Ethics Around Gold Mining

I'm often asked about the ethics around gold mining. It's not a simple question to answer, as it's a big issue, complicated by environmental and human concerns that vary greatly from mine to mine and from country to country.

We have done our very best to answer as simply as we can and focus on the most prescient aspects for us. We hope this helps provide an insight into mining and why we choose to work with 100% recycled precious metals.

Kindest regards,

Jenny

Gold Mining

Let's be straight - mining is not good for the environment. 

Mining can be a hazardous occupation for the men and women that work in them and can be disastrous for the ecosystem that surrounds them.

However, mining is a reality of our modern world and some mines are better than others, particularly when it comes to the health and safety of their workers, though virtually none of them are “green” or “good”. 

Mining practices vary from country to country and the ethics of employment within each mine varies dramatically. So too does the processing of the metal itself and managing the environmental impact on the land and the waste associated with processing. 

Barrick Cowal Gold Mine in New South Wales, Australia. 

Many small scale mines (as photographed in Guyana below) work entirely outside of a legal framework, employing large amounts of women and children. It's an urgent area of concern for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) but they also acknowledge the economic necessity. 

"For impoverished communities, "mining holds out a promise of cash earnings, with the additional prospect that - a bit like holding a lottery ticket - there could be a large windfall sometime in the future as long as one remains in the game." This reinforces the vicious circle of appalling working conditions, significant environmental damage and poverty in communities whose survival depends upon small-scale mining."

Gold mining in Guyana, South America

Mining is a modern reality and precious metals are used in much more than jewellery.  They are used in consumer electronics, medical equipment, mobile phones and car super conductor chips. Demand for precious metals is increasing.

At Edge Only, we feel the sustainable, ethical thing for us to do is to use 100% recycled gold and sterling silver in our jewellery. That way we are not contributing to further mining.  

Mining requires more energy and resources than recycling. The carbon footprint of recycled silver is one-third compared to mined silver, while the recycling of gold emits less than 1% of the carbon emissions from mining new gold. 

We are availing of silver and gold that is already in existence and refining it, so that impurities are removed and so that it is ready to be made into something truly beautiful once more. Jewellery that feels great to wear and that you can feel good about purchasing.

All of our jewellery is designed and sustainably made in Ireland using 100% recycled gold and sterling silver. It is tested for purity and hallmarked at the Assay Office in Dublin Castle, Ireland.

Precious metals are a finite and valuable resource, so we use recycled or fair trade bullion [bullion: gold, silver or other precious metals in the form of bars or ingots] throughout our production. 

Our bullion comes from Europe, through our Irish suppliers, where environmental processing standards are high. That is very important to us, as many developing countries (where mass produced jewellery is typically made) simply dump chemicals into the water system, which has a disastrous impact on nature - plant, animals and humans alike. 

Our chain manufacturer is a certified member of the Responsible Jewelry Council: www.responsiblejewellery.com

 

To view our fine jewellery made from 100% recycled gold please click here

 

For more on gold please visit our blogs Tips For Buying Gold , The Key Facts About Gold and also our blog post What Are Laboratory Grown Diamonds?

 

For more on Edge Only and our ethics please visit our ABOUT section.

For further questions about us or our jewellery, please do not hesitate to get in touch!  info@edgeonly.com