OUR METALS

All of our jewellery is made from solid metals.

Sterling Silver & 9K to 14K Gold. 

Our Jewellery is made from 100% Australian Gold. Sourcing Australian Gold means that the mines adhere to federal guidelines for environmental protection, land rehabilitation, and worker safety. Or, at least as sustainable as new Sterling Silver and Solid Gold can be. All of our sourcing and production is in Australia, so we know exactly where our materials come from, how they've been processed, and know that people aren't being exploited for the jewellery we make. 

 

Recycled Materials

We also recycle our metals in house! Our sand-casted pieces like the Encrusted Heart and La Familia Pendant are made from other recycled castings. We don't send our offcuts to refineries, we re-melt these pieces in-studio for zero-waste production. 

 

We don't do plating. Here's why...

Although plating provides a more approachable price point for gold coloured jewellery, plating just doesn't last. I believe jewellery should witness your day to day life in all of its salt water swims & sweaty nights dancing. Making jewellery in solid metals ensures they will last beyond your lifetime, and become the heirlooms of tomorrow.

 

The truth about Plated Jewellery

Yes, re-plating jewellery does exist, but that also comes with the use of harmful chemicals such as cyanide, sulphates and acids. Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical that can cause serious health problems and environmental damage.Waste cyanide from the plating process can be difficult and expensive to manage, potentially leading to contamination of landfills and water systems.Some gold-plated jewellery can also contain problematic metal alloys that cause allergic reactions. 

 

We also package using metal, why you ask?

After much research, I landed on making custom S & S heart-shaped jewellery tins. 

Tin is often considered more sustainable than paper for packaging because it's 100% recyclable and can be infinitely reused without losing quality, while paper production requires significant energy and resources, contributing to a larger carbon footprint can only be recycled 5-7 times.
And for our mail bags, we use home-compostable pouches. 
Serpent & the Swan is committed to designing and crafting with intention. 

 

With love, 

Hayley, 

xxxx