Studio practices
Responsible practices are not only important for my resources of precious metals and gemstones. In my workshop, I constantly aim to work towards more environmentally friendly practices. On this page, you can learn more about what I have implemented.
I continuously search for alternatives. For natural or more environmentally friendly options.
These are my business cards. I found a company who print business cards on 100 percent recycled cotton T-shirts.
When I receive the box of business cards, it says: “I used to be a T-shirt.
Online my first business card is my website. This is also carbon-neutral hosted
Packaging remains a challenge, especially the foam inserts. My packaging is therefore often changing, as I haven’t yet found the presentation box that meets my expectations.
Through the WOMED Awards, I met Isabelle Ulenaers, founder of “Self” a vegan cosmetics company. The facial and body cream pots are so lovely. I didn’t have the heart to through them away, so I started saving them. I had accumulated so much, that I decided to reuse them as my packaging. Removing the Self-label and replacing it with my own. The inside is filled with organic cotton, but I’m toying with the idea of using wool.
The acid predominantly used for jewellery is nitric acid. About a year after I relocated my workshop to Brussels, I changed my nitric acid to citric acid. Do you know that hard-boiled sweets are made using citric acid? It is also an excellent descaler in bathrooms and kitchens. However, all acids can be neutralised with bicarbonate soda. This is a practice I still use to neutalise my citric acid as well.
Once my citric acid is neutralised, I poor the solution through an old-fashioned coffee filter. The water runs away through the filter, but all the dirt and metal particles stay behind in the coffee filter. The coffee filter is then disposed of in my metal recycling bin. My magnetic polisher is also water and citric acid.
Since 2001 I use the ecological washing-up liquid in my ultra-sonic cleaner.
My polishing pastes are water-based and therefore more environmentally friendly.
These pastes, Luxi, are unfortunately not available yet through all suppliers.
The water-based Luxi paste is easy to clean off the precious metal surfaces, as it dissolves in water. A great additional benefit for me, is that I hardly inhale any of harmful grease which is found in other polishing componants.
The last thing I wanted to share is my precious metals recycling bin.
Everything from emery paper, to worn-down polishing mops, and cracked crucibles goes into this bin. All the polishing dust residue and the floor sweepings all go into this bin. once 100 litres, it gets taken to the refinery to extract the precious metals, which then, in turn, are refined and sold back into the jewellery industry.
Recuperate, recycle, refine, and reuse
