At New Gild Jewelers, every piece of custom jewelry we make is crafted with the highest standard of environmental ethics in mind. From ethically sourced diamonds and gems, to recycled precious metals, upcycled materials, plastic-free packaging, and more – we care, and we hope it shows.
PEOPLE – THE LIVING WAGE AND WORKING CONDITIONS
We are proud to have created thousands of hours of well-paid and dignified labor for our team members, without whom we couldn’t make the magic happen. We pay well above the federal and Minnesota state minimum wage – in fact, we pay all of our employees above the “living wage” as defined by MIT and others. Our employees enjoy paid breaks and holidays, professional education allowances, health insurance stipends, free sparkle, and other benefits that we believe make New Gild Jewelers a Great Place to Work.
JEWELRY – ART OR TIME MACHINE?
Our passion for the environment is more than skin deep. How else can we connect ourselves to the very beginnings of our planet’s history? The Metals of Antiquity as well as diamonds, sapphires and many gemstones are literally BILLIONS of years old. Their beauty is harnessed billions of years later, using relatively “new” processes to mold them into objects of wearable history. By new, we mean custom jewelry making methods that originated 6,000 years ago in Israel which would come to be known as “lost wax casting.” How cool is that?
OUR CUSTOM JEWELRY STUDIO AND GALLERY SPACE
We have worked hard to create a comfortable space that is constantly evolving environmentally. Everything from our no-VOC “New Gild Pink” paint to our paper products has been carefully considered. We use the least toxic option in every custom jewelry process that involves solutions, we stock our “work home” with reusable cleaning cloths, recycled paper products that are compostable, and we participate vigorously in single stream recycling and composting wherever possible. Our custom jewelry studio and gallery in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN are cleaned without chemicals, leaving our space both fresh and refreshing. We fragrance the air using only pure, organic essential oils. We use hand tools and elbow grease when creating your custom jewelry piece every time we can.
RECYCLED PRECIOUS METALS
As part of our commitment to the environment, all of our custom jewelry pieces are made from recycled precious metals that come from trusted suppliers. Mining of precious metals can be environmentally destructive, and can also be associated with a disregard for indigenous peoples; as such, we avoid newly mined metal wherever possible. We also love upcycling your own metal into a new talisman of enjoyment, which carries its past into the present and on into a sparkly future through lost-wax-casting.
FAIRMINED GOLD
As a premium, we also offer Fairmined Gold, a metal with an assurance label that certifies gold from empowered, responsible, artisanal and small-scale mining organizations. It transforms mining into an active force for good, ensuring social development and environmental protection, providing everyone with a source of gold to be proud of. The resulting gold alloy is rich and beautiful in color and in spirit. Ask us if this sparks your interest.
DOMESTIC CRAFTSMANSHIP
Every piece of custom jewelry we create is proudly handmade in the United States. Due to more strict labor and manufacturing laws, crafting everything from our engagement rings to custom necklaces right here in our Minneapolis studios means safer working conditions for employees and more environmentally-friendly processes overall. Our largest supplier of finished goods like chains is located in Louisiana, where they employ a large, local population making quality goods from recycled metals. By purchasing locally crafted fine jewelry, you are helping to provide skilled employment for craftspersons in your community and supporting sustainable materials and practices.
CONFLICT-FREE DIAMONDS – BEYOND THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS
To ensure every diamond we sell is ethically sourced, we do our part to uphold the Kimberley Process (which is one step to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the diamond trade) by partnering with and purchasing diamonds from our curated network of trusted dealers. Our dealers purchase from global sightholders, who face strict requirements to ensure they do not buy diamonds from areas that support conflict, do not endanger the welfare of individuals, and follow the international best practice environmental framework. The sightholders source rough diamonds from all over the world.
CANADIAN DIAMONDS
For those seeking an extra layer of environmental confidence, we offer Canadian diamonds, which guarantee the toughest regulations on mining companies to protect wildlife, water and fishing habitats of the mining environment. In addition to higher accountability and local economic prosperity, Canadian diamonds are beautiful!
ETHICALLY SOURCED SAPPHIRES
As the second hardest material available for jewelry making, sapphires make an excellent choice for lifelong wear and heirloom pieces. Our sapphires are sourced from ethically conscious suppliers and cutters; we know from where our sapphires are sourced, and we only sell natural sapphires with minimal heat treatments.
MONTANA SAPPHIRES
As a premium, we offer Montana Sapphires–incredible gemstones first found right here in the United States in 1865 near the Missouri River in Helena, Montana. Their incredible sparkle, color, and luster led Tiffany’s to declare them “the finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States.” We have a trusted network of suppliers for Montana material, as well as an impressive collection of our own for you to choose from.
LAB GROWN DIAMONDS AND GEMSTONES
In addition to natural gemstones, we also offer lab-created versions. Lab-created gemstones, available in sapphire, ruby, diamond and emerald have the same chemical, optical, and molecular composition as their natural counterparts–but were created in a laboratory instead of being earth-mined. These lab grown stones have differing carbon footprints than their earth-mined counterparts.
CARING FOR THE PLANET while we craft art objects – we like to call it, “love you can wear.”
We’d love to share more of our passion and sparkle with you!
We invite you to visit us soon, in our custom jewelry studio in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN.
