886 jewelry gives gold from discarded circuit boards another life

An office phone no longer rings. Replaced equipment may look ready for disposal, but its circuit boards still hold metals that can be recovered. Britain's Royal Mint recovers gold from electronic waste for its jewelry brand, 886. Discarded electronics and earrings become stages in the same material's journey.

On September 1, 2026, the Mint described processing thousands of retired office phones from the Bank of England. Equipment was checked for resale first; the remainder went to the metal-recovery facility. Reuse was considered before dismantling.

Recovered metal is used by 886, whose name refers to the period when the Mint's history began. Coin- and medal-making skills meet newer recovery technology in earrings, chains, and cuffs. Nothing in their appearance necessarily reveals that the material once belonged to a circuit board.

The metals are recovered at the Reformation Metals facility in South Wales, which opened in August 2024. The Mint describes a maximum processing capacity of 4,000 tonnes of circuit boards per year. This is a capacity figure for separating precious metals and returning them to use, not a statement of the amount already processed.

The material story begins with discarded telephones rather than mines or gemstones. Metal once used to connect calls becomes something worn at the ear or neck. Instead of forcing that earlier use into the jewelry's shape, 886 works the recovered gold into new objects intended to last.