I have two sources

#1

I am ordering recylced silver through Merkle in Hamburg.

#2

Also I a using a mass-balance system. This means old silver is being sold to a goldsmith colleague of mine. This silver is the given to a refinery which adds the silver to a silver account. The physical silver will go into the "big pot" with all other metals, will be refined and alloyed again.

I am buying this silver form silver account to silver account. When I am having something casted, it will be substracted from my silver account. The reason for not casting directly with silver has been that until recently I have not found a casting company in Germany that would have casted with my "old silver", especially not in a small quantity.

I will soon stop using this system and only work with traceable silver for example from fairtrade or fairmined.

Depending on my work process I am ordering the from C.Hafner in Pforzheim or Merkle in Hamburg. These two offer recycled gold with different audits.

If you do have some old gold at home that is not worn or used anymore it can be used to create new rings or jewelry, by casting or reworking it.

Fairtrade Gold stands for a sustainable future of artisanal gold mining, including that of the mining workers, their families and their communities. A key element is the guaranteed, stable minimum wage for Fairtrade Gold, the payments of extra Fairtrade bonuses for community projects as well as the adherence of strict social, ecologic and economic criterias regarding worker and health protection, the environment, and the specific regulations of Fairtrade. Exploitative child labor is fundamentally prohibited in Fairtrade certified mines.

Fairtrade's implementation of its Best-Practice-Model demonstrates a responsible and sustainable artisanal gold mining is possible. Among other things it is about better and safer working conditions for mining workers, a bigger part and control over their supply chain, fair prices and more benefits for mining workers, their families and communities.

The Fairtrade Gold-Standard excludes the trade with gold from areas of conflict.

You will find more here at fairtrade-deutschland.de/produkte/gold

GOLD TO BE PROUD OF

Fairmined is an initiative whose label certifies gold of responsible origin. Guarantee that it is a traceable gold, extracted with the best mining practices aimed at preserving the environment, and support the development of artisanal and small-scale mining communities.

This certification guarantees that the gold has been extracted in harmony with nature, human dignity and sustainable development, contributing to the transformation of lives in these mining communities.

Fairmined Precious Metals is for everyone who wants responsibly sourced gold and seeks to make a positive economic, social and environmental impact in mining communities.

Since February 2023 Lisa has a licensed fairmined business with the Fairmined ID: DE30015

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