What is Eco-Silver?
A guide to understanding questions like: Where does silver come from? How is eco-friendly silver made? How is it different to normal silver?
Where does Silver come from?
Silver is a precious metal that has been coveted for its beauty and value for thousands of years. But where does silver come from, and how is it sourced?
Silver is found in native form very rarely as nuggets, but more usually combined with sulfur, arsenic, antimony, or chlorine and in various ores such as argentite (Ag2S) and chlorargyrite ("horn silver," AgCl). The principal sources of silver are copper, copper-nickel, gold, lead, and lead-zinc ores obtained from Canada, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Australia, and the United States. In 2010, Mexico was the world's largest silver producer, producing 128.6 million troy ounces (3,999 metric tons), which accounted for approximately 17 percent of the annual production of the world.
Silver is mine from lode and placer deposits and is often co-mined with gold and sulphide ores (copper, lead and zinc).
New Technologies For Silver Recycling
But with the increasing demand for sustainable and ethical practices in the jewellery industry, new technologies for silver recycling have emerged. At Eco925, we are committed to finding more environmentally efficient ways to produce our silver jewellery. We keep up to date with the latest developments, such as silver being found in various waste streams, including waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), scrap metals, spent catalysts, jewellery and silverware waste, spent plating solutions, and photographic waste.
Processes for recovering silver are well established for certain waste materials, such as photographic waste and jewellery scrap, and continue to improve for newer streams, such as WEEE. As these new processes develop, we ensure they are incorporated into lowering our business's carbon footprint wherever possible.
Silver rarely forms in nuggets, but when it does, this is what it looks like. Pure Silver is highly prone to tarnishing by reacting to the sulphides in the atmosphere, leaving a gray/black residue. Certain polishes and solutions are able to remove tarnishing. See our Jewellery care page for more information.
Where does our Silver come from?
At Eco925, we are proud to say that our silver is made of 99% recycled and scrap silver products. By melting down silver items that have been sold for bullion and reforming them into sheet metal and wire, we create Eco-Silver. Eco-Silver can be both treated and worked with in the same way as newly mined silver, but it is far more environmentally friendly.
On the rare occasion that we do need to use new material, Eco925 has committed to using only fair trade silver as fair trade registered goldsmiths. By choosing Eco925, you can shop our exclusive Eco-Silver jewellery collection with confidence, knowing that our commitment to sustainability and ethical practices is at the heart of everything we do.