That’s exactly what The Royal Mint has decided to do, as it launches a new silver jewellery collection sourced from hospital X-ray films.

It comes as X-ray silver is an “important step” in reducing the British coin producer’s reliance on mined materials and offers an innovative solution to a “rapidly increasing” demand for silver.

Hospitals all over the country (and globally) are storing X-ray film far beyond its retention date, incurring associated storage costs, explains The Royal Mint.

Ilford Recorder: There are currently six pieces of jewellery in the 886 by The Royal Mint collection There are currently six pieces of jewellery in the 886 by The Royal Mint collection (Image: Betts Metals/Royal Mint)

This initiative allows the company to recycle X-ray film and receive the “monetary value” of the silver that’s recovered.

The Royal Mint jewellery collection sourced from X-ray films currently has 6 pieces

The Royal Mint has taken the next step in its business transformation journey by partnering with 300-year-old family Betts Metals, to create the jewellery range titled ‘886 by The Royal Mint’ which currently has six silver pieces.

The films are processed by Betts Metals at their established UK facility in the UK, before arriving at The Royal Mint, where craftspeople will use their expertise to craft jewellery from the refined silver.

Ilford Recorder: The first use of X-rays under clinical conditions was by John Hall-Edwards in Birmingham 1896The first use of X-rays under clinical conditions was by John Hall-Edwards in Birmingham 1896 (Image: Getty)

Sean Millard, chief growth officer for The Royal Mint said: “We are delighted to be working with our partner, Betts Metals on this innovative X-ray silver initiative, which offers The Royal Mint a new source of recovered and traceable sustainable metal.

“Representing the next milestone in our ambitions to set new standards in the reclamation of precious metals, it follows the introduction of e-waste gold last year.”

He added: “As part of The Royal Mint’s vision to transform for the future, our Precious Metals Recovery Business is committed to leading the development of pioneering solutions within the industry.

“For us, this means responsibly sourcing materials which have the potential to reuse our planet’s precious resources, whilst supporting a circular economy and enabling customers to access products that align with their values.”

What is a hospital X-ray made of?

X-ray films are made up of emulsions of silver halide crystals, which are sensitive to light and create the images of our bodies that we see on the end result of an X-ray picture, reports The Financial Times.

Charlie Betts, managing director of The Betts Group, explained: “With its rich history spanning 1,100 years, we’re excited to be working with The Royal Mint to bring silver sourced from X-ray film into its 886 by The Royal Mint collection.

“Hospitals are storing X-ray film well beyond its retention date, which can cost a great deal of money over time.

“This new project allows them to recycle x-ray film and receive the monetary value of the silver that we recover.

“One of our main focuses is on material provenance and recycling and it’s about how we can develop those processes and that transparency within the trade, to take the process further forward.”


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