Blog

Articles on gold sourcing, traceability and responsible supply chains.

Standards & Responsibility
ASM Credits Are Not Responsible Sourcing
June 12, 2026Luis Romero
ASM credits are examined as financial contributions distinct from physically sourcing certified gold. The author argues that they can offer reputational benefits without changing a company’s material origins, raising concerns about misleading claims, reduced demand for traceable gold, uncompensated impacts and regulatory scrutiny. His alternative is to progressively incorporate physically traceable certified ASM gold into supply chains.
Certified ASM gold integrated into supply chains is fundamentally different from credit-based compensation mechanisms. Traceability and financial support are not the same thing.
Standards & Responsibility
Richemont Says Cartier’s Gold Is Mostly Recycled. But What Does That Really Mean?
June 2, 2026Andres Castellanos
Passages quoted from Richemont’s 2026 Non-Financial Report frame a critique of classifying manufacturing by-products and used jewelry as recycled gold. The author argues that their economic value complicates waste claims and that certification may leave upstream sources outside scrutiny. Terminology changes attributed in the article to Signet and Brilliant Earth provide a contrasting approach.
Origin & Traceability
Secondary Gold: The Largest Laundering Channel in the Global Gold Market
April 7, 2026Andres Castellanos
LBMA sourcing figures cited in the article contrast reported secondary-gold volumes with the small share attributed to ASM. The author interprets lighter scrutiny of secondary material as an opportunity to disguise illicitly mined gold through false scrap documentation and intermediary trading. This regulatory imbalance and weak origin traceability underpin his critique of the recycled-gold market.
Origin & Traceability
The Pre-consumer Recycled Gold Scam
July 2, 2024Andres Castellanos
The classification of valuable gold manufacturing by-products as pre-consumer recycled material is challenged through jewelry production examples. The author argues that this labeling can obscure earlier origins and support misleading carbon claims. His critique focuses on traceability that stops at the manufacturer and calls for scrutiny of the upstream sources behind industrial recycled-gold narratives.
Origin & Traceability
From Mine to Market: Building a Socially Aware Gold Supply Chain
June 11, 2024Andres Castellanos
A people-first approach to gold sourcing links leadership decisions with conditions in mining communities. The article recounts brands’ search for traceable gold and describes the worker protections, audits and segregation the author attributes to Fairmined supply chains. Fairalloy’s processing role is also outlined, supporting his argument that credible social and environmental claims should begin with traceable origins.
Origin & Traceability
Assessing Risks of Recycled Gold from Refineries
May 28, 2024Andres Castellanos
Recycled-gold supply chains involving pawn shops, cash-for-gold businesses and aggregators are examined for risks the author associates with opaque origins. He describes how illicitly mined material can be disguised as scrap or jewelry and questions reliance on documentation after melting. Mapping each stage and material form is recommended, alongside scrutiny of environmental and responsible-sourcing claims without upstream visibility.
Origin & Traceability
KYC does not mean Traceability
May 17, 2024Luis Romero
Supplier-focused Know Your Customer checks are distinguished from tracing the origin of individual gold transactions. A hypothetical comparison between two suppliers illustrates the author’s concern that risk criteria can miss upstream sources. His recommendation is to map and assess the entire supply chain, while recognizing that broader due diligence alone would still not fully ensure traceability.
Origin & Traceability
Transparency in Action: A Step-by-Step Guide to Refining Fairmined Gold
May 6, 2024Andres Castellanos
The company’s account of refining Fairmined doré covers melting, fire assaying, aqua regia digestion, filtration, precipitation and final smelting, alongside waste handling and fume treatment. Physical segregation is the central concern: the author argues that processing certified material separately from other gold preserves its origin and urges buyers to request evidence of that separation.
Market & Applications
Transparent Sourcing: The Step-by-Step Guide to Fairmined Gold Acquisition
April 15, 2024Andres Castellanos
Fairalloy’s gold acquisition process is described from customer inquiry and quotation through mine purchases, assaying, refining, export authorization and shipment. The company’s account explains how inventory availability and order size affect the workflow. Physical segregation, staffing, equipment and coordination are presented as integral to maintaining the mine-specific origin claimed for Fairmined gold.
Standards & Responsibility
Corporate Vulnerability
April 9, 2024Andres Castellanos
Corporate vulnerability provides a framework for discussing transparency in gold sourcing. The author criticizes recycled-gold narratives that omit pawn shops, aggregators and unknown origins, arguing that companies should acknowledge supply-chain limitations rather than project flawless responsibility. His proposed response combines clearer risk disclosure, closer engagement with mines and accountability for the social and environmental conditions behind gold sourcing.
Market & Applications
Understanding Fairmined Gold Prices: The Formula for Fairness
February 15, 2024Andres Castellanos
Fairalloy’s pricing approach is explained through three components: the international gold benchmark, Fairmined social contributions and the company’s premium. The company’s account connects production costs, in-house processing and physical segregation with that premium. Its sourcing, manufacturing and international delivery arrangements are also described as part of the article’s explanation of pricing.
Market & Applications
Gold Industry 2035
January 23, 2024Andres Castellanos
Gold sourcing in 2035 is explored through the author’s predictions for recycled or reprocessed gold, artisanal and small-scale mining, and large-scale mining. These forecasts include stronger scrutiny of unknown origins, clearer ASM definitions, more auditing and greater disclosure. Distinct pricing for certified ASM gold is also anticipated, with uncertainty acknowledged about the timing of these changes.
Origin & Traceability
Recycled vs. Fairmined Gold: Unveiling the Transparency Gap
November 13, 2023Andres Castellanos
Fairmined certification is compared with the longer recycled-gold supply chains described in the article, including pawn shops, collectors, aggregators and refineries. The author argues that refinery-focused audits leave important upstream transactions outside scrutiny. Segregation, transaction tracking and independent audits across the chain are presented as central to the traceability he attributes to Fairmined.
Standards & Responsibility
Recycled Gold Scam
October 25, 2023Andres Castellanos
Recycled-gold marketing and its effects on certified artisanal and small-scale mining are examined through the regulatory developments discussed in this article. The author argues that gaps in definitions and traceability can obscure material origins and divert demand from certified ASM. He contrasts these practices with the accountability and social contributions he attributes to Fairmined supply chains.