmined or Fairtrade?

You can go online and check that the jeweller or retailer is registered with Fairmined and Fairtrade.  Fairtrade has both gold licensees (large companies who will use the Fairtrade mark) and a goldsmiths registration scheme (for independent makers who don’t use a fairtrade mark on the inside of their pieces).  With Fairmined, all jewellers will be licensees or licensed brands and all jewellery will carry the Fairmined mark.

If you want to dig a bit deeper, you could ask if their products are suitable for vegans, if their packaging is compostable, or about workshop practices .  Go with your gut, if someone can’t, or won’t answer your questions or if they’re being evasive, you probably have your answer.

 

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