By nature gold is more sustainable than many other things we use. Look at the recycled paper content for instance. Because PMWest is a refiner that caters to the jewelry industry, not at all to the mining industry, our incoming stream of metals is all to be recycled. Our process is the modern environmentally contained version of the ancient "Aqua Regia" process. That is to say all the metals are dissolved in the acid, into "suspension". Each metal is removed via simple chemistry in pure form. We recover the precious metals. The "waste acid" is then taken by a company that is licensed to remove the rest of the metals from the acid and reduce the acid to various containers of acid crystals and distilled water.This is our source for most of the products we make, including casting grain, solders, wire and sheet products. Pure metals are available as well. It is said by trade experts that most gold on the surface of earth is 40% to 60% recycled, and would imply that even when we go onto the open market for gold we are using a lot of recycled gold.

Please feel free to share this information with your sustainable metal advocates.