Sustainability & Mining & Fairtrade
Arabel Lebrusan is committed to sourcing the finest materials mined and created only through sustainable practices.
We look at all options available to us to find the most socially, environmentally and culturally responsible sources and are committed to explaining our choices to you.
We use
different metals for different collections, Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, recycled gold, and 100% recycled silver sourced specifically from a carefully
selected single refinery. Please see each collection for specified materials.
Why RECYCLED Gold and 100% RECYCLED Silver
There are several ways of mining precious metal, some of which we outline below. Many of these cause excessive environmental damage and do not provide adequate working conditions for miners. We believe there are enough gold reserves above ground to support our business. We source from a single refinery that refines 100% recycled silver specifically for us. The precious recycled metal is kept segregated from all other precious metals and is transferred directly to our workshops to be made into Arabel Lebrusan jewellery. For our 18ct gold (where it is not specified as Fairtrade and Fairminded) we use the "off-cuts" from a factory which uses large sheets of gold metal to manufacture their products. We then keep that metal segregated and we use it in the same way as our silver.
Some mining processes:
In open pit gold mining, the ground is blasted to create huge, open-pit mines. Twenty tonnes of rock must sometimes be extracted to make a single one-ounce gold ring. To remove the gold, the rock is treated with cyanide solution which can contaminate the ground water. Many mines and governments are working to lessen the impact of this practice on the environment but the use of cyanide remains necessary and are not always managed well in developing countries.
Artisanal, Small-scale mining (ASM) both directly and indirectly creates livelihoods for more than 100 million people. Small-scale gold mining provides jobs in remote villages; helping to fight poverty and preventing forced economic migration to urban areas. But this mining may also involve considerable risks for the environment and people's health. The best working conditions for small-scale miners are not always ensured. Small-scale mining can be a sustainable activity, but is unfortunately mostly carried out with little knowledge of environmental and health hazard.
Recycled metals. Gold, platinum and silver have qualities that mean they are durable and hard wearing and therefore most of the gold ever mined still exists above ground. Recycled gold supports 23% of the global annual gold demand and the last years have gone up to 34%-39% depending on the country. Jewellery manufacturers widely use recycled metals to support the demand of the jewellery market, melting together new and old metals from multiple sources.
The FUTURE is here. Faitrade and Fairmined gold, we are part of it.
The last 3-4 years has seen many developments in small-scale mining and now we can say with pride that Fairtrade and Fairmined gold has arrived.
'I think that Fairtrade is going to help us to sell our gold at the right price and we will be better paid. It will also help the environment.' Gina Dávila, mineral sorter, Sotrami Mine.
We are very proud to say that we are using this new Fairtrade and Fairmined gold in our Arabel Lebrusan jewellery. We use Fairtade and Fairmined gold mainly in our wedding and engagement collections and our bespoke service when requested, but please see each item specifically for more information.
We are also following with interest vapour
deposition and gold phytomining, two new processes using vacuum
heating, plant properties and nanotechnology to reduce mining waste and the use
of cyanide. Hopefully these will also be part of our green future.
