JA Warns Industry About 60 Minutes Segment: "Jewelers of America sent out a letter Monday in an effort to prepare the jewelry industry for the upcoming CBS 60 Minutes segment that focuses on the issue of artisanal gold mining in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo..."
I had a jewelry customer ask me yesterday if I knew where my gold came from (I've also been asked about my diamonds)... alas, I do not know firsthand. And when I've tried to source materials, often my suppliers don't know the true origin, either. This information is often lost in translation or because materials change so many hands before becoming a final product.
This has gotten me thinking -- I see many jewelers who claim to be "eco-friendly jewelry" that state that their materials come only from recycled metals, etc. How do they know this? I'd love to hear better ways of sourcing my materials.
I do want to say that I source the majority of my materials through the largest US companies as well as through local suppliers. I'll try and do a little more research, though, and will post on what I discover!
best,
peggy
JA Warns Industry About 60 Minutes Segment on Gold
Monday, November 02, 2009
Posts
2 comments:
Hi Peggy-
The same thoughts have been going through my head and the same problems. The best I can usually do is find out lead content. We would probably have to climb several rungs closer on the supply ladder to the original source and we probably can't buy enough to do that alone.
Best regards-
Judi Goldstone
Judith Goldstone Designs
I've personally found it very easy to find sustainable suppliers for sheet and wire. Hoover and Strong have a line of recycled metals. But if you are trying to find the source for findings I can see where that would be difficult.
Post a Comment