Gold mining decoded

Everybody loves jewelry, but we rarely consider the effects this $300 billion dollar industry has on the environment. Jewelry production is built on the use of precious metals, diamonds and other stones, though sometimes it’s easy to forget that these aren’t in endless supply and they take a lot of digging to discover in large quantities. Here are some of the ways gold mining harm the environment:

Mercury is used to extract the gold from rock and sediment. The toxic metal is not only damaging to the environment, but the miners' health too.

Industrial mining companies create around 20 tons of toxic waste for every 0.333 ounce gold ring. The waste is usually sludge, inlaid in cyanide and toxic metals.

Acidic waters drain out into the environment, which are created by underground rock that is disturbed by mining and is exposed to air and water. The iron sulphides react with the air to form sulphuric acid.

This is a global environmental issue, but one that we can help to decrease by reducing mined gold quantities. We already have enough gold in the world, If you think about all those no longer used jewelry boxes out there that are just waiting to be trawled through. So at Kimai we use 18k recycled solid gold exclusively on all of our jewelry. Why? Because gold mining is catastrophic for the environment, plus, we think it adds charm to our jewelry knowing the gold has had a previous life.