Sterling silver is a precious metal alloy that is widely used for making jewelry. It is defined as a mixture of pure silver and other metals, usually copper. The reason for adding other metals, such as copper, to silver is to increase its durability and strength, as pure silver is quite soft and malleable. The addition of these alloys provides the necessary structural integrity for jewelry items.

We source our silver grain from an ISO-Certified 9001:2015 vendor who is listed on the New York Stock Exchange which ensures that our silver is:

• ISO-Certified Vendor
• Ethically-Sourced
• REACH Compliant
• Lead-Free
• Prop 65 Compliant
• Cadmium-Free
• Nickel-Free
• Conflict-Free Material

Read our article on where much of the jewelry industry's silver comes from here.

The majority of silver that we use in our production is from in-cast recycled silver. This means that we recycle 100% of the silver used from within our production supply chain without waste. If our customers would like to use only certified recycled silver such as SCS Global Services, we provide this at an additional cost. (See next tab).

Certified recycled silver grain is a form of silver that has been reclaimed and processed from recycled sources that have received certification from recognized standards or organizations within the jewelry industry. Kindly note that this option can be more costly due to the additional processes needed to evaluate and certify the recycled silver grain. In our experience, the quality of recycled silver does not perform better or have more resistance than our standard quality silver grain used in all production.

Sourcing from this option ensures that the silver grain used in production is:

• Certified Recycled by a third party
• Certified Mine-free
• Conflict-Free Material

Read more on recycled silver and gold here.

Electroplating with gold involves applying a layer of gold onto a base metal through an electroplating process where an electric current is used to deposit the gold onto the base metal's surface. Gold vermeil is a specific type of gold plating. To be considered vermeil, the gold layer must be thicker and of higher quality than standard gold plating of at least 2.5 microns thick and is often applied over sterling silver as the base metal.

For the gold plating process we source our gold from gold potassium cynamide (GPC) which is sourced from a Responsible Jewelry Council, Chain of Custody certified member to ensure:

• RJC Certified Vendor
• Ethically-sourced
• REACH Compliant
• Prop 65
• Lead-free
• Cadmium-free
• Conflict-free material

Read more on the difference between gold plate, gold vermeil and gold PVD here.

Fairmined Gold refers to gold sourced from certified artisanal and small-scale mines (ASM) that meet world-leading standards for responsible practices. Established by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), the Fairmined standard supports transparent ethical sourcing from miners who meet strict criteria for social development, environmental protection, and labor rights.

Loytee is currently in the research and development stages of sourcing Fairmined Silver and Gold. Email our team to follow up on the latest information on working with Fairmined precious metals.

Sourcing from Fairmined Gold or Silver ensures:

• Ethically-Sourced
• Direct-from-Mines
• Fairmined Certified
• Conflict-Free Materials

Learn more about Fairmined here.

Brass items are primarily made from an alloy of copper and zinc. The specific ratio of copper to zinc can vary, resulting in different shades of brass, from reddish to yellowish tones.

Lead is extremely harmful to the human body and the environment. All brass in our factory is lead-free brass that is sourced from a Responsible Jewelry Council, Chain of Custody certified member which ensures that our brass is:

• RJC Certified Vendor
• Ethically-sourced
• REACH Compliant
• Lead-Free
• Nickel-Free
• Cadmium-Free
• Prop 65 Compliant
• Conflict-Free Material

#5 | Loytee employs a majority female workforce. Currently Loytee employs 188 employees. The ratio of women to men is 130:58. Our ratio of women to men in our production staff is 2:1. Our ratio of women to men in our administrative staff is 3:1. Our ratio of women to men managers is 3:2.

#12 | Loytee sources our precious metals from accredited and certified gold and silver vendors namely ISO-Certified and Responsible Jewelry Council certified members. Refer to our Code of Ethics for more details.

#13 | Loytee has made a long-term goal to reduce our carbon footprint to zero by 2030 through reducing emissions and offsetting.

#16 | Loytee Company works to promote an inclusive community and educate and inform our employees about exploitation, violence and crime to build a strong community that promotes human rights.