Rings

For our wedding rings, we reclaimed and reused elements of our previous rings. Larry had the diamond from my previous wedding ring reset into a new setting. Larry liked his old ring, so I had it cleaned, polished, and refurbished.

Even when we had our original rings custom-made, we both gathered together the bits and pieces of gold rings and necklaces we had and took them to the jeweler to recycle. We don't know the source of those gold rings we purchased almost twenty years ago, but when we purchased it, we put gold into the system to be recycled.

About one third of the precious metal used to make even new rings is recycled. Because of its value, precious metals are rarely discarded, but are instead melted down to make new pieces of jewelry and other products. Precious gems are usually sold rather than discarded, and reset into new pieces. But increasing demand for fine jewelry and investment gold keeps mining going. The gold produced for a single 18 karate gold wedding ring--about 1/3 of an ounce--leaves 18 tons of mining waste.

Gold rings are both an important part of the wedding ritual, and a vital symbol to the world of your commitment. Consider having your rings custom-made rather than purchasing stock rings from a jeweler. By doing so, you can ask the jeweler to use recycled gold. Consider, too, the purchase of heirloom rings. They often have interesting designs that are not sold today.

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