London-based sisters Alice and Karen Chave created fine gold jewellery brand ‘Incador’ which sources its materials from old iPhones and computers in response to the climate crisis.
Both sisters started their careers in engineering and understand how detrimental how e-waste is on the environment.
Research shows about 62 million tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2022.
Alice’s dissertation on artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) while studying at the University College London further shows her dedication for the craft.
Alice said: “We realised there was another source that we use everyday – electronics.”
From this, the sisters devised a plan using the precious metals and small amounts of gold from forgotten tech.
The sisters believed they could create environmentally-neutral jewellery using ASM to source their materials.
Alice said: “We are partners with a local mining community in Peru.”
Incador, means civilisation of gold as the ‘Inca’ refers to the ancient civilisation of Peru and ‘D’or’ means gold in French.
The process begins by extracting gold from electronics through the use of various methods, one of them being bioleaching.
The gold is then used in laser mental fusion which delivers the high quality pieces.
The brand officially released in August 2024 with two designs and has grown rapidly ever since with 20 pieces with two options of sustainable or historical gold.
Alice and Karen’s ingenuity has also led them to create the ‘Tech for Treasure’ initiative, which aims to encourage the recycling of electronics. The sisters will provide sleek collection banks at two campuses at University College London to collect electronics and drive awareness of sustainable solutions.
Despite always being close, the relationship between the sisters has blossomed since starting Incador.
Karen said: “Building Incador has brought us closer together. The way we work is very complementary to our different skills, and it makes building a brand a little easier.”
In the future, Alice and Karen aim to grow Incador’s team, deepen its tech partnerships, redefine what it means to create luxury and cement its place as a disruptor in the fine jewellery industry.
To find out more, visit the Incador website.
Featured image courtesy of Incador
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