Arguably two of the most important materials in jewellery making are gold and diamonds. KBH Jewels uses both, of course, and they’ve found a way to source them sustainably. Read on to learn more about their recycled gold and their cultivated diamonds.
Recycled gold
The gold pieces KBH produces are never plated or filled, and they never use newly-mined gold. All of the gold in their pieces is either 100% recycled or reclaimed, and their 14k gold is strong enough to be worn everyday, and to last for generations.
Metal mining is the US’s number one toxic polluter, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory. Earthworks has also reported that mining is the biggest polluter in the USA, and results in all kinds of pollution, from arsenic to mercury to lead. There is already so much gold on earth, and the beauty of it is that it can be recycled without losing any of its quality, so there is no need to keep mining for it.
Cultivated diamonds
KBH also has as commitment to use 100% real diamonds that are grown rather than mined. Each diamond they use is cultivated in greenhouse-style labs using a chemical reaction similar to the one that happens in the Earth’s mantle. This results in diamonds that are exactly the same as their naturally occurring counterparts.
“It is all about doing something for the world that my children are going to live in and eventually share with their own families. That is tradition; that is part of our legacy,” says Kimberly Berry Haisch, the founder and CEO of KBH Jewels. “Family, tradition and incorporating circular practices and sustainable materials are at the heart of everything we do and embedded into the fabric of our story.”
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