Antonia Devereux talks to Jacqueline & Edward, the ethical jewellery company using traditional panning methods to extract gold from rivers in the UK and beyond.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Jacqueline & Edward. If you are interested in a sponsored post with us please get in touch at info@wildmag.co.uk.
Credit: Jacqueline & Edward
Am I the only one who is surprised to hear that you can extract gold from rivers in the UK? I always envisioned the gold rush being full of men digging and covered in mud, rather than submerged in rivers with soggy socks. The one thing that doesn’t surprise me however, is that like many traditional techniques, it is sustainable! For those who aren’t sure, panning is a traditional technique in which a specially designed pan is used to scoop sediment from a slow flowing section of the river. Slowly, while immersed in the river, the pan is stirred and shaken until only the heaviest sands remain, including, if you’re lucky, gold.
Jacqueline & Edward are an ethical jewellery company striving to continue this traditional technique, adopting their naturally sourced river gold into their beautiful pieces. I’ve spoken to the founders of this family run team to find out more about the company.
When did you start Jacqueline & Edward and why?
A childhood spent looking for gold with my father Edward in the hills of Wales and Scotland gave me a love for wild, natural British gold, and the adventure that came with it. I had a fulfilling career in contaminated land consultancy before starting the business, which developed a strong ethical standpoint, and refined my understanding of geology and geochemistry. Combine this with my love for art, and Bingo Bango, Jacqueline & Edward was born in 2014! The company has given me the opportunity to bring together everything in life I love.
Where do you source your materials from?
All of our materials are sourced naturally. Our jewellery, which is predominantly engagement and wedding rings, is made from eco-friendly, recycled precious metals and sustainably panned alluvial river gold, from the UK and beyond.
What sets your company apart from other businesses in the market?
Not only do we use ethical metals and stones, but we hand make all our pieces using age old techniques… nothing is cast. To add to that, we incorporate natural sustainably panned river gold from around the world, which attaches people and places through our jewellery. There is no other company I know of that does that in the way that we do. Then there is our panning experience, where people have travelled from as far as Canada to be part of something which is truly unique. They have a day filled with gold and adventure before capturing that memory in the form of their wedding rings, which are often made to completely unique designs, developed with our clients and incorporating their own natural gold.
Finally, and most importantly, we are different due to the way that we treat our clients. I genuinely care about the people who walk through the door, and strive to enhance an amazing moment in their lives. I think that shows in our level of service and through the abundance of positive feedback we receive online.
Credit: Jacqueline & Edward
Can you tell us about your plans for 2023? What’s next for Jacqueline & Edward?
Our plan for 2023 is to build our perfect team. As we grow, we find the biggest problem is finding skilled people. We’ve taken to training people from the bottom up, which is incredibly rewarding and breathing life back into the industry. Sadly, working in traditional techniques is a dying art. Thankfully more and more people care where things are from, how they are made, and what they are made from.
Additionally, we have lots of plans from setting up our oceanic range to remove plastic from the oceans, to getting people making their own wedding bands in our workshop. We’re looking at the potential of adding a dolomite style panning experience in Italy (mainly so I can get a little sun) and investing in a property in Scotland to make the Scottish panning experience even more special. We tend to have a general raft of ideas to carefully grow our family business and move quite organically across the ideas based on how the business is getting along over time, where there is potential in the market, and how many hours we can fit into our day.
Why should people consider your brand if they are getting married?
Our approach to engagement and wedding jewellery is truly unique with our age-old techniques for making and sourcing. We work closely with couples to ensure that their jewellery become forever pieces which they will treasure for a very long time; delivering not only a beautiful piece to cherish, but a day to remember forever more too.
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