The jewelry industry has a long history of causing harm to the environment, and its workers. These unethical and low industry standards have led to the exploitation of miners, the use of child labor, the contamination of ecosystems, war, and the displacement of communities.
Today, with the resources available and the awareness of these industry inadequacies, it’s essential that jewelry designers and manufacturers do their due diligence to provide conflict free options.
Quercus Studio believes in this transparency and is committed to sourcing and using materials that follow ethical standards to create beautiful jewelry that will stand the test of time.
Precious Metals
All of the metals that we use are created from non-mined, recycled sources. This means that the gold, platinum, palladium, and silver used in our studio are coming from post-consumer materials like reclaimed jewelry, silverware, coins, and scrap metal.
Stuller and Hoover & Strong, the metal suppliers and manufacturers we choose to work with, have specific guidelines and certifications that they are required to uphold to ensure that their metals are 100% recycled.
Each of these companies also hold certifications from the Responsible Jewelry Council and SCS Global Services.
Diamonds
We pride ourselves on creating fine jewelry with diamonds that have been ethically mined and are conflict-free.
We prefer to source stones that have been mined in Canada. Known as Canadamark Diamonds, these stones also come with a GIA Report and additional paperwork which includes the unique Canadamark inscription and an origin report card. The Canada Mark diamonds are laser inscribed with both the Canadian serial number, and the GIA lab report number.
Quercus keeps an inventory of old mine, old European, and fancy cut diamonds sourced from trade-only jewelry industry shows, estate sales, and diamond brokers we trust. They are sent to GIA to be graded and inscribed with a unique serial number. It is assumed that these are African mined.
Each GIA Report contains an unbiased, scientific assessment of the diamond’s color, cut, clarity, and carat weight.
We do not order lab reports for industrial grade salt and pepper diamonds. Our current stock was mined in Australia’s Argyle mine.
Moissanite, and lab grown diamonds are also an option. Connect with us if you have questions about these or any of the options listed above quercusraleigh@gmail.com
Gemstones
Similarly with diamonds, we use gemstones that have been ethically sourced. We work with a variety of suppliers, many of which we know personally, who adhere to strict protocols and codes of conduct. We happen to love sapphires mined in the United States. Montana to be exact. Sapphire engagement rings are our favorite.
We are able to source a variety of gemstone types, including stones that have been grown in lab environments.
Your Materials
Whether you have inherited a family piece, or you have jewelry that you are interested in repurposing, we are happy to incorporate stones and/or metal that you already own into your new project.
When you are in the shop for your Jewelry Repurposing Consultation, we will closely assess any stones you may have and determine if they are in good condition and able to be reused. In regard to metal, you can either recycle your material and receive a credit to put toward the final cost of your project, or you can choose to incorporate the exact metal from your old piece into your new one for sentimental purposes. It is important to note that if you decide to reuse your metal in your new project, fresh material will always need to be added to ensure the integrity of the final piece.
If you would like to use a diamond that you have purchased from a source that is not our own, we do ask that you provide us with either the GIA Report and/or the authentication paperwork associated with your stone.
If you have any additional questions about the materials we use or our jewelry making process, feel free to email us at quercusraleigh@gmail.com or visit Our Custom Process page.