Love is in the Fair(trade) and it’s gold

The most romantic day of the year has been and gone but Valentines Day 2011 was like no other. No, Opulent Ethics was not inundated with sacks of cards, chocolates and roses…something much better happened. Yes, that’s right; Fairtrade and Fairmined gold finally arrived in the UK.

It has been a long journey for Fairtrade gold from leaving home in the Cotapata Mine, the worlds first Fairtrade mine, in Bolivia to arriving in the UK. Whilst some of us were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold many others were not even aware it was on its way. So Opulent Ethics have had a look at the welcome reception that the UK offered.

World's first Fairtrade Fairmined gold bar with hallmarks

The Daily Mail spoke at length about how Fairtrade gold will help stop the exploitation of some of the worlds most vulnerable communities by helping mines ensure they reach certain standard conditions. The only problem is that it is not so simple to change your local mine overnight. Hopefully the Cotapata Mine will be an inspiration to others to follow suit.

The Ecologist tried to focus on the future and mentioned some of the big names such as Ingle & Rhode and Garrards who have signed up to become license holders and work with the gold.

The full list of those who are now licensed to work using the Fairtrade gold can be found on the site of the Jewellery Editor.

It was all finance, facts and figures in The Telegraph as they concentrated on how the Fairtrade food revolution worked and whether the gold can carry on the trend.

The Independent looked at which celebrities we can expect to see wearing Fairtrade gold jewellery (Livia Firth is rumoured to be intending to wear it on the red carpet at the Oscars).

And finally, Kate Carter, ethical extraordinaire with The Guardian, let rip with a long piece on the real intention of all Fairtrade products; to stop the abject horror faced by those who get us our coffee, bananas and now gold.

It is nice to see that, despite the story not gaining as much attention as it deserves that it has been done some justice!

That’s all for now….