Contemporary jewellery handcrafted in precious metals reclaimed from circuit boards.
www.ashleyheather.co.za
Passionate about sustainable, socially responsible design we create handcrafted jewellery in silver and gold reclaimed from circuit boards. By combining age old silversmithing techniques with designs pared down to their essential qualities we strive create contemporary ethical jewellery pieces.
It takes 245kg of fossil fuels, 22kg of chemicals and 1500 litres of water to manufacture one desktop computer. Ultimately, 80-85% of all electronic products are discarded in landfills and incinerators, releasing toxins into the air and soil.
Circuit boards rely on precious metals for their excellent electrical conductivity. To extract these we begin by manually dismantling the waste electronic products. All the components are sent their separate ways for recycling. The circuit boards are run through a shredder before being fed into a furnace. The precious metals are separated and then purified. They are now ready to be meticulously handcrafted into jewellery.
This is a collection crafted by passionate hands; it is our greatest wish that you will find as much joy in wearing them as we found in creating them.
