Unwanted Jewellery Closing The Loop

Following phenomenal success in 2020, which saw New Zealanders send in 948gm of sterling silver, 39gm of solid gold and over 17,000gm of brass collected, to be melted down and remade, the local jewellery brand have again opened the opportunity.

The annual Luna & Rose Golden Giveback is back for 2021, open from 23rd February to 31st March 2021. Open for a limited six-week window, the Golden Giveback Project initiative sees people sending in their old silver, gold and brass jewellery to Luna & Rose that would otherwise go to landfill. All items donated via the jewellery recycling programme are melted and then re-moulded into new jewellery designs or recycled. 948gm of sterling silver can make around 130 necklaces or 215 rings.

Rosie Shelton, founder of Luna & Rose is closing the loop on raw materials used to make jewellery and instead promotes a circular option. As part of this system, Luna & Rose run an annual ‘Golden Giveback Project’.

The giveback system is simple. Customers wanting to participate in the Golden Giveback Project gather their jewellery and after filling out the special returns form on the Luna & Rose website, send their gold, silver and/or brass jewellery to Luna & Rose. Items being donated must be made of gold, silver or brass and can be from any brand. From here, Luna & Rose inspect the jewellery and then send it away to be repurposed. Donated silver and gold jewellery is melted down inhouse and used by the Luna & Rose artisanal crafters to create new Luna & Rose pieces. All brass jewellery is donated to be recycled by a fellow brass-smith in Bali. Better still, after checking the weight and quantity sent, Luna & Rose will email through a Golden Giveback voucher to use on their online store. Brass items are not eligible for Giveback Vouchers to spend online.

Luna & Rose uses recycled silver in all their collections, sourcing from Thailand & Indonesia. Their refinery in Thailand takes pre-used silver, laptops, computers and iPhones, extracts the silver and purifies it. The brand also takes in any old or faulty stock and melts it down to use it in their new collections, keeping as many products in use as possible, decreasing environmental impact. Similarly, all solid gold products are made to order in New Zealand, using recycled solid gold sourced and cast in New Zealand.

Founded in response to saying no to fast fashion and mass-produced products, Luna & Rose has resisted moving into a more ‘commercial’ production, choosing instead to support people and the craft. From Rosie’s designs, all products are crafted by her artisan silversmiths in Bali and goldsmith in New Zealand. Collections are produced in small batches, reducing the waste of materials and resources and all solid gold jewellery is made to order. “If any product is left over at the end of a collection, my model allows us to simply melt pieces down and re-use the silver for the next collection” – Rosie Shelton.

For more information on the initiative www.lalunarose.com.

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