Every Whitehouse Brothers piece is manufactured using 100% recycled metals. Due to the unethical nature of virgin gold mining, we have opted to use only certified recycled metals.
Where Does Recycled Gold Come From?
Recycled metals can come from a number of items including:
- Scrap Jewelry
- Scrap Electronic Equipment
- Scrap Industrial gold products
When items are determined to be scrap, they are sent to a precious metal refinery to be turned back into 24k pure gold. The refiner removes any materials other than pure gold from the scrap. This metal is then turned into 24k “shot”, a pure gold grain, which can be purchased by jewelry manufacturers.
How does Whitehouse Brothers Guarantee Recycled Metal Use?
Whitehouse Brothers only purchases 24k gold and alloy from one very trusted source within the United States. We also use this same source to recycle any scrap that comes from our manufacturing process, having this returned to us as 24k to turn into more rings! We have simplified our metal sourcing process to only use one consistent source for all of our precious metals, and essentially become waste free by reusing any scrap metal from our manufacturing process.
Why Do We Use Recycled Gold?
Mining for gold is a very unethical and unsustainable practice due to chemical use and the exploitation of communities and land. Deforestation and destruction of water ways and ecosystems can be attributed from mining operations continually digging and dredging for gold. The release of mercury and cyanide into water ways is also common practice for gold mining. Miners use these chemicals to release gold ore from soil, destroying land and water ways in the process.
How Does Whitehouse Brothers Turn Recycled Gold into Rings?
Using 24k gold “shot” returned to us or purchased from our certified recycled refiner, we mix this with alloys to create 14k and 18k gold ingots. We then use these ingots to roll out sheets of metal to create the parts for our rings. Any gold remnants from our manufacturing process are collected and sent back to the refiner to be turned back into 24k, ensuring a zero waste process!