Our Approach to Materials and Making
We have been making fine jewellery in Adelaide since 2005. Over those twenty years we have changed nearly every part of how we work — what we source, who we buy from, how the workshop runs, even what the boxes are made of. This page describes what we currently do, where we have specific claims to make, and where we don't.
Australian-mined and recycled, in measured proportion
Our gold is a mix of Australian-mined gold from suppliers who are members of the Responsible Jewellery Council, and recycled gold from refiners with verified chains of custody. We started, in 2005, using only recycled metal — at the time, sustainable mining options were limited and self-refining recycled material was the most defensible choice we could make.
Twenty years on, the picture has changed. Australian gold from RJC-certified sources has become a credible option, and we use it alongside recycled. Australia's mining and labour laws, while imperfect, are among the strongest in the world. We follow the work of organisations like Better Without Mercury and the CSIRO, both of which are pushing for cleaner mining practices.
Direct relationships in ten countries
Coloured stones are where supply chains get long and provenance gets murky. Our response has been to work directly with cutters, dealers and small-scale miners we know personally — and to be honest about which countries we source from and why.
You may notice some countries that other jewellers source from are absent. That is deliberate. Where we cannot verify chain of custody to a standard we are comfortable with, we don't buy.
Afghanistan, in 2023 and after
We began sourcing Afghan tourmaline, emerald, ruby and sapphire in 2023. Afghanistan is the most ethically charged country on this list and we don't think it should be left unexplained.
Our reasoning is straightforward: small-scale gem mining in Afghanistan is a long-standing local livelihood, and continuing to buy from artisanal miners gives families a way to earn outside the bounds of war. The alternative — refusing to buy and assuming sanctions are sufficient — leaves the same families with fewer choices, not more. We do not pretend this is an uncomplicated position.
It is the position we have, and we are open to discussing it.
Diamond sourcing has its own pages. We work with both natural and lab-grown, with no preference — the right answer for any given client depends on what matters to them.
Small workshop changes that compound over time
We have studied energy and material use across every stage of production, from the ore to the polishing compound. Most of the changes are small. Together, they add up.
Done by experienced Australian casting houses certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. Cast jewellery is generally more affordable than fully hand-fabricated equivalents but is not lower quality — both carry our Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty.
The acid bath in any jewellery workshop is a basic tool for cleaning during manufacture. We use citric acid rather than the stronger commercial acids most workshops default to. We neutralise and dry the spent acid before recycling it, both to reduce water contamination and to recover every bit of precious metal we can.
Polishing is constant in jewellery work, and standard polishing compounds are animal-derived. We use organic-cotton mops and a vegetable-based polishing compound on reusable spindles. Cleaner workshop, cleaner waste stream.
A basic discipline — any jeweller not recycling their bench sweepings is not running a viable business. What matters is the refining standard at the next stage, and we work with refiners we can verify.
Functional rather than photogenic. Repurposed office desks, sensible benches, what the work actually requires. We would love an architecturally inspired studio. We have decided the planet doesn't care.
The Adelaide shop and workshop run on 100% accredited GreenPower through Origin Energy. Our separate admin and design studio runs on rooftop solar.
The wider choices around power, packaging and place
A small, steady contribution
We plant 20 trees a month — 240 a year — through One Tree Planted's Australian reforestation programme. Several thousand trees so far over the life of the partnership. A small, steady contribution rather than a campaign.
FSC timber, biodegradable post
Our jewellery boxes are FSC-certified Australian timber, handmade by Give Packaging. The outer carton is recycled card. We include a complimentary cleaning brush with bamboo handle. Outgoing post uses biodegradable sleeves and Australia Post Express with carbon offset.
Zimbabwe, 2013–2016
We made several small contributions through the Jeweltree Foundation — a Netherlands-based organisation, now closed — supporting the establishment and early operations of the Marange Community Museum in eastern Zimbabwe. The museum was a community-led initiative to organise local chieftainships and advocate for fairer outcomes from diamond mining on their ancestral land.
Honest claims are stronger than perfect-sounding ones
We are a small studio. We cannot audit the global jewellery supply chain. We cannot guarantee that a stone has never passed through hands we would prefer it hadn't. What we can do is buy from people we know, ask questions when we don't, document what we find, and keep narrowing the gap between what is claimed and what is actually true.
Our internal sourcing guidelines have at times limited what we offer. They have not limited the work we produce — they have only kept us out of materials that cause harm we cannot defend. The constraints have not made our jewellery less beautiful. They have, we think, made it more meaningful.
We believe the science of climate change. We have always used renewable power where we could control the choice, and we prefer materials with lower carbon footprints where the comparison is honest. We don't pretend any single jewellery purchase will move the climate needle. We do think the cumulative weight of small, deliberate choices — by businesses, by customers, by anyone with the option — is most of how anything actually changes.
If something on this page raises a question, write to us. We would rather have the conversation than dodge it.
Custom Design
Interested in a custom engagement ring or a heirloom to signify a special birthday?