Aparthied Ruby of Greenland – situation worsens

Posted on November 23, 2012 | 3 Comments

To all supporters and jewellers linked to FJA.

Below is an unedited note from Niels Madsen, one of the founders of the 16 August Union, highlighting the terrible plight of the local arctic people who are faced with a worsening situation in regards to mineral policy. As you will see the threat of new laws allowing the immigration of thousands of Chinese workers is on the table. The Bureau for Mineral and petroleum have been selling off mineral licenses to the highest bidders for what appears to be no royalty payments.

The apartheid over gemstones continues as Jorn Skov Nielsen and his technocrats continue to marginalise the local people from being able to make a living out of the gemstones they walk over.

Although the information is still  unclear, the behaviour of marginalisation, discrimination and economic injustice is consistent with the policies I have witnessed first hand on historic trips to Greenland. Therefore to bring the situation totally up to date FJA intends to send a post-graduate researcher to Greenland next April to document in detail the injustices and bring them to the attention of the worlds media and authorities. Please stand ready to help, Many thanks and lets raise our voices Greg and Marc.

The development up here is going VERY fast and as you know, our politicians are not aware of anything but a few job’s.
 
We have a new LSM bill rushed through, again, again. This time with a number of other laws. LSM, SSM and some adjustment’s in the rest of the system, for the thousands of mainly Chinese workers. It’s up for debate (?) in the parliament, on the 22nd, and they will vote on it, already on the 27nd. We can hope they will demand more time, but it doesn’t seem that way. We’ll have a better sense of the situation after the 22nd.
 
And for us local’s, Jorn Skov Nielsen once again, won’t to give us the right to trade for 100.000 DKK (10.000£ 20.000$), but only for LOW-value rocks. No Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, bla bla, you know the drill, pretty much everything over hardness 7. But they have included our National stone Tugtopite, under those minerals we can under no circumstance’s collect or sell, not even get a SSM license on. And they write that they might include other “valuable” mineral’s along the way.

The best of the best Ruby (True North Gem’s) is valued from under $3 a gram and down. How much more valuable is Gold? Silver?
 
I hate being the bringer of bad new’s, but this one I can’t help myself for bringing up. Below is a link to a story on the condition’s the soapstone and bone carver’s in Nuuk. I can’t help wondering how far we would have been without these troubles TNG and other’s have brought us. I would have been learning to cut Diamond’s already in ’09, after a couple of year’s of cutting Ruby. And with your help many other’s after me. Now it look’s like this:
http://sermitsiaq.ag/node/140405
They don’t even have electricity, or anything for the dust than the draught.

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Posted in Gold, Greenland Ruby, Small-Scale Mining

Gemstones, the forgotten discussion

Posted on November 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

During the last years ethical roundtable hosted by the NAG (National Association of Goldsmiths) and BJA (British Jewellers Association) we failed to fulfill all of our objectives. Gold and diamonds took up all our time and despite our best intentions we just ran out of time to discuss and look at the Gemstone sector. This was a real shame as gemstones remain a timeless beauty that enriches our industry as well as scandalizes us. They have always been the element within the industry that I love the best as they bring colour, versatility, dynamism and pure fun to the product.

The dark side however is still emerging, unlike their more prestigious cousins gold and diamonds, gemstones have  not received the kind of ethical attention that they should have. The characteristics of the source of the gemstone supply chain are very different from those of other jewellery materials. The coloured gemstones industry is dominated  by the artisanal small-scale miners with over 70% of the material used by jewellers coming from this source. As we have rehearsed many times over the years in this ethical jeweller column, the small-scale miner is driven by the politics of daily bread (poverty) to earn their living and as such are the most vulnerable to exploitation, human rights abuses, violence and corruption. Also the complexity of the supply chain means it is almost impossible to trace stones back to the mine or community of origin.

Researching the dominant issues in the gemstone industry one turns up a list of the most unsavoury practices and issues.

  • child and indentured (slave) labour
  • enforced removals of indigenous peoples from ancestral lands
  • disreputable traders
  • deforestation and desertification
  • water pollution
  • conflicts with agriculturalists
  • extra judicial killings
  • land grabs
  • health and safety of mine shafts
  • political corruption
  • lack of transparency and traceability in the supply chain

Many of these issues I have witnessed first hand over the last 15 years.

Yet silently under the radar some of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial activity has begun to deliver a solution to some of the above issues.

Natures Geometry (http://naturesgeometry.com/home/) has been demonstrating that the mining of Brazilian Golden Rutile Quartz can not only deliver stunning gemstone, it can also provide safe employment, an increased agricultural yield, reforestation and other associated businesses.

Ruby Fair ( http://www.rubyfair.com/) has worked in Tanzania for over five years, with their integrated approach to community relations, environmental management, water management and fair prices, Ruby Fair has demonstrated that you can successfully work as a business, alongside local communities and create a virtuous circle of well-being. They offer Ruby, Tanzanite, Spinel and Sapphire.

Columbia Gemhouse (http://www.columbiagemhouse.com/) based in the USA has been pioneering direct relationships with gemstone miners since 1977. Offering a wide variety of gemstones to the market, including specials cuts. They have a fully audited cutting and polishing house and have been tireless in the commitment to championing the improvements needed with small-scale gem miners.

The Fairgems Process (http://www.fairgemsprocess.com/) is a recent initiative coming from France. they like all actors in our industry who espouse ethical concerns have developed a traceability system that gives mine to market transparency. The Fair Gems Process is currently being implemented in Sri Lanka and certifies the quality of coloured gemstones as well as the assurance that production meets sustainable development standards.

Erongo Gems (http://erongo.50megs.com/) is a project based in the Erongo region of Namibia. Working with community based small scale miners they are not only delivering good quality Beryl, Aquamarine, Tourmaline and Topaz rough to the market, they are investing training into teaching grading, cutting and polishing of local people to create a legacy for the people of Namibia.

These are just five businesses or projects that tick a number of crucial boxes when it comes to seeking out ethical supply chains for our jewellery. What is important about them all is that they offer transparency and traceability in their supply chains. Equally they all give a balance between the need for social transformation and environmental management. the beauty of these projects is they are also very relational, something that is very difficult to achieve with big companies. Small can be beautiful when it comes to gemstone mining if you blend the right ingredients together.

So for jewellers looking to improve their ethical performance, here are five initiatives worth exploring and building a relationship with. And do let us know how you get on. As we seek to develop quantitative ethical improvements in our industry sharing information and stories of good practice help us all. The ethics working group of the NAG and BJA want to hear from any jeweller who is taking steps in developing supply chains that are mine to market traceable in gemstones. We need to understand the challenges faced in traceable gemstones and also build up a picture of how these challenges can be over come.

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Posted in Fair Trade Gemstones, Gemstones, Greenland Ruby

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Open letter to Alliance for Responsible Mining and Fairtrade Labeling Organisation. Signed by 140 International jewellers

Posted on September 28, 2012 | 1 Comment

Below is the open letter sent to Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) and Fairtrade Labeling Organisation (FLO) regarding the possibility of ‘mass balancing’ (mixing) or dilution of Fairtrade Gold in the product composition section of the fairtrade Standard tat is currently under review. This letter represents the views of Fairtrade and Fairmined license holders, RJC members and jewellers from over seven countries who want to see a fairtrade Gold product that is both traceable from source and socially empowering for small-scale mining communities. It is a clear message to ARM and FLO that we do not want to see mass-balancing or dilution labeled as Fairtrade.

Fair Jewellery Action and Ethical Metalsmiths wants to thank ARM and FLO for listening to the views of our supporters and also to our network of supporters for taking the time to care about this. Its an important issue. Letter, signatures and comments are below. To date we have 140 signatures.

You can review the proposal on pages 86 to 88 via this link.

An Open Letter to The Alliance For Responsible Mining and Fairtrade Labeling Organisation

Dear Alliance For Responsible Mining and Fairtrade Labeling Organisation,

As jewelers and other members of civil society, we strongly oppose one aspect of the current proposed standards, which changes the product composition component to allow mass balancing or dilution to take place. These proposed changes to the standard are described in Section 6, put forth July 2012, in the Fairtrade and Fairmined Standard for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining Document.

The proposed standard to mix Fairtrade and Fairmined gold with other gold will severely damage the FT&FM gold brand and create confusion in the marketplace.  It will also undermine the confidence in the product.   We are also concerned with how the mass balancing might negatively impact the FT&FM brand as it develops not only with gold, but with other mined products emerging into the market.  As jewelers, who deal with customers every day of the week, we understand the market better than anyone else.  At this juncture, we urge in the strongest possible terms that Fairtrade gold be kept pure.

We urge ARM and FLO to direct more efforts toward supporting jewelers and strengthening a consumer campaign to build on the great success in the existing market.  The certified FT&FM Sotrami miners in Peru received £75,000 ($120,00 USD) of premium from gold purchases by jewelers in 2011 alone.  Our greatest continued success will only be achieved if we all work united, in a concerted effort to support FT&FM small scale miners to bring pure, traceable Fairtrade and Fairmined gold to a vibrant market.

1 Name: Harriet Kelsall
Company: Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design Ltd.
Country: United Kingdom

2 Name: Alice Rochester
Company: Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design
Country: United Kingdom

3 Name: Alan Frampton
Company: Cred Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

4 Name: Victoria Woollen-Danner
Company: VWD Jewelry
Country: United States

5 Name: Ian Doyle
Company: Associate, Lifeworth Consulting (artisanal mining expert)
Country: France, DRC

6 Name: Susan Crow
Company: Susan Crow inc./DBA East Fourth Street Jewelry
Country: United States

7 Name: Elaine Nazzaro
Company: Artisan Industries Inc.
Country: United States

8 Name Gary Roberts
Company: Rubyfair.com Ltd
Country: United Kingdom and Tanzania

9 Name: Gina D’Onofrio
Company: Jewelry Appraisal Services
Country: United States

10 Name: Jeffrey Herman, Founder & Executive Director
Company / Org: Society of American Silversmiths
Country: United States

11 Name: Nanna Gronborg
Company: Nanna Gronborg
Country: Germany

12 Name: Karen Feder
Company: Moonlight Beadery
Country: United States

13 Name: Andrea Bonelli
Company: Andrea Bonelli Jewelry
Country: United States

14 Name: Tracy Munn
Company: Animated Metals
Country: United States

15 Name: Anna Moltke-Huitfeldt
Company: Anna Moltke-Huitfeldt
Country: Denmark

16 Name: Robin Halpin
Company: Rx Rox Jewelry
Country: United States
I strongly support 100% fair trade / fair mined gold. Transparency is needed to allow customers to choose sourced gold they can wear with integrity and pride instead of wondering about the mines used to create the gold.  It is time the small artisanal mines with safe practices become viable alternatives to open pit mining.

17 Name: Kate Bauman Mess
Company: Kate Mess Jewelry
Country: United States

18 Name: Josh Humbert
Company: Kamoka Pearl
Country: United States

19 Name: Andrea Antonucci
Company: Andrea Antonucci – Adelstenar
Country: Sweden

20 Name: Christine Lawrence
Company: Caratess
Country: United Kingdom

21 Name: Kari Rinn
Company / Organization: Haywood Community College
Country: United States

22 Name: Jan Webber
Company: Jan Webber Contemporary Jewelry
Country: United States

23 Name: Bobi Wilson
Company: Star Rabbit Productions
Country: United States

24 Name: Ana M. Lopez
Company: Independent Jewelry Artist
Country: United States

25 Name: Tim McCreight
Company: Brynmorgen Press (publisher of how-to- jewelry books)
Country: United States

26 Name: Anna Bario
Company: Bario-Neal
Country: United States

27 Name: Magdalena Goudie
Company: Private Citizen
Country: United States

28 Name: Helen Chantler
Company: Reflective Images Inc.
Country: United States

29 Name: Amanda M. Thon
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

30 Name: Jörg Eggimann
Company: Jorg Eggimann Goldschmiedmeister
Country: Switzerland

31 Name: Erin S. Daily
Company: Brooklyn Metal Works
Country: United States

32 Name: Bryan Park
Company/ Org: Benedictine College
Country: United States

33 Name: Martha WD Bushnell, Ph.D.
Company: Private Citizen
Country: United States

34 Name: Renee Zettle-Sterling – Associate Professor of Art and Design
Company / Org: Grand Valley State University
Country: United States

35 Name: Michèle Ratté
Company: Michèle Ratté Textiles
Country: United States

36 Name: Kirsten Bak
Company: BAKS
Country: Denmark

37 Name: David Crump
Company: Vipa Designs Ltd
Country: United Kingdom

38 Name: April Doubleday
Company: April Doubleday
Country: United Kingdom

39 Name: Marilene Morency
Company: Joailliere/Silversmith
Country: Canada

40 Name: Todd Pownell
Company: TAP studio INC.
Country: United States

41 Name: Jennifer Trask
Company: Jennifer Trask Jewelry
Country: United States

42 Name: Dianne McFarlane
Company: Schmuck Akademie
Country: Germany

43 Name: Jean Mandeberg
Company: Jean Mandeberg, Metalsmith
Country: United States

44 Name: Lynn White
Company: Lynn White Jewelry
Country: United States

45 Name: Elizabeth H. Porter
Company: Hand Crafted by Betsy Porter
Country: United States

46 Name: Demos Takoulas
Company: Vukani-Ubuntu Community Development Projects
Country: South Africa

47 Name:Thomas Becker
Company:Thomas Becker–Atelier Fuer Schmuck
Country: Germany

48 Name: Ursula Bettmer
Company: bettmer-gold
Country: Germany

49 Name: Judith Lotter
Company: Schmuck-Atelier
Country: Germany

50 Name: Agnes Lauer
Company: Kristall-Die Magie des Schoenen
Country: Germany

51 Name: Dagmar Fleck
Company: Laurins Garten
Country: Germany

52 Name: Herbert Scholpp
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: Germany

53 Name: Martina Eiselein
Company: Eiselein – Design
Country: Germany

54 Name: Carlo Verda
Company: Alex May studio
Country: United Kingdom

55 Name: Rahel Dotzel
Company: Dotzel Unilatschmuck
Country: Germany

56 Name: Jennifer Gilbert
Company: Jenny GIlbert Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

57 Name: Kathrin Zara Stein
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: Switzerland

58 Name: Sass Brown
Company: Eco Fashion
Country: United Kingdom

59 Name: Max Gilgenmann
Company: Consultant
Country: Germany

60 Name: Birgitte Rasmussen
Company: Svinninge Motionscenter
Country: Denmark

61 Name: Allan Scharff
Company: Allan Scharff
Country: Denmark

62 Name: Amanda Li Hope
Company: Amanda Li Hope
Country: United Kingdom

63 Name: M’lou Brubaker
Company: M’lou Brubaker, Jeweler
Country: United States

64 Name: Niels Bjørn-Andersen
Company: Copenhagen Business School
Country: Denmark

65 Name: Camilla Frank
Company: CF 1701 (Private Citizen)
Country: Denmark

66 Name: Jane Kearns
Company: The Crystal’d Lily
Country: United Kingdom

67 Name: Stephanie Petro
Company: Hearts.com
Country: United States

68 Name: Linda Darty
Company / Organization: East Carolina University
Country: United States

69 Name: Helle Ørskov
Company: Missing Ink
Country: Denmark

70 Name: Ulrich Neuhaus
Company: schmuck und skulptur
Country: Germany

71 Name: Birgitte de Neergaard
Company: deNeergaardTheillEriksen
Country: Denmark

72 Name: Nadine Kieft
Company: Nadine Kieft Edelsmeden
Country: Netherlands

73 Name: Tanya Bowd
Company: Candescent
Company: United Kingdom

74 Name: Beth Gerstein
Company: Brilliant Earth
Country: United States

75 Name: Brandon Cata
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

76 Name: Cheryl Arviso
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

77 Name: Lori Hesuse
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

78 Name: Elyse Demaray
Company: Demaray Designs Jewelry
Country: United States
Please do not jeopardize the integrity of FT & FM gold by mixing it with other gold. This is very important to our trade and our own ability to maintain the quality of gold we want to offer our customers.

79 Name: Noel Aronov
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States
Let’s have accountability.

80 Name: Anthony Romero
Company: Private Citizen
Country: United States

81 Name: Anastasia Azure
Company: Azure Designs
Country: United States

82 Name: Fritz Casuse
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

83 Name: Carol Windsor
Company: Carol Windsor Design
Country: United States

84 Name: Susie Ganch
Company/ Organization: Virginia Commonwealth University
Country: United States
To whom it may concern,
As a jeweler, I want to know where my materials come from in order to make informed choices about the gold I use to make my work. Maintaining 100% traceability back to certified Fairtrade Fairmined sites is the ONLY way to make choices that reflect my values and those of my customers. By creating a “mass balanced” product, and gold that contains only 50% material from certified mines, or offering gold that has “at least” 10% certified fine gold content, ARM and FLO are diluting our goals to create a truly transparent chain of custody while supporting small mining communities. I am joining with others to urge ARM and FLO to reconsider the standards put forth thus far that offer a mixed product.

Sincerely,

Susie Ganch
Director Radical Jewelry Makeover
Associate Professor/Head of Metal Program
Department of Craft/Material Studies
School of the Arts
Virginia Commonwealth University

85 Name: Colleen Baran
Company: Colleen Baran Jewellery
Country: CA

86 Name: Abby Mattison
Company: A silver Girl
Country: United States

87 Name: L. Eugene Nelson
Company: L. Eugene Nelson
Country: United States

88 Name: Wendy Walsh
Company: W Walsh Design
Country: United States

89 Name: Fran Grinels
Company: Grinels Design
Country: United States

90 Name: Dan Morris
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

91 Rachelle Thiewes
Company: Rachelle Thiewes
Country: United States

92 Name: Kara Aubin
Company: kara | daniel Jewelry
Country: United States

93 Name: Daniel Juzwiak
Company: kara | daniel Jewelry
Country: United States

94 Name: Charlene Modena
Company / Organization: Academy of Art University, San Francisco
Country: United States

95 Name: Jim Bove
Company / Organization: California University of Pennsylvania
Country: United States

96 Name: Naomi Maslon
Company: Naomi Maslon Jewelry
Country: United States

97 Name: Catherine Sutherland
Company: Catherine Sutherland Art And Design
Country: CA

98 Name: Rick & Beth Elkin
Company: Elkin Studio Jewelers
Country: United States

99 Name: Kathleen Browne
Company: Kent State University – Educator and independent artist
Country: United States

100 Name: Shamsa Diwani
Company / Organization: Tanzania Women Miners Association and Gemstyles Company
Country: Tanzania

101: Name: Hattie Rickards
Company: Hattie Rickards Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

102: Name: Sarabeth Carnat
Company: Sarabeth Carnat
Country: Canada
True accountability is the only real standard. Dilution or balancing minimizes accountability. Workers in our industry have the right to the safest possible methods of extraction. Let us not “pretend” to be accountable. Smoke & mirrors are just that.

103: Name: Rebecca Crawford
Company: Spacefruit
Country: United Kingdom

104 Name: Molly Perrin
Company: Molly Perrin
Country: United Kingdom

105 Name: Peta Bush
Company: Medical Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

106 Name: Viola Bergmann
Company: G, Bergmann Werkstatt 999/- fein GmbH
Country: Germany

107 Name: Jo Taylor
Company: Tootsievalentine® Ethical Contemporary Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

108 Name: Jan Spille
Company: Jan Spille – Schmuck*Atleier
Country: Germany

109 Name: Caz Guiney
Company: Northcity4
Country: Australia

110 Name: Kim Cridler
Company: Bennie/Cridler Studio
Country: United States

111 Name: Jorge Arrieta
Company: Niccolo Bella, LLC
Country: United States

112 Name: Jamie Cassavoy
Company: Cassavoy & Co.
Country: United States

113 Name: Michael Pollak
Company: Hyde Park Jewelers
Country: United States

114 Name: Linnie McLarty
Company: Linnie McLarty Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

115 Name: Claire Malet
Company: Independent Metalsmith
Country: United Kingdom

116 Name: Sheena Thomas, Melanie Parks, Marta Jones-Couch
Company: Elements, Ltd.
Country: United States

117 Name: Kris Nations
Company: Kris Nations Jewelry
Country: United States

118 Name: Jessica Magella Worthington
Company: Independent metal artist
Country: United States

119 Name: Matthew Moerman
Company: Baxter Moerman Jewelry
Country: United States

120 Name: Stefanie Knörnschild
Company: Goldschmiede Knörnschild
Country: Germany

121 Name: Molly Dingledine
Company: Molly Dingledine Jewelry
Country: United States

122 Name: Edward H Lay
Company / Org: Head Instructor, Metals Studio, Richmond Art Center
Country: United States

123 Name: Martin Taber
Company: Taber Studios
Country: United States

124 Name: Lindsay Minihan
Company: Metalwerx Inc.
Country: United States
As we are committed to the best education for metalsmithing students at our nonprofit school, we wholeheartedly support ethical practices of bringing fairtraded and fairmined gold to the market.

125 Name: Jennifer Cross Gans
Company/ Org: Independent writer, metalsmith
Country: United States
Complete accountability is particularly important for jewelers who work in gold and their publics.

126 Name: Ana Aguilar
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

127 Name: Marianne Hunter
Company: Marianne Hunter – Studio art-jeweler/ enamelist
Country: United States

128 Name: Woodrow W. Carpenter
Company: Thompson Enamel, Inc.
Country: United States

129 Name: Christine Dhein
Company: Independent Jeweler
Country: United States

130 Name: Samantha Rose
Company: September Rose Ethical Jewellery
Country: United Kingdom

131 Name: Ebke Bühring
Company: Independent Goldsmith
Country: Germany

132 Name: Jennifer Trude
Company: Trudesign Metalsmithing
Country: United States

133 Name: Eric Finley
Company: The Sovereign Corporation (non-jeweler)
Country: United States

134 Name: Rebecca Klemm
Company: Private citizen with gold jewelry
Country: United States

135 Name: Rachel Lunn
Company: Rachel Helen Designs
Country: United Kingdom

136 Name: Samantha Salmons
Company: Sam Salmons Designs Ltd
Country: United Kingdom

137 Name: Belinda Norrington
Company: Wild Acre Designs
Country: United Kingdom

138: Name:  Sally Rycroft
Company: Good as Gold Ltd
Country: United Kingdom

139 Name: Tania Kowalski
Company: ORIA JEWELLERY LTD
Country: United Kingdom

140 Name: Stephen Jones
Company: Kaanaanmaa
Country: United Kingdom

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Posted in Ethical Jewellery, Fair Trade Jewellery, Fairtrade, Fairtrade Fairmined Gold, Fairtrade Gold, Fairtrade Jewellery, Fairtrade Jewelry, Gold, Small-Scale Mining

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