Recycling Gold

Noble metal

Gold is a precious metal that has always fascinated people. Although its physical properties do not make it particularly useful for everyday use as a raw material – for example in tool making – it is an entirely different aspect from which its almost magical attraction arises: it is its imperishable beauty.

This is one reason why the first rings made of gold were made in ancient Egypt, some of which have survived the millennia in their shape and color until today. At that time, among other things, intended as a symbol of immortality, these pieces of jewelry are now evidence of why wedding rings made of gold represent the perfect symbol for the lifelong bond between two people.

Noble origin?

But with the attraction of gold came greed, which sometimes seized people as if they were intoxicated. Over the centuries, there have been repeated rushes on newly discovered deposits, such as those in the 19th century in today’s US states of California, Colorado or, most recently, in Alaska on the Klondike River, which has become famous as a result.

This gold rush did not guarantee a happy life, in some cases led to the exploitation of workers and left clear traces in the landscape – circumstances that have not changed to this day. As before, gold mining is carried out worldwide with great energy expenditure, and in addition to the physical change in the environment, in particular through the use of chemicals such as mercury or cyanides, leads to partially irreversible, devastating environmental damage.

Since 2009: 100% recycling

As early as 2009, we asked ourselves how we can offer our gold products without further stimulating the harmful process of gold mining in order to take responsibility for ourselves and our environment. The solution was to switch 100% to the use of recycled gold. Gold that moves in a constant cycle in the cities and is therefore already “stored” there in considerable quantities. Gold that no longer creates any new incentives for harmful mining due to its presence.

We think: there is already enough gold.

Long-term trust

Instead of buying from large primary sources, we have therefore been purchasing 100% of our gold since 2009 from trustworthy, long-standing partner companies in northern Germany, for which we in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel sometimes even carry out the recycling process on our own.

This gives us direct control over what we process into rings in the next following steps. All our partners are also RJC-certified (Responsible Jewelery Council) and thus part of an association of companies that advocate responsible corporate practice along the entire supply chain and adhere to the high legal standards for gold buying in Germany.

Beauty

With the gold products from our company, you can again appreciate what gold was originally about: Undying beauty.