How buying Fairmined Ecological gold can help combat the global mercury emission crisis
ARTICLE BY FUTURA JEWELRY FOUNDER ROBERT DONOFRIO
Purpose through everyday choices is a cornerstone of conscious lifestyle. Have you considered how your jewelry choices fit into this purpose?
There are about 15 million artisanal and small-scale gold miners across the world who rely on gold mining to sustain themselves and their families. Did you know that most of them use mercury and cyanide in the mining process and that the United Nations has deemed mercury emissions to be the number one threat to our planet?
These artisanal miners mine by hand in an unregulated and harmful environment that originates from the mining process. A miner pulverizes the rock containing the gold bits into powder, then mixes mercury with the ore and water to extract gold from the rock and sediment. This process emits toxic emissions, negatively impacting the health of those miners, the planet and every one of us as they travel through the atmosphere and through our food and water system. But there is a way to combat this widespread crisis.
70% of this gold is used to make jewelry. There are currently only two mines in the world - one in Mongolia and another in Peru - that abide by clean, transparent and mercury-free Fairmined Ecological standards for gold mining. This Fairmined Ecological certification allows these workers to earn a living in a safe environment, without destroying their ancestral home.
We, as consumers, rarely have a clear sense of where our gold comes from and the harmful impact of traditional gold mining for the jewelry we wear. Likewise, while using recycled metals is admirable, it doesn't solve the global crisis of toxic mercury emissions to our planet and humanity.
We now have a choice we’ve never had before; to choose mercury-free Fairmined Ecological gold that offers a pure product and also supports positive humanitarian growth and sustainability. Every time a piece of jewelry is chosen that is made with improved mercury free mining standards, global mercury emissions are reduced.
Understanding the source of supply in our jewelry and supporting most conscious manufacturing practices can have far-reaching benefits. In this case, we now have the option to support Ecological Gold through our purchases of fine jewelry. In turn, we effectively become influencers to the mines, who can’t shy away from a much-needed change in their manufacturing method.
Our jewelry buying choices have the power to reduce global mercury emissions by 30%. We have the opportunity to shape a cleaner future starting with the gold jewelry we wear. Our higher-minded thinking can lead to seismic change for environmental protection and human rights - for present and for future generations to come.
Futura Jewelry is a new modern jewelry brand made from the world's purest Fairmined Ecological gold. Founder Robert Donofrio began his career in luxury jewelry 35 years ago, as the former President of luxury jewelry brands including Bulgari and Asprey. He is an Official Partner of the UN Environment Programme Global Mercury Partnership. Through a life changing discovery a few years ago of the devastation and threat that mercury used in small-scale gold mining poses to our planet, he chose to support a cleaner tomorrow. He launched Futura, a modern brand offering consumers a timeless jewelry option that reflects what they believe. Each piece of Futura Jewelry is handmade slowly and locally in New York City by some of the greatest artisans in the world.
Learn more and shop online at https://www.futurajewelry.com/ and follow on Instagram at @futurajewelry