Why Choose a Finnish Engagement Ring Marked with the Key Flag? In Focus, the Responsibility Issues of Diamond and Gold Rings

Questions of responsibility speak to couples planning to shop for rings: How to make sure that the diamonds are conflict-free? Where does the gold in the rings come from? And where and how are the rings made? Here we have collected the reasons why wedding rings and engagement rings marked with the Key flag, made in Finland, are a safe choice in terms of the environment, human rights and quality.

A key flag-marked ring is a guarantee of Finnish work

Silván diamond rings have a long history . They come from Hyvinkää, where the company has been a goldsmith for over 50 years. The third-generation family business was founded by goldsmith Keijo Silván in 1972. The Silván diamond ring collection was born a couple of decades later, in the 1990s, but the company's value base, i.e. investing in high-quality jewelry manufacturing, has remained in the company for decades.

The Finnish Labor Union's Key Flag ID was awarded to Silván jewelry in 2009. The Key Flag marking means that the jewelry is made in Finland and Finnish working conditions are followed during its production. A dozen goldsmiths work at our goldsmith's workshop in Hyvinkää, whose skilled hands also produce Silván diamond rings. The work is done in a small and close-knit work community, respecting traditional goldsmith work. And it is worth noting that some of our goldsmiths have been with us for more than 30 years and we also aim to train new goldsmiths in the field through apprenticeships. Although the workshop uses new jewelry manufacturing technology, most of the ring manufacturing is always done by hand. This ensures the quality requirement of the Silván ring.

The gold used in engagement rings is 100% recycled

Recycling is the word of the day, also when it comes to gold, and many jewelry manufacturers say that they use recycled gold in their gold jewelry. Recycled gold is relatively easy to acquire, because it is easy to recycle gold and because of its value, it also ends up being recycled.

However, when it comes to Silván jewelry, our operating principle is slightly different. We do not buy recycled gold from external gold wholesalers, but also collect the gold we use as scrap gold from our customers. Our efficient store network enables the collection of scrap gold to the extent that all our gold jewelry is made from 100% recycled gold purchased from our customers in the stores. The process from scrap gold to a new product proceeds in such a way that we buy old gold jewelry and gold objects as scrap gold directly from our customers at a competitive price. After this, the gold is cleaned and processed into a new material, and the fine gold obtained from the scrap gold is recovered. Fine gold is always first class in quality.

Recyclable material is also naturally produced in the manufacture of gold jewelry. Our workshop's efficient systems collect all waste material, even hand washing water is distilled and gold dust is collected from sanding paper. With the same principle as scrap gold, waste material from manufacturing ends up in circulation again. By making gold jewelry from 100% recycled gold, we reduce the need for new gold mining.

Responsible diamonds and the advent of laboratory diamonds

The responsibility of diamonds can speak to those entering the ring trade, but not to the point. You should be interested in the origin of diamonds, because their production and trading involve many issues that are critical for the environment and mine workers. We also want to do our part to ensure the origin of the diamonds we use, and this is best achieved by buying diamonds from large European diamond exchanges that are committed to complying with the industry's responsibility standards. We always require a written certificate from our supplier about the legal origin of the diamonds. We use GIA-certified diamonds in our jewelry, which have been produced in accordance with internationally recognized labor, trade and environmental standards. Silván diamond jewelry is always accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, and diamonds over 0.50 ct are also accompanied by a GIA certificate.

In recent years, there has been more and more talk about laboratory diamond rings in the engagement ring market, and many of the operators in the industry have included them as alternatives in their collections. A laboratory diamond is a diamond manufactured industrially under laboratory conditions, which has been created by imitating the natural diamond's creation process. Laboratory diamonds correspond to natural diamonds in their properties, such as hardness, weight, transparency and light refraction properties, but their acquisition does not involve the same responsibility issues as natural diamonds. Laboratory diamonds have also become available in the Silván engagement ring collection, giving our customers the opportunity to make their own choice between synthetic and natural diamonds.

High-quality goldsmith work is a sustainable choice

In terms of responsibility, the quality of the ring is also essential. In Silván jewelry, quality is ensured not only by materials but also by professional goldsmith work. For example, when setting stones, the importance of quality is emphasized. A high-quality ring lasts in use, and you don't have to worry about the stones coming off in normal use. We ensure the quality of our diamond jewelry with skilled goldsmith work, which is done in our workshop using traditional methods and by hand.

We are very confident in the quality of our Silván jewelry and for this reason we offer our own Silván jewelry a lifetime warranty for manufacturing defects (read more about the warranty conditions here ).

Silvan diamond rings are only available in Laatukoru's own stores and in the online store. Without a complex store network, we can offer excellent quality at a competitive price. At the same time, we also maintain direct contact with our customers, which brings flexibility to customer service and makes it possible to fulfill customers' various wishes. Choosing an engagement ring is a special event and we are lucky when we get to be part of the most important moments in our customers' lives.