Ethical Precious Metal Sourcing

At The Village Goldsmith, the heart of our craft is a deep respect for people, our planet, and the precious materials we work with. We choose to work not only with materials of the utmost quality, but also those that are sourced ethically. Our jewellery is designed and crafted to last a lifetime and to be passed down from generation to generation. We have a commitment to a circular economy in jewellery and we currently take in and recycle more precious metals than we use in our production. This helps in our commitment to minimising our environmental footprint and ensuring that every piece we create is a contribution to a more sustainable world.  

Continuous Improvement 

Our jewellery is designed and crafted to last a lifetime and to be passed down from generation to generation. We always ask if there is a better way and how we can do better, not only in our design and crafting, but also in the ethical sourcing of our precious materials. We strive to be transparent about our practices, our methods of material sourcing and our operations. Below is an overview of our practices and our approach.  

Recycling of precious metals and materials 

When our jewellers craft, a small portion of the material we work with is excess and/or unused during the handmake and filing processes. We are committed to saving and recycling as much of this excess precious metal as possible.  

Once the crafting is complete, our jewellers sweep the fine filings and dust to collect the unused metal. We then send it to our trusted refiner partner to melt and refine to return the metal to its pure state so it can be reused. 

Reusing your existing precious metals when remodelling 

In such a lovely fitting way, we can reuse your precious metal from existing jewellery when we are remodelling pieces. This retains the precious memories the piece holds as well as ensuring that we are using what was there to begin with.  

In these instances, the precious metals are tested and verified before being melted down and upcycled.    

Customer gold trading and selling your gold 

We enable you to recycle your precious metals by offering gold trading services. You can bring your jewellery or metal in for assessment and, if appropriate, we will trade it in for credit or cash. We then melt the metal down, send it to our trusted partner refiner to return the metal to its pure state so it can be reused. At The Village Goldsmith we take in more gold than we use in crafting pieces to reduce the impact on our environment. 

Repurposing unsold or discontinued jewellery 

Our commitment to ethical practice is evident in the treatment of any unsold or discontinued pieces in our store. We choose to repurpose both the precious metals and the gemstones and craft them into something new. In doing so, we are cutting down on new materials we acquire and reducing the amount of material we are putting into circulation. This also allows us to honour the precious metals that we hold so dear and to create wonderful new pieces from them. 

Metal refineries and suppliers 

Where we do need to purchase new metal, the reputable precious metal refiners we buy our materials from have all gone to great lengths to verify and secure the origin of their precious metal sources along with their refining processes. These companies we source from all aim to benefit the environment, protect human rights, and uphold social responsibility.   

All Village Goldsmith suppliers are either a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) themselves or validate that all metal sourced, comes from an accredited organisation. These organisations have a mutual goal to strengthen relationships between consumers and companies, through consumer trust and manufacturer transparency.