Changing the way jewellery is sourced and produced in Ireland
Within the diamond and jewellery industry, it is not easy to source sustainable, ethical and also affordable products. In an industry notorious for pollution, mining, deforestation and waste products, we have carefully sought out suppliers with the same ethos we have – to go beyond “greenwashing” and actually make a difference in how we operate.
As a result, our raw materials of diamonds, gold, and gemstones come from sustainable, ethical and traceable sources. Additionally, our products are manufactured within a 10-minute walk from our store (yes, we walk over and back to collect them!).
Finally, our products are designed to last, to be worn and kept, passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation. Below you will find details on the steps we are taking to ensure our jewellery has a positive effect on the planet.
SCS Global Certified Sustainable Lab Grown Diamonds
Our passion is quality – from the materials we use the manufacturing techniques adopted to ensure each and every piece can be a future heirloom.
Sustainable, Carbon Neutral Diamonds
In 2020, our lab grown diamonds supplier opened their entire operation to SCS Global Sustainability Certification, the first diamond producer to ever do so. SCS Global Service’s team of scientists and engineers went through every facet of their company, technologies and operations.
Because they control the process from carbon seed molecules to the hand polish of every individual facet, they can achieve a level of quality and transparency that simply isn’t possible with mined diamonds. So, working with our supplier’s management, they broke new ground in the diamond industry and achieved SCS Global’s 5 Pillars of Sustainability Certification.
Lab Grown Diamonds at Commins & Co
Not all lab grown diamonds are the same!
Many lab diamonds are not produced sustainably. Due to the energy required to produce lab grown diamonds the energy needs to be from renewable sources. Lab diamonds from some countries are produced using electricity generated from fossil fuels which has a major impact on the environment.
This impact might be lower than the effect of mining, but it does not mean the diamonds are sustainable!
5 Pillars of Sustainability Certification
- Verified Origin Traceability: Guaranteeing the origin of each certified diamond through advanced testing, gem identification protocols, surveillance audits and sampling across the supply chain.
- Twelve Principles of Ethical Stewardship: Adhering to comprehensive environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements.
- Verified Climate Neutrality: Achieving true climate neutrality based on the most stringent climate protocols addressing both current and legacy emissions.
- Sustainable Production Practices: Eliminating or offsetting environmental and human health impacts.
- Sustainability Investments: Creating societal benefits through investments that uplift vulnerable communities, clean the air and water, protect the climate and protect endangered ecosystems.
What are Lab Grown Diamonds?
- In terms of visual, physical and chemical properties, lab grown diamonds and natural diamonds are identical.
- The true difference lies in the origin of the stone.
- Natural diamonds are formed deep within the earth’s crust at extremely high temperatures under intense pressure.
- In contrast, lab grown diamonds are created by replicating these conditions in a lab.
- Both natural and lab grown diamonds are certified for their authenticity, origin and characteristics (4 Cs) by GIA, IGI, or HRD.
- Only certain lab grown diamonds are also certified by SCS Global – not all lab diamonds are carbon neutral!
“From our perspective, synthetic diamonds are diamonds. They’re not fakes. They have all the same physical and chemical properties of a mined diamond.”
~ Stephen Morisseau, Spokesman for the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
100% Recycled Gold
Secondary gold means greater sustainability because mined gold has a much larger CO₂ footprint.
Why is using recycled gold important?
While the jewellery industry has made some progress on traceability of mined gold in recent years, there is still a long way to go.
Our supplier uses only secondary gold and recycles it – it is also the first refinery with a CO₂-neutral refining process for gold.
Processing secondary gold using state-of-the-art processes and increased use of regenerative energies significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
Why doesn't everyone use recycled gold?
Put simply – it costs more. To truly be sustainable, we choose a gold supplier who sustainably recycles their gold. Sustainability shouldn’t be a marketing slogan – it has to be real to be worth mentioning!
CO2-Neutral Recycling Plant
In addition to compensating for the recycling process of second-hand gold, currently the entire recycling plant is made CO2-neutral – and therefore further parts of the precious metal recycling process are made CO2-neutral as well.
What difference does recycled gold make?
Earthworks.org is an organization that protects communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions. According to their studies, gold mining is one of the most destructive industries in the world. It can displace communities, contaminate drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments. It pollutes water and land with mercury and cyanide, endangering the health of people and ecosystems. Producing gold for one wedding ring alone generates 20 tons of waste.
The project carried out by the INEC Institute for Industrial Ecology at Pforzheim University, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, revealed that recycled gold has a smaller CO2 footprint by a factor of 400 – 2,000 when compared to gold primarily extracted from mines.
Restorative action where mining took place
In addition to actively and continuously optimising processes, which minimises CO2 emissions when recycling second-hand gold, our supplier is also investing in compensatory measures.
In cooperation with the climate protection organisation myClimate, they are supporting a composting plant in the gold mining country of Indonesia.
Moissanite – a stunning alternative to diamonds
Ethical, Sustainable and Affordable
Lab Grown Moissanite
This alternative gem is a great choice for sparkle! A durable beauty, moissanite makes a brilliant alternative for engagement rings. A less costly substitute for diamonds, moissanite was originally found in a meteorite crater and its lab-created counterpart has since landed in hearts everywhere.
Looking for a Diamond Alternative?
Moissanite is a gemstone in its own right but is often used as a diamond simulant due to its appearance and lower cost.
What is Moissanite?
Like our lab grown diamonds, Moissanite is also lab grown in a sustainable and ethical manner.
Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Certification
Our Moissanite supplier is a full member of the RJC.
RJC is an international body, headquartered in London, that certifies fine jewelry product manufacturers and suppliers for responsible ethical, social, and environmental practices throughout their operations. Certification and membership requires an independent third party audit covering all aspects of operations, from our supply chain and production to business ethics and employee health and safety.
Members must meet RJC’s Code of Practices which respects human rights throughout the jewelry supply chain for diamond, gold, and platinum group metals. RJC members commit to implementing continuous improvement processes to increase performance and achieve higher standards.
Recognizing the challenges associated with providing precious materials in a responsible manner, we work closely with our suppliers to ensure our jewelry is produced in the most ethical way possible.
Energy Usage & Wastewater Treatment
When seeking out our suppliers, we often came across companies with great statements and big claims. On further inspection, these companies often fell down on some big issues.
A lab grown diamond company doesn’t mine anything BUT if they are using oil- or gas-produced electricity they are having a major impact.
Similarly, some gold producers may say they use a certain percentage of recycled gold but that means they still accept mined gold!
Taking a small step in sustainability is to be praised and admired, but it should be the first of many steps, not the only step.
At Commins & Co, we are constantly examining our processes and those of our suppliers to see where improvements can be made.
Filtration and treatment
Sustainable electricity usage
Our lab grown diamond supplier uses clean electricity from renewable resources, therefore they do not rely on fossil fuel energy.
In addition, our gold supplier uses heat exchangers which uses the residual heat from the refining process in their heating circuit where possible.
Our Rings are Produced Locally
A 10-minute walk away
Our jewellery is made just 10 minutes’ walk away from our store – we literally collect jewellery and rings from there on foot.
Any repairs, repolishing or replating works done on our jewellery is done in the same place.
Our supplier has each piece assayed locally, in Dublin Castle, so the impact of our jewellery in transport is minimal.
Partnership With Trees For The Future (TREES)
We plant 4 trees in for every ring bought from our store or website.
Making A Difference
At Commins & Co, we are delighted to partner with TREES and to help restore trees in areas of the world which have been hardest hit by climate change and mining operations. We are committed to planting 4 trees every time a ring is sold by us or our sister company, Bespoke Diamonds.
We have planted over 4000 trees to date and are seeking to double that number this year!
Who is Trees for the Future?
Making a Difference
Making a Difference
Around the world, modern and industrialized farming practices are destroying the environment—and, at the same time, failing to provide reliable income and nourishment for the farmers we all depend on to survive. Trees for the Future (TREES), recognizes that unsustainable land use is the root cause of our most pressing challenges. TREES confronts these challenges by serving the people at the heart of our global food systems: farmers and their families.
As a global leader in agroforestry training for over 30 years, TREES provides hands-on, immersive education, skill building, and support, encouraging farmers to work with nature, not against it. TREES’ signature methodology, the Forest Garden Approach, helps farmers transform their land with thousands of fast-growing, ecologically appropriate trees and dozens of other crops, creating new possibilities for themselves and their communities. By embracing sustainable land practices, farmers are reclaiming their agency, breaking the cycles of climate change and generational poverty, and rebuilding our food systems from the ground up.
Changing Lives Through Trees
Trees for the Future don’t just plant forests! They partner with local farmers to create sustainable projects which benefit the community such as forest gardens.
These forest gardens have trees but also crops for the farmer to produce food. This partnership ensures the longevity of the project while further benefitting the community.
Lab Grown Gemstones
Every Colour of Gemstone – Without Mining!
What are Lab Grown Gemstones?
Lab-grown gemstones are created by replicating the conditions of gemstone growth in a laboratory setting.
When compared with natural gemstones, lab-grown gemstones offer an optically, chemically, and physically identical alternative set at a lower price point
It has been a personal mission to source the most sustainable and ethical options from suppliers I can trust. Our recycled gold, responsibly sourced natural diamonds and gemstones as well as our lab grown diamonds and gemstones ensure you can choose your rings knowing they have had a minimal effect on the planet. Any negative effect will be offset by our commitment to plant 4 trees for every ring we sell!
Áine Commins
Award Winning Jewellers as voted by Weddings Online
Free Independent Valuations On Our Engagement Rings Over €3,000
