Creating a demand for recycled and ‘fair-mined’ ethical gold is pure genius.
By ET Bureau |
Getty Images
Representative image.
Recycled or ‘guilt-free’ gold may be the latest craze to hit western jewellery markets but Indians have been doing just that for generations, when ecological consciousness was not even a glint in an activist’s eye. Indeed, reports that style icons such as Meghan Markle prefer jewellery made from recycled gold would not evoke any admiring sounds in India. After all, it was routine for families to trade in old jewellery for newer designs back in the day when jewellery was not branded. But now that gold jewellery faces a threat from platinum, making ‘ethically mined’ or recycled gold a “thing” is a brilliant comeback. ‘Artisanal’, ‘responsible’, ‘ethical’ and other words which have stood wine, cheese, coffee, cotton and other products in good stead can do much to burnish gold’s image, too.
Reports that style icons such as Meghan Markle prefer jewellery made from recycled gold would not evoke any admiring sounds in India. Besides refining 275 tonnes of new gold, India also produced 87 tonnes of recycled gold and 8.6 tonnes more were extracted from ores of other metals, according to World Gold Council 2018 data. It must be remembered that these subtle distinctions are important for the cognoscenti. ‘Fairtrade gold’— meaning it has been extracted from ecologically safe mines by happy miners — has a trendy ring to it and using ‘recycled gold’ extracted from computer components and other industrial detritus has a positively angelic aura.
Vase, Gold Egg & A Rock: Accidental Finds That Cost Millions
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Treasures aren’t always hidden. Sometimes they can be right under your nose, either gathering dust in an attic or lying unclaimed in a thrift store.
A look at seemingly ordinary pieces that were a lot more valuable than expected.
Treasures aren’t always hidden. Sometimes they can be right under your nose, either gathering dust in an attic or lying unclaimed in a thrift store.
A look at seemingly ordinary pieces that were a l..
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In October, a farmer took a rock weighing about 10 kg to the geology department of Central Michigan University for examination. The rock, used by David Mazurek as a door stopper for nearly three decades, turned out to be a meteorite. This rock, which is the sixth biggest meteorite to have been found in Michigan, is estimated to be worth $100,000.
(Image: www.cmich.edu)
In October, a farmer took a rock weighing about 10 kg to the geology department of Central Michigan University for examination. The rock, used by David Mazurek as a door stopper for nearly three dec..
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In 2014, a $14,000 purchase turned into millions of dollars for a scrap dealer in mid-western US. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, had bought a gold egg at a junk market a decade ago, hoping to make a fast buck by reselling the piece for its contents. But it turned out to be one of the eight missing Faberge imperial eggs. The egg, created by Peter Carl Faberge, was gifted by Russian Tsar Alexander III to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, in 1887. Antique dealers valued the egg at $33 million.
(Image: www.wartski.com)
In 2014, a $14,000 purchase turned into millions of dollars for a scrap dealer in mid-western US. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, had bought a gold egg at a junk market a decade ago, hoping..
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In 1989, a Pennsylvanian collector bought a painting at a flea market for $4. When he dismantled the artwork to restore the frame, he found a copy of the American Declaration of Independence. He kept the document thinking it might be a 19th century copy of some value. However, two years later, he discovered that it was one of the original printed copies of the declaration. It was auctioned that year for $2.42 million.
(Representative image: www.sothebys.com)
In 1989, a Pennsylvanian collector bought a painting at a flea market for $4. When he dismantled the artwork to restore the frame, he found a copy of the American Declaration of Independence. He kep..
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A family heirloom stored away in a shoe box in Paris sold for $25 million at Sotheby’s Paris this year. The 18th-century vase from the Qing dynasty of China was left to the grandparents of its last owners. The sale was the highest price reached for a single item sold by the auction house in France.
(Image: www.sothebys.com)
A family heirloom stored away in a shoe box in Paris sold for $25 million at Sotheby’s Paris this year. The 18th-century vase from the Qing dynasty of China was left to the grandparents of its last ..
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In 2015, three brothers from New Jersey decided to get their mother’s belongings valued after her death. Among other items, a dusty, cracked old painting languishing in the basement was valued at a few hundred dollars. This painting portrayed a woman who had fainted and two men trying to revive her with smelling salts. Sharpeyed art aficionados spotted the artwork when it went up for auction and identified it as ‘The Unconscious Patient’ by 17th century Dutch painter Rembrandt. A buyer bought the painting for $1.1 million and then resold it for $4 million to a collector.
(Image: www.theleidencollection.com)
In 2015, three brothers from New Jersey decided to get their mother’s belongings valued after her death. Among other items, a dusty, cracked old painting languishing in the basement was valued at a ..
