When Gemstones Are Waste
Many industry organizations are against use of the term “recycled” when it comes to gemstones, but the author argues that there are myriad situations where the term could be accurately applied, even if she has no plans to take up the charge to change their minds.
Ever since I was a child, I have loved to argue. I don’t mean in the sense of “having a fight,” but in the scientific sense of exploring arguments, presenting data, asking questions, and having other people discuss, refute, agree, or otherwise, until one of us has proven our point (or we agree to disagree). It has always come from a point of curiosity, of learning, of research and wanting to find the answer or find what is right.
The term “recycled,” when used in conjunction with gemstones, is contentious in the trade. Both the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) have called for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban the use of the term in relation to gemstones.
Defining Waste and Recycling
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines waste as “any garbage or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities.”
“Recycling” is defined by the EPA as “the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.” In U.K. regulations, it is “any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials, or substances, whether for their original purpose or other purpose.”
Where Gemstones Become Waste
In mining, we have gem material that is broken, too small, or too low-quality to be economically viable to a miner or mining company. These get discarded in tailings or are otherwise overlooked. In gem cutting, we produce offcuts and dust. These by-products often will not get used and instead will be discarded. Stones can get broken during the process.
I know many stone dealers who, if they drop a particularly low value gemstone on the office floor and do not find it immediately, will not bother to look for it. It is not worth their time or money. In this case, they are effectively “abandoning” the stone.
In retail, there are instances where even fully manufactured items need to be “disposed” of—faulty items returned for refund, stock that gets damaged in inventory, and excess inventory that is unsold. These items will mostly be “recycled”—repaired, reworked, or scrapped—and most if not all of the materials reused.
We also have “burden” (similar to residue), materials that are unsuitable, unwanted, surplus to requirements, or even outside the scope of the holder’s expertise. This is a regular occurrence in the gold buying or pawnbroking businesses. Money is made in trading in the commodity of the precious metal. Often little or no fiscal value is given for colored gemstones and commonly not even diamonds.
If we can take any of the gems from any part of this waste stream, whether those are tailings from mining or bashed up gems from pawnbrokers, process them in a way that adds value, and use them in some way, surely these are recycled gemstones by the legislative definitions of both waste and recycling?
About the Author: Kerry Gregory is known for her presentations and hands-on gemology workshops. She has had numerous articles on practical gemology published in both U.K. and U.S. publications. A past tutor and head of ATC for Gem-A, she served on the board of Gem-A and ran one of the U.K. branches.
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