Why You Should Consider Eco-Friendly Metals for Your Wedding Rings
When you join a workshop with Ringed, we’ll discuss the type of metal that you and your partner want to use for your rings. Whatever your choices — gold, palladium, platinum, and everything in-between — all of the metal we use will be 100 percent recycled.
What does that mean? It means I only source metal from a provider that has been an eco-conscious refinery for more than 100 years. It’s also the first refinery to regularly carry Fairmined precious metal. All metal I purchase is 100% recycled.
Hold up — What even is an “eco-conscious” refinery?
I know it sounds like an oxymoron but eco-conscious refineries do exist. The one I use is called Hoover & Strong. They’ve got an extensive environmental policy and have been in the metal business since 1912. More recently, Hoover & Strong have made a strong push toward green practices and re-using materials including reducing chemical production by 80 percent.
Why does “eco-conscious” matter in the metal industry? Because, honestly, we just don’t need to mine new metal. There’s plenty already out of the earth. By using recycled metal from Hoover & Strong, I can do my part as a metalsmith to create beautiful work that doesn’t harm our home.
What’s that “Fairmined” metal you mentioned?
You know how there are different tiers of sustainable coffee? You can get organic. You can get fair trade. You can get small batch.
There’s a similar structure in the world of metal. Fairmined metal is roughly equivalent to fair trade. The Fairmined label is only applied to metal that comes from certified artisanal and small-scale mining organizations. The Fairmined process is backed by the Alliance for REsponsible Mining (ARM) as well as other recognized auditors who make sure any Fairmined metal follows specific standards.
I’ll stop myself from geeking out too hard on the ins and outs of this novel option but if you’re curious to learn more, I encourage you to explore the Fairmined website.
Not all of the metal I use is Fairmined but I am always happy to discuss sourcing Fairmined options. Please note, however, that Fairmined metal often costs a bit more because of the investment we’re making in the environment.
Local artisans
Closer to home, I work specifically with Portland artisans for precious metal casting and stone setting. I do this because I’m committed to supporting our city’s local artisan community.
In fact, I once shared a studio with a very talented local florist. You should have seen the flower installations we kept on-site!
Let’s talk more
Curious about how you and your partner can make your wedding rings even more eco-friendly? Let’s talk. I’m full of ideas on how we can customize the Ringed experience to align with your values as a couple.