Ecological

Precious Metal Sourcing All the precious metal that we use to fabricate our jewelry is third party certified recycled, purchased directly from Hoover and Strong. We actually export precious metal to the company in Bali that produces our component pieces that we use to make some of our jewelry. We were one of the first companies in the jewelry sector to move to 100% recycled metals. The only item we sell that is not made of 100% recycled sterling silver are the sterling silver snake chains made in Italy, which we purchase for some of our smaller pendants. This chain is made from partially recycled sterling silver. Workshop Environmental Practices Reflective Images, Santa Fe, NM-- Our environmentally responsible practices range from how we choose our suppliers to how we operate our studio and office. This is a work in progress. We are continually looking for opportunities to improve. In our studio, we have state of the art ventilation systems on all our soldering stations – each individually controlled by our jewelers in order to conserve energy. We also have many safety features in place. We also use non-harmful chemicals and solders as much as we can in the day to day manufacturing of our jewelry. We dehydrate and filter our waste fluids from our fabrication processes. We pay a premium to purchase “green power” from Public Service of New Mexico. We also offset our carbon use by contributing to Wild Earth Guardians, a New Mexico environmental organization that does ecological restoration of creeks and rivers. We recycle our metals, cardboard, cans and glass. We use 100% recycled office paper and toilet paper. We use compact fluorescent lighting everywhere except our gallery, where we keep the lights off unless there is a customer who walks in. We also compost all our kitchen waste. Green areas are also an important element in environmentally stewardship. In front of our office we removed a ten by thirty by ten inches foot monolithic concrete slab and planted a xeroscape garden. We constructed a small central courtyard and garden where we enjoy gathering for lunch and break times. We have invested a great deal in making our working space beautiful for all of us to enjoy. Our studio, which we remodeled in 2001, is light, colorful and full of art. We are constantly looking for opportunities to create a more comfortable workplace and less environmental impact. Denpasar, Bali-- The environmental standards for the factory in Bali include high quality ventilation and numerous safety measures that are equivalent to jewelry manufacturing plants in first world countries. In addition, effluents are regularly tested to assure that harmful toxins are not released into the environment. Please see their detailed mission statement. Here is the stated environmental policy of our supplier from Bali: "The environment is an increasingly important issue in our world and we take all measures possible to create and maintain an environmentally friendly approach to our organization. We abide by all local environmental and waste regulations, and regularly check our air quality and the quality of our waste water. We run programs to monitor and check on the efficiency of our electricity usage and wherever possible use energy efficient technology." "Green areas are also an important factor in this increasingly urbanized world and all our factory environs which are not buildings or parking area is established with gardens and trees. Aside from the environmental aspects, this also creates more pleasant surroundings for our employees to enjoy. Wherever possible we recycle all our waste and where possible we buy recycled and/or recyclable materials." "We also take care in the purchasing of our raw materials. We do not use any prohibited or endangered products and attempt to buy our raw materials from reputable and legitimate suppliers. We do specialize in the production of shell and shell products, but our supplies are coming from Pearl Farms where the shell is a by product (Both Indonesian and Tahitian Mother of Pearl) or from commercial fishermen fishing a sustainable resource, (Such As New Zealand Paua Shell which is fished in the wild under a strict Government supervised Quota System). We do not use any materials which are prohibited under the CITIES agreement for trade in endangered species, which includes all forms of corals, except for fossilized coral."