Recycled gold, and what it changes
“Recycled gold” is a phrase people think they understand, and it deserves better than intuition. Here is what it means exactly, what it changes, and what it does not.
What does recycled gold mean, exactly?
Gold that has already been mined, remelted and refined to become the raw material of a new piece: old jewellery, industrial components, goldsmiths’ gold. Refining brings it back to purity, and it is then alloyed to its fineness again: 75% pure gold for 18 carat, 58.5% for 14 carat. Nothing then distinguishes it from gold fresh out of a mine: it is the same metal, at the same fineness.
Does it change anything about quality?
No, and that is the most important point. Gold is a metal that can be remelted indefinitely without losing anything: not its colour, not its strength, not its fineness. A ring in recycled 18-carat gold is an 18-carat gold ring, exactly. The hallmark states the fineness; it does not need to tell the metal’s story, because that story changes nothing about the piece.
So what does it change?
What is not the piece: its origin. Recycled gold asks for no new extraction: no mine opened for it, no ground dug up. The demand for newly mined gold shrinks by as much. It is a conviction of the house: ecology is not an option, and the gold already above ground is more than enough to make new rings.
How can you be sure a gold is recycled?
Through traceability, not through words. Our gold supplier is certified RJC CoC (Chain of Custody), the Responsible Jewellery Council’s traceability certification: it follows the metal from its source to the workshop, link by link. It is that documented chain that gives the word “recycled” its meaning.
Is recycled gold cheaper?
No, and it does not claim to be: recycled gold trades at the gold price, like any gold. Its point lies elsewhere. In the price of a ring, what counts is the weight of metal and its fineness: our price guide covers how that comes together.
Which golds does the house work?
Recycled gold in 18 and 14 carat, in all three colours: yellow, white and rose. The 18 carat carries 75% pure gold, the 14 carat 58.5%: more spring, a more accessible price, the same standard of workmanship. 950 platinum and 925 solid silver complete the range.