A Day Inside the Redyoos Recycling Process
Most people don’t think about what happens after they drop their old jewelry in the mail.
At Redyoos, that moment — when your envelope arrives — is just the beginning of a detailed process built on care, precision, and trust.
Every piece is treated like a small story, and each one follows a transparent path from your hands to its next purpose.
Morning: Receiving and Logging
Every day begins with stacks of bright yellow mailers arriving from across the U.S. from Seattle to small towns that have joined the circular fashion movement. Our team scans, weighs, and logs every envelope as it enters our secure system. This barcode process ensures complete traceability from start to finish. It’s the first step in transforming old memories into measurable impact.
Midday: Sorting and Identifying
Once checked in, the jewelry moves to our sorting table — a place that looks part science lab, part art studio. Here, our team uses industry-grade tools to analyze each piece.
Professional tools we use include:
- X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers: reveal precise metal composition — gold, silver, platinum, or alloys.
- Digital scales and jeweler’s balances: weigh even tiny fragments accurately.
- Jeweler’s loupes and microscopes: help us spot hallmarks, engravings, or hidden stamps.
- Ultrasonic cleaners: safely remove debris so markings can be read clearly.
But not every tool requires a lab some are simple enough for anyone to use at home.
Try It Yourself: Simple Sorting Tools
If you’re curious about what’s in your own jewelry box, you can start identifying metals with a few household tools:
- A magnet: Precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum are not magnetic. If your jewelry sticks to the magnet, it likely contains iron, nickel, or another base metal.
- A magnifying glass or phone camera: Look closely for tiny hallmarks such as 925, 10K, or 14K. These stamps indicate metal type and purity.
- A digital kitchen scale: Even rough weight comparisons can help you understand the density of your pieces — gold and platinum will feel heavier than costume metals.
These easy steps give you a glimpse of what we do daily — identifying the unseen value hiding inside every forgotten piece.
Afternoon: Evaluation and Impact Decisions
After sorting, every item is evaluated by condition and potential.
- Reusable jewelry may be cleaned and donated to local partners like Goodwill or Refugee Arts Initiative.
- Repairable pieces may be set aside for small Seattle makers to upcycle or restore.
- Broken or unwearable metals are refined through certified U.S. recycling partners to recover their full material value.
Our mission is simple: divert as much from landfills as possible while honoring the emotional and material worth of every item.
Evening: Refining and Reporting
At the end of the day, all refined materials are logged into our traceable recycling ledger. Every gram of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium is recorded.
We ensure that metals are reused in ethical production — from sustainable jewelry to green technology components.
That’s how Redyoos closes the loop with integrity.
Why Transparency Matters
Most global recycling programs stop tracking once items leave the collection center. Redyoos goes further.
Our process keeps every stage local, verified, and measurable — so you can trust where your jewelry goes and how it makes a difference.
Try It for Yourself
Take five minutes today: open your drawer, grab a magnet, and start exploring.
You might discover that the forgotten pieces you’ve been keeping for years are actually part of something much bigger.
Join thousands of people across Seattle and beyond who are proving that recycling jewelry isn’t just responsible — it’s revolutionary.
