Crafting the Jewellery
Our production process has been perfected over years to have the lowest environmental impact possible. This hasn’t been easy in an industry designed to keep things separate from the customer and opaque in it’s sourcing.
Silver
Our silver is sourced from two UK based casting companies who have taken advantage of new technology, allowing them to use old X-Ray scans and extract the silver inside of them. We don’t take in customers own silver yet, this is because it degrades too much in the casting process and we always want to guarantee our quality.
Gold
We currently source our gold from the same two casting companies who use gold recycled from the electronics industry. This means old phones, laptops, ipads - extracting it from the circuit boards and connectors. We also use recycled gold from the jewellery industry, this allows us to reclaim gemstones from unwanted vintage jewellery and give them a new life too.
We actively encourage our customers to use their own unwanted jewellery, and recycle it into a new piece. This can be in the form of a gift voucher from scrapping in their gold, or by using their gold in their piece. This is best for sentimental jewellery, as it doesn’t save the customer money during the casting process.
Platinum
Our platinum, very much like the gold above, is recycled from various industries such as; the jewellery industry and automotive industry. We also can use customers own platinum in our jewellery, although it can experience brittleness due to not recycling as effectively as gold.
Sustainable packaging for sustainable jewellery
Lores is committed to every step of the jewellery making process being eco-friendly and sustainable:
Jewellery boxes
Unlike most other jewellery boxes which are made using a skeleton frame of plastic coated in leather, velvet, plastic, or paper (and are completely un-recyclable), Lores uses boxes made entirely from recycled post-consumer paper waste, meaning they are fully recycled and fully recyclable.
Postal boxes
These are also made entirely from recycled post-consumer paper waste; another element which is fully recycled and fully recyclable.
Dyes & inks
Printed materials included in your order, including tissue paper, packing material, business cards, care cards, stickers, jewellery boxes & bags, postal boxes, and ribbon are all dyed using biodegradable or plant-based inks.
Ribbon
Ribbon used by Lores is made entirely from recycled post-consumer plastic waste.
Printed material
Each time Lores has material or packaging printed, we extensively research the most sustainable ways of doing so. Depending on availability, Lores currently uses a mixture of recycled paper, hemp, and bamboo to have our material printed on.
Documents
Lores is fully digital in our delivery of invoices, quotes, and receipts, minimising paper usage.
As part of Lores’ commitment to being a positive force, we have released multiple collections of which a portion of profits are donated to charitable organisations. This is alongside monthly contributions to environmental protection.
We want our customers to know that their money is not only going to an sustainable + independent brand, but that it’s also going back to nature too.
Most recently our limited edition collaboration with ocean artist Rachel Brooks donated 10% of profits to Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust. The Shark Trust is also associated with Lores through donations from the evergreen ‘Wild’ collection.
Lores also aims to raise awareness of endangered animals and plants through our collections, telling important stories and encouraging education about pressing environmental issues. To this end, Lores frequently collaborates with independent artists to create jewellery and artwork as a form of ‘artivism’, highlighting key causes or species which deserve attention. Our most recent collaboration of this style was with artivist Alicia Hayden for our Great White print that comes along with any ‘Wild’ jewellery order.
Outside of dedicated jewellery collections/collaborations Lores donates monthly to:
Friends of the Earth
The Shark Trust
Surfers Against Sewage
Our future selected charities for The Power of Plants collection are Coral Vita (ocean designs) and Mossy Earth (earth designs). We look forward to donating a portion of profits to these incredible organisations with every other.
The Harbingers of the Sea graduate collection, which comments on the effect of humans on the sea, donates to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Our founder Lorna continues to run for environmental charities in her space time whenever she can, along with attending important legislative and status conferences for marine protected areas and nature reserves.
