While businesses are constantly looking for ways to be more sustainable and efficient, Evanston jeweler, Christopher Duquet, continues the longstanding tradition of reuse in the jewelry-making industry.
“Jewelers were the first ever trade and manufacturers to recycle everything they use,“ Mr. Duquet says. “They’ve always recycled because of the rarity.”
“When our designs are no longer relevant and as good as possible, we don’t buy new material, we reuse them…we try to squeeze efficiency out of everything we do,” says Mr. Duquet.
Because gold and gemstones are constantly being recycled and reused, vintage jewelry can be transformed into something new. The process of remelting gold, recutting stones and redesigning a piece to look inspired and unique is what jewelers have been doing for centuries.
With new and improved processes including Computer Aided Design, Mr. Duquet and his employees bring the tradition of reuse into the modern green era.
The shop uses gold that has been recycled through the Harmony Program at Hoover and Strong, a refiner and manufacturer of precious metals, guaranteeing that the item is made of 100% recycled product. Hoover and Strong pride themselves on conducting regular floor sweeps and re-melting all clean product.
Christopher Duquet’s gems and diamonds are all certified to be conflict free. Using the United Nations’ monitoring system, the Kimberly Process, all diamonds and gemstones can be used without any doubts about a potential negative impact.