Jewelers’ and silversmiths’ scrap

Since the products fabricated by manufacturing jewelers and silversmiths consist largely of precious metals, the manufacturing scrap generated is by its nature high in value. Collection techniques are appro­priately intensive. Virtually everything is saved­ production rejects, scrap from spinning of sterling hollowware, gold filled blanking scrap, clippings from bracelet chains, filings from graduation rings, lathe chips from wedding bands. Polishings and grindings are swept up. Dust filters, floor mats and used cruci­bles are collected.

Walls are vacuumed, sink traps and rinse tanks emp­tied. Floors are swept and vacuumed, sometimes even pulled up and sent to a refiner for their accumu­lation of years of precious metal dust.

And there’s “old scrap” as well broken, used or obsolete items of jewelry and silverware returned by users to dealers and retailers for their salvage value.