Comparing the sourcing of natural materials such as pearls (nacre) in Scotland and a hydrometallurgy chemical technique to recover precious metals from electronic waste (grain), this chapter discusses the underlying empathetic connections in these dissimilar processes as well as their impact on contemporary jewellery. “Ecological empathy” is defined as a practice for exploring the ontological relationship that connects humans, materials, and their environments through considering the expanded ecosystems shaping those elements. Through this lens, jewelry places sustainability at a relatable scale subverting tendencies to disconnect personal actions from environmental consequences. Scotland is at the forefront of ethical making in contemporary jewellery and in particular collaborating with colleagues from other fields such as chemistry, memory studies, and interaction design to tackle challenges unsolvable by a single discipline. This creates opportunities for new design methods while capitalising on jewellery’s unique perspective as durable cultural goods and cherished objects.