Birmingham meets its most precious visitors; the Oro Verde gold team

This week has seen a Fairtrade gold competition taking place at Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery in collaboration between the school and the Oro Verde green gold programme. And today has been the most illusionary, informative and amazing day for the competition and for Opulent Ethics.

On Monday the brief was given out to students at the School of Jewellery along with presentations about Fair Trade, the impact of mining, the Oro Verde programme and industry developments and tomorrow is the deadline for designs. So we will be waiting with baited breath to see what fantastic designs we receive.

But back to today; as part of London Jewellery Week’s Essence section three esteemed guests have been invited to visit the UK from Colombia and we were lucky enough to convince them to visit Birmingham as part of their whirlwind tour.

Claudia Vallejo, Sandra Hernandez Garrido and Americo Masquero viewing an
Assay Punch at the Birmingham Assay Office

 

Luis Americo Mosquera is an artisanal miner from the Choco Bioregion of Colombia. He is the head of one of seven families which work a mine in the region and share the profits between them. He has been mining the area for 45 years and works the mine with his son, daughter and extended family. The mine is one of the biggest involved in the Oro Verde programme and is on land which was owned by Americo’s parents and grandparents.

Sandra Hernandez Garrido works for Amichoco and heads up the Oro Verde Commercial Unit. As well as working for the Non-Government Organisation which has helped develop and promote the Oro Verde programme she was also our very talented and fluent translator for the day.

Claudia Vallejo is also from Colombia and is a traditionally trained jeweller who runs her business, Biojoy from Bogota. She spent time studying artistic design at Massana in Barcelona before taking this home and translating it into designs which would work in Colombia.

The first stop for our group was the Birmingham Assay Office where we were given background information on the history and standing of the assay office today. Assay Office representatives met with and listened to Americo as he explained how he and his fellow workers mine the land using traditional methods to supply the UK with the world’s only ecologically mined Fairtrade gold.

We then went on a tour of the impressive facilities of the Assay Office. We were shown the stamp room and were given demonstrations of the different types of punches used by jewellers, silversmiths, retailers and manufacturers throughout the UK. But the best bit of the tour happened in the laser room at the Assay Office where our guests were shown and presented with personalised cards of the stamps which are available at the Assay Office including the Fairtrade / Fairmined gold mark and its ecological Fairtrade / Fairmined gold counterpart.

Claudia tries her hand at assay marking some jewellery

Americo with his personalised card of Assay Office punches including the
new Fairtrade / Fairmined and Ecological Fairtrade / Fairmined gold marks 

Close up of one of the assay cards with the Fairtrade marks at the bottom

After this wonderful tour we then rushed across the Jewellery Quarter to the Museum where we were, very kindly, given a private tour of the old Smith and Pepper factory which makes up the museum. It was really inspiring to watch Claudia here as she was fascinated to see pieces of machinery that she uses in her studio at home stuck in the factory time warp. The group also learnt something of the British class system which didn’t allow staff to mix with customers of female workers to operate any of the heavy machinery.

Next we moved onto the School of Jewellery where students who wish to enter the competition were invited to meet and question the Colombian guests in order to help inspire them further. And this time it was not just questions about Americo’s work but also Claudia was asked about how she designs and creates her pieces.

Much to the amazement of us spoilt UK jewellers (and we include ourselves here) we learnt how Claudia alloys and forms her own metal from pure gold. This is something which is not really considered in the UK jewellery industry as we are able to purchase materials as sheet, wire, tube or casting grain quickly and easily. Claudia also spoke of how her designs are influenced by her work at the bench and how she lets her hands influence the outcome of her pieces. This is definitely a very different way of designing when compared with how many of us sit down with a sketch book or computer design software and draw our ideas rather than letting the materials we work with inform us.

After this Q & A session in amongst the hustle and bustle of the School, which is preparing for the students final show next week, we then took a quick tour of the School facilities in order to convey to our guests how the students work and study and the exciting machinery and technologies which are available to them. Hopefully this provided a more comprehensive insight into the processes many of us use when manufacturing our jewellery and silversmithing pieces.

And finally, we visited Weston Beamor, one of the few companies in the UK who are licensed to cast using the Fairtrade / Fairmined gold. Here we discussed both sides’ experiences of the supply chain so far and hopes for the future.

All in all it was a very informative and full day which was, hopefully, as enjoyable for our guests as it was for those of us who took part in showing them round.

So thank you to all who were involved; the School of Jewellery, the Birmingham Assay Office, the Jewellery Quarter Museum and Weston Beamor. But most of all thank you to three very inspirational people. Americo; thank you for believing that the region where you live is special and diverse and did not deserve to be destroyed by large scale mining companies but that it should be cherished and preserved for your families to come. Thank you also to Sandra for working so tirelessly and hard to help ensure that what started as a small operation has now grown into a sector of the industry which provides an acceptable alternative to dirtier materials. And finally, thank you to Claudia who was so inspirational and positive about working with this new and exciting material. We think that her passion is so contagious that not one person who met her today would deny that Oro Verde gold is anything but an amazing material: the most loved gold in the world!

If you want any more information about Oro Verde gold see the Oro Verde website by clicking here. There is also information on the Fair Labelling Organisations involvement here.

So, after a very informative day; that’s all for now….

Could Fairtrade diamonds soon be on your jewellery wish-list?

There is mention of a prospective exciting new Fairtrade development in Greg Valerio’s latest blog post! Having just been named as one of the 3 shortlisted entrants in the Global Campaigner section of The Observer’s Ethical Awards 2011, Greg has begun to conquer the Fairtrade and Fairmined gold world after years of tireless campaigning and developmental work. And now Greg seems to have set his sights on diamonds!



Could diamonds become Fairtrade?



Opulent Ethics have previously talked about the Kimberley Process and how it is not living up to its word in our “Is the Kimberley Process ruining Zimbabwe and can it ever work?” post from 31^st October 2010. At the time Opulent Ethics questioned whether, after making devastating decisions such as allowing Zimbabwean Marange Field Diamonds to be sold with Kimberley Process backing, it would ever be able to recover and whether the Kimberley Process could ever be trusted by retailers the world over.

Under the ideas being proposed by Greg Valerio certain diamond cooperatives would come under the auspices of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. In order to achieve Fairtrade certification it is expected that diamond miners would have to reach similar rigorous standards to those attained by Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold mines in South America.

This would include transparency throughout the entire supply chain, equal pay for all, improved working conditions, assurances that the environment being mined is not being exploited and that once mining ceases that the area will be returned to a natural, sustainable locale. Of course, any Fairtrade development would only work with small-scale mining communities rather than large-scale mining companies and the additional Fairtrade premiums paid would go back into improving community infrastructure and conditions.

So is this all possible and could it ever provide ethically minded jewellers and consumers with the peace of mind they want? Well I am sure that Greg and others were wondering whether Fairtrade gold would ever be possible 10 years ago and look at it now; being worn on the Oscars Red Carpet by Olivia Firth and then being sold by Christies for Oxfam for £25,000, having some of the top jewellers in the UK signed up as Fairtrade Gold License Holders and having its own Hallmark.



Fairtrade and Fairmined gold bar which was unveiled on Feb 14th 2011



So Opulent Ethics believe 100% that Fairtrade diamonds can, and will be achieved. It will just take lots more hard work and campaigning from all involved. Good luck Greg!

That’s all for now….

Is the latest Government idea making an ass(ay) out of Hallmarking?

For over 770 years now the UK has used hallmarking as a safety net for jewellery and silversmithing products, The service is offered by 4 Assay Offices in the UK (Edinburgh, Birmingham, Sheffield and London) and ensures that legal standards are met and adhered to.

Hallmarking

Other services offered by these Assay Offices include standard and laser hallmarking of many precious metals, analytical testing of jewellery to ensure they comply with current nickel and mercury legislation, measuring the thickness of plating, the assessment of bullion samples, durability and tarnish testing, environmental analysis and medical research to name but a few, and all this has made them an integral part of the UK jewellery industry.

The Coalition Government are currently trying to cut down on the amount of red tape that retail businesses have to go through. Under this review Hallmarking has been highlighted as one such area which could be removed. As it currently stands, every regulation which has been questioned will be abolished if no objection is raised before the deadline on May 5^th.

Outside of the UK our jewellery is held in such high regard because buyers know the standards our jewellery and silver products have to reach in order to be hallmarked. The Assay Offices are careful to monitor and adapt to legislation and they also change in light of public opinion. This was shown most recently with the new Fairtrade and Fairmined gold hallmark becoming available in conjunction with the Assay Office.

If hallmarking were to disappear this would open the UK jewellery industry to the possibility of imitation or lower quality pieces flooding the market. No longer would items be analysed and certified as containing the required and established levels of metals. In theory, anything could be used. And for those of us who are unable to tell the difference between 9 and 18 carat gold by eye, who knows what we will be buying?

In the short time since the Government suggested scrapping hallmarking there has been a huge outcry from all areas of the jewellery industry and beyond, calling for hallmarking to be left or only altered slightly.

So far, the Birmingham Assay Office have said that they “...believe it is imperative to the British consumer for the current and future UK jewellery industry to maintain hallmarking as a statutory independent service”. And others who support this sentiment include The Goldsmiths Company, F Hinds, Professional Jeweller, Retail Jeweller, Betts Metal Sales and Opulent Ethics, to name but a few, and these have been joined by 2633 other comments which have all been left on the Governments Red Tape Challenge website so far. And they all seem to be saying pretty much the same thing; “Keep the hallmark”.

If you wish to add your comments to the debate or believe that the hallmark is important enough to save please go to the Red Tape Challenge website and leave your thoughts. This is what the Government will be reviewing prior to making their final decision.

And it doesn’t just have to be your opinion on why the hallmarking system should be saved. If there are legislative parts of the process which you think could work better or be altered then put that down too. But please make sure that you do visit the site as, without your voice this could be the end of an important British jewellery standard.

That’s all for now....

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….

Birmingham’s Spring Fair lacks in the ethics department

Opulent Ethics visited the 2011 Spring Fair at Birmingham’s NEC this week where there were over 400 exhibitors at the Jewellery Show section with new designers and big names rubbing shoulders.
Despite all of this we were disappointed by the lack of anything much ethical on the agenda. 

26 free seminars including trend talks, information on marketing for e-commerce and lectures on Intellectual Property rights were available but, sadly, only 1 of these concerned ethics. Opulent Ethics find it very strange that there was so much interest in ethics at IJL 2010 back in September and then come February of the following year, on the eve of Fairtrade gold being released the only mention is 1 talk on the pro’s and con’s of buying Fair Trade.

Of course there were some wonderful pieces of jewellery on show, especially in the Design Section, and it was great to find that there were some ethical exhibitors including Sara Preisler, Leju Designs, Earth Works and Out of Peru but we felt that we really had to search them out.

Sara Preisler pendant

Sarah Ho Mari earrings

James Newman rings

  

We here at Opulent Ethics think that it is a great shame that one of the biggest jewellery shows in the UK is not acknowledging one of the biggest issues in the jewellery trade and not making a point of highlighting a very important section of the trade.

So did we manage to find any evidence of other companies changing their ethics? Yes we did. After noticing some advertising on the side of the Weston Beamor stand and chatting to some of the staff we were pleasantly surprised to hear that Weston Beamor are now fully licensed to cast using Fairtrade gold. One disadvantage, however, is that anyone who wishes to cast using the gold also has to be licensed. Things are never easy or straightforward!

And elsewhere in the news; in Retail Jeweller magazine we managed to find a 55 word article on Ute Decker and Linnie McLarty’s Fairtrade gold pop-up shop which opens this week and a letter from Greg Valerio regarding the great work that ARM and FLO have done in bringing the Fairtrade gold idea to fruition. What is happening to this world when big news like the release of Fairtrade gold barely hits page 17 let alone the headlines?!   

That’s a very disappointed all for now….

The start of the Fairtrade gold rush!

Opulent Ethics have previously mentioned that Fairtrade Certified Gold is being launched on Valentine’s Day this year and that the Fairtrade Hallmark will be part of this. As Valentine’s Day is now creeping closer, over the next few weeks, Opulent Ethics will be reporting on the preparations for, events during and reaction after this milestone event.

There is still currently very little being said about the events which are planned but both Ute Decker and Linnie McLarty have started talking about and advertising their pop-up shop which they will be using to preview their first foray into Fairtrade gold. The pop-up shop will be running for a month from 6^th – 27^th February at 94 

Columbia Road

in London.

Ute Decker is already renowned for her beautiful sculptural jewellery which has previously been made from 100% recycled silver and bio-resin (derived from sunflower seeds) but as one of the first jewellers who are licensed to use Fairtrade gold, her work is about to take on a totally different aesthetic.

Ute Decker arm piece in 100% recycled silver

Opulent Ethics have always loved Ute’s work in silver as the colour and finish of the silver compliments the designs and shapes that she creates. We are, however, very excited about seeing Ute’s new range, PURE, in Fairtrade gold as she is going to be one of the figure heads for the whole Fairtrade gold movement.

 Ute Decker arm piece in Fairtrade gold

 

Linnie McLarty has used more colour and more varied materials in her work. Inspired by the natural and aquatic worlds some of her pieces make use of the wearers clothing within themselves. This ensures that the same piece of Linnie’s jewellery looks different and individual on each different wearer.

Linnie McLarty "Poppi" brooches

By using various metals, stones, and, more recently, enamels, Linnie creates different bodies of work which appear to link the disciplines of jewellery, silversmithing, sculpture, fashion and art. Like with Ute, it will be very interesting to see how Linnie’s work has developed and been affected by the new material of Fairtrade gold.

Linnie McLarty "Poppi" brooch

Opulent Ethics will be popping along to Ute and Linnie’s pop-up shop in February and will let you know what we see. This first event promises to be a spectacular, eye-opening first dip into the Fairtrade gold waters.

That’s all for now….

Birmingham becomes ethically Brilliant!

So Brilliantly Birmingham has come to an end but not before a great talk on ethical jewellery was held. The talk, titled “Jewellery Ethics; Making and Buying” didn’t seem to stick to what it said on the tin but in this case, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

 Brilliantly Birmingham poster

Even before anyone began talking the line-up was like a who’s who of ethical celebrity. On the panel was Vivien Johnston the founder of ethical company Fifi Bijoux, Jack Cunningham the Head of Birmingham’s School of Jewellery, Sara Preisler a Birmingham based sculptural jeweller, Fairtrade Foundation representative Greg Valerio and the panel was led by Kate Carter, The Guardian’s ethical fashion extraordinaire.

Each gave a lecture on their backgrounds, interests and how and why they are interested in ethics before a question session was opened up to the public. Vivien Johnston spoke about how she took ethical practices into account when considering her business plan as she set Fifi Bijoux up. We here at Opulent Ethics think that considering our ethical beliefs as we set up our business rather than as an add on at a later date is integral to being a successful ethical jeweller and we hope that this business advice will stand us in good stead when Opulent Ethics is fully set up.

Fifi Bijoux bangle

Fifi Bijoux is an aspirational brand which encourages its consumers to buy into their story. Having spent time sourcing materials for another company Vivien Johnston was determined that all materials used in Fifi Bijoux’s pieces would be traceable, of a high standard and have a chain of custody which can be validated. Ms Johnston founded the British Ethical Jewellery Association as a way of forcing ethics in jewellery into the mainstream.

Jack Cunningham played devil’s advocate by talking about how the jewellery industry as a whole is the dirtiest industry going and that all jewellers know this. Opulent Ethics felt that this was an interesting point which deserved to be made and, coming from a jeweller who is not yet ethical, it reiterates the fact that ethics as an issue is rising and soon, no-one in the industry will be able to shy away from it.

Next, Sara Preisler went on to discuss what beauty is. Obviously the answer to this is personal to us all but Sara Preisler made a very interesting point about why beauty surrounds preciousness and asked who decides gold and diamonds are precious? She went on to suggest that, by individual jewellers and consumers moving away from bling then we may make a change in how materials are considered. Opulent Ethics are currently experimenting with this idea by using vegetable ivory in their next range. We will let you know how we get on!

Sara Preisler cufflinks

Finally, Greg Valerio spoke very passionately about how the Fair Trade movement is a good economic response to social injustice and that, whilst being helpful, recycling is not the full answer. Greg Valerio made a very interesting point about how the jewellery industry is very good at producing beautiful items whilst hiding the horror which is experienced at source. It led Opulent Ethics to think about what impact there would be on consumer opinion if we knew in detail about the destruction and terror which allows our jewellery to be produced. Opulent Ethics are now more determined than ever to be 100% ethical in our practices.

He also went on to talk about the Fair Trade Gold Hallmark which will be released in February (for Valentines Day) and how this is a massive step forward as there are now clearly defined standards which can be downloaded from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation website. He also spoke about the plan to have 25 tonnes of Fair Trade gold sold in the UK over the next 15 years. For anyone who is interested in registering to use the Hallmark contact Victoria Waugh ( gold@fairtrade.org.uk ) for details.

So the overall message from this Brilliantly Birmingham talk is that ethical jewellery now has the start of a fairy tale story which can and will be pushed forward. Fair Trade gold is going to be all over the place in the run up to the release of the Hallmark so watch this space for more information.

So Happy New Year and that’s all for now….