Our commitment to ecologically responsible practices is exceptional in the jewelry sector. In 2019, we were
named Santa Fe New Mexico’s Green Business of the year by our City and Chamber of Commerce, which
is quite an honor in Santa Fe, a city full of green businesses.
Our ecologically responsible practices have also been featured in
prominent jewelry trade magazines.
Our company was among the first manufacturers make all its products in recycled metals back in 2007. Since
2015, we became even more impactful through our
Fairtrade Gold initiative. Because recycled metals have no impact on new mining, we produce our entire
two-tone line and much of our bridal collection in Fairtrade Gold. This supports local economies, alleviates
poverty, and reduces global mercury contamination for small-scale gold producers.
Additionally, Marc has been a
trade watchdog,
freelance writer for trade magazines,
campaigner for Indigenous miners' rights, and an
anti-mining activist in his hometown of Santa Fe, NM where he has lived for over thirty years. He
initiated the first ethical jewelry blog in 2006, which evolved into
Fair Jewelry Action, a human rights and environmental justice network active between 2010 and 2015.
In 2018, he published the open-source
Ethical Jewelry Exposé.
In terms of our in house practices, 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 have state of the art ventilation systems on all our soldering stations, each individually controlled
by our jewelers in order to conserve energy. We use non-harmful chemicals and solders in the day-to-day
manufacturing of our jewelry. We dehydrate and filter our waste fluids from our fabrication processes;
we recycle our metals, cardboard, cans and glass, and even have a compost bucket in our kitchen that
Marc and Helen take home to their garden. We also use recycled paper products and compact fluorescent
lighting.
We are very committed to solar energy. Marc and Helen have a solar system for their house. In the fall of 2014 we attempted
to install solar in our shop, but unfortunately our roof was not strong enough to pass code. We are planning
to join the community solar system in Santa Fe as soon as it becomes available.
Green and living areas around the property and shop are also an important element in environmental stewardship.
We removed a ten by thirty foot monolithic concrete slab in front of our office and have planted a xeriscape
garden, which is watered by the runoff from our roof. We also constructed a small central courtyard shaded
by grape vines, where we enjoy gatherings for lunch, break times and special occasions.
We have invested a great deal in making our workspace beautiful for all of us to enjoy. Our studio is light,
colorful and full of art. We are constantly looking for opportunities to create a more comfortable workplace
with a lower environmental impact.
Next time you are in Santa Fe, we invite you to visit us and take a look!