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A diamond is a diamond
Jewellery is never only jewellery. It is, instead, a long journey. From the ground, it is plucked for the vigor of metals and the shine of gems. Crafted exceptionally in hand, its corners smoothened and surfaces polished. And on our bodies, it is adorned most impeccably.
Jewellery is an expression of our crafts and skills; of our taste and traditions; and it is an expression of ourselves. We believe that jewellery reflects us, so it goes without question that it should reflect our values and responsibility as well.
Lab-grown diamonds
What are Lab-grown diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds are laboratory-made diamonds that were grown by scientists in a lab. Lab-grown diamonds are optically identical to those that are mined, they share the same chemical composition, both consisting of pure carbon in a cubic crystalline form. They have the same sparkle, clarity, and aesthetic of earth-mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds. They are not fakes. They’re not cubic zirconias.
What is the difference between mined and Lab-grown diamonds?
The difference between mined and Lab-grown diamonds is where they are grown. Mined diamonds grow below the surface of the earth over millions of years, whereas Lab-grown diamonds can be created in a lab over a period of a few weeks.
Can you see a difference between a mined and a Lab-grown diamond?
Not even an expert's naked eye can see the difference between a Lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond. Only a specific tool can determine the difference.
Why do we choose Lab-grown diamonds?
Exploring this possibility is important to us as it eliminates mining, social conflict, land devastation, cartel pricing, wildlife displacement and harm to local communities.
What do the icons mean?
Responsibility
Responsbility
Our responsibility stems from our compassion for our work, our respect for people and nature, as well as the urgent need to take concrete action. We want to be the leaders of a sea change in our industry and demonstrate that it is possible to make responsible jewellery.
IMPACT gold
IMPACT Gold
IMPACT gold is a mixed alloy, consisting of 30% Fairtrade gold and 70% recycled gold. This means that we can divert some of our resources towards the small-scale artisanal miners and simultaneously manage our waste.
Lab-grown diamonds
Lab-grown Diamonds
It’s not synthetic or fake, it is 100% identical to a mined diamond with the same grading and chemical composition. Through Sunjewels in Mumbai, we have been able to establish contact with a grower of HPHT and CVD Lab-grown diamonds. He grows and does the cutting himself in Mumbai and he has agreed to allow 3rd party SMETA audits so we can ensure workers rights, wages and that health and safety regulations are met.
PiercingPiercing
Explore your personal style and curate your own look with ear piercings. Whether you wish to upgrade your current ear-game or get your very first piercing, we invite you to embrace your individuality. We will guide you through the process step by step.
''Mined diamonds are a gift of nature, whereas lab-grown diamonds are a gift of human wisdom.''
- Shanghai Diamond Exchange's President Qiang Lin
We have been pondering on many new things about ourselves and our company, but also on our industry and global production. We have realized the greater tasks we need to assume considering the long journey jewellery takes from mining sites to us. We cannot overlook the social and environmental impact of mining precious metals and shaping them into our designs.
We want our practices to reflect our values. We want to work to instil respect for people and nature into our industry. We want to elevate jewellery to a standard that reduces harm to lives and landscapes; establishes safe and secure practices; and maintains trustworthy, open and fair business processes.
IMPACT gold
What is IMPACT gold?
IMPACT gold is an alloy of 30% Fairtrade gold and 70% Recycled gold. The reasoning for IMPACT gold is its positive impact on the indigenous producer communities, both environmentally and socially.
What is Fairtrade gold?
Fairtrade was the first global certification scheme for sustainable gold – and since 2011, Fairtrade has been working with the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector to respond to some of the major sectoral challenges.
Fairtrade works with small-scale gold mines that meet the Fairtrade Standard for Gold and Precious Metals, to respond to deeply entrenched problems in the mining sector. When a consumer chooses Fairtrade gold, it means the gold has been responsibly mined and that the miners have received a Fairtrade Minimum Price (of 95% LBMA) and Premium of $2000/kg, which assists social, environmental and economic development in the communities.
What is Fairtrade GSP?
Fairtrade Gold Sourcing Programme (GSP) means the final product does not carry the Fairtrade Mark, but the business is still sourcing Fairtrade gold. The gold is traceable from the mine and through the refining process, and verified through FLOCERT (an independent third party) audits, but may be mixed with non-Fairtrade gold before going into the final product.
This differs from Fairtrade gold which carries the Fairtrade Mark, where the gold is traceable from the mine to the finished product; again, verified by documentation of all transactions in the supply chain.
How is Fairtrade gold sourced?
Fairtrade gold is sourced from 15 mines in Peru, all of which meet the Fairtrade Standard for Gold and Precious Metals and are audited on a regular audit cycle to ensure compliance with the Fairtrade Standards. Across these mines in 2020, over US$700,000 was paid in the Fairtrade Premium, which was invested in the mining communities.
Recycled gold?
All the recycled gold we use carries the SCS global service certification. This certificate ensures that the mined materials are traceable, environmentally focused and promote ethical labor conditions. SCS is a verification agent which focuses on quality, social responsibility, and stewardship to the earth.
More materials
Pearls
Unless otherwise stated we use freshwater pearls with a baroque shape.
Gold plating
A gold plating means that a layer of 22K gold is deposited on top of another metal, in our case silver. The silver will therefore become visible if the plating wears off.
We plate with a 22-23.5K gold alloy and have adjusted the color to resemble a 14-18K color. It is difficult to accurately predict how long a gold plating will last. It greatly depends on how often you wear it, where on the body it’s placed and how active you are.
Silver jewellery
All Maria Black silver jewellery is made from sterling silver. You will find a stamp with the alloy mark 925 and our makers mark BLACK, registered with Force Technology, which is the official Hallmark auditor in Denmark.
White Rhodium
Rhodium is an extraordinarily rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant, and chemically inert transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. We use a white rhodium plating on all of our silver jewellery and we also use this plating on all of our 14K white gold jewellery. Silver naturally oxidises over time and the white rhodium plating helps to delay this considerably, since the metal is much harder than silver it also minimises scratches. White gold without a white rhodium plating actually has a more golden/gray’ish tone (gold is yellow after all) so 99% of all white gold jewellery you find will generally have a white rhodium plating on as the white rhodium has a very beautiful ‘steel’ like color.
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