Carefully considered designs and precious materials are a given when it comes to fine jewellery, but a new emphasis on traceability is causing brands to put a greater emphasis on just where all this luxury is coming from. For some, the solution is finding new ways to source gold entirely. Mejuri is one major jewellery brand leading the charge, creating a new collection in fully traceable ‘salmon gold.’
What is salmon gold?
‘We partnered with Regeneration by the NGO Resolve, a revolutionary start-up that uses re-mining and processing of waste from abandoned mine sites to support rehabilitation activities and restore natural environments, while attaining minerals such as salmon gold,’ Mejuri co-founder and CEO Noura Sakkijha tells us.
‘If left untreated, these abandoned mines pollute sensitive watersheds, ecosystems and native species. Regeneration is reversing the effects of past industrial demands, which altered the flow of rivers, disrupted natural habitats that were vital for the fish populations and left unsecured tailings. Salmon gold is an innovative initiative, sourcing gold from Regeneration-associated mines; gold that is fully traceable from its origins while also contributing to habitat restoration. It connects biodiversity and environment to our industry in a way that has not been done before.’
Fully traceable gold can be tracked from the mine to the market, ensuring fair and safe labour and ethical practices. Ambitiously, Mejuri hopes to extend this to all its materials by 2030. ‘Traceability allows us to understand what happens at every stage within the process to ensure we are making the right decisions for people, our planet and our product,’ adds Sakkijha.
The new material has been united with classic design codes for the launch, with a new collection of hoops marking the change. ‘The Bold Hoops are one of our most popular designs, given the way they segue seamlessly into the everyday, no matter what your own personal code of dressing. We think of them as the white T-shirt of jewellery.’
