Mara & Villosa make jewellery whose gold content comes exclusively from recycling our electronic devices. Indeed, our precious waste can be a solution to the ecological and social damage caused by gold mines.
Striking gold
Pascale Veerling lives in Utrecht in Holland and is an anthropologist. Whilst on a study trip in Peru, she became aware of the environmental and social damage caused by precious metal mines. It would seem that though gold may be considered to be a noble metal, its extraction conditions are less noble. Indeed, she was able to observe the fact that in the illicit gold mines where children work, mercury is released into nature… This experience inspired another journey she had never imagined. On her return to Utrecht, she founded the Fair Gold Foundation to raise awareness among her fellow citizens about the damage caused by precious metals.
Mara & Villosa, jewellery made from 100% recycled gold
In 2018, she teamed up with Judigje van Emmerik to launch a jewellery brand, Mara & Villosa, whose gold content comes exclusively from recycled electronic devices. The jewellery is handmade by Judigje in her workshop. The jewellery is certified as being made from recycled gold and it provides another opportunity to raise awareness about the damage caused by unsourced gold as well as the value of our electronic waste and the need to recycle it.
