From an X-Ray to your favorite ring; discover the silver craft of Curado x

We should all know by now that it is necessary to recycle and reuse materials as much as possible; to give a second life to things and therefore, to reduce contamination with these actions. You can tell that we sometimes get a little redundant on the subject, but that’s because we really care.

Here at Vyral, we immediately fall in love with brands that also care about the environment and so we enjoy getting involved with them.

Curado x is a fairly new project (one year in the making and three months since its launch) that consists in crafting silver jewelry made only from recycled material extracted from X-Rays and photographic material.

Every item is handmade and unique. Marina Hernandez, founder of Curado x claims that it is deeply important for her to never lose contact with the material and the whole process, so a compromised artisan work is the result of each piece.

The supply of silver to make the rings comes from a very interesting source. X-Rays and film negatives. These two are compounded by a plastic layer with silver salts (a heavy metal) which are not supposed to be discarded in normal urban garbage because they can lead to major pollution.

Those salts are fully reusable for the same matter or others. After putting the X-Rays into a process of preparation, maceration, decantation and electrolytic recuperation, the silver appears in the shape of small layers which are collected, smelted, purified and sold in the shape of ingots. The plastic and the paper envelopes are also recovered for reuse so it’s a win-win situation.

Fun fact: for every kilogram of X-Ray or photographic film, you can obtain around 5 to7 grams of chemically pure silver.

And then, how is a handmade jewel made?

Think. Look for several references. Draw a lot of options. Mold the design in wax. The wax piece is then put in a special kind of cylinder in which the melted silver is poured at high temperatures. The silver takes the shape and place of the wax. Then its time to go stone hunting and pick the ones that would go best in their eternal silver bed. They are mounted and then both stone and silver get polished and smooth. Ready to land on your finger.

Curado x is only available online at the moment, but a physical shop in Mexico City is a short term objective, as well as exporting its pieces to international boutiques. And the project is meant to grow and incorporate clothes, art and restoration of old furniture. Make sure to check out what they have in store and let’s keep supporting this kind of environmental friendly work.