Recovering Precious Metals in the Shop

By Sharon Elaine Thompson

At every step of the jewelry manufacturing process, precious metals are lost. Filing, sawing, setting, and polishing all generate dust and flakes of silver, gold, and platinum that cling to blades, burs, sanding disks, polishing buffs, and jewelers’ clothes and skin. Precious metal particles get caught in suction tubing, ground into the floor, flushed down the sinks, and even walked out the door on shoes. Too often, manufacturers—both large and small—think “Will it matter? It’s only dust. It’s probably more trouble to retrieve than it’s worth.”