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Alice Rochester
25th October 2007 17:10

Burmese Rubies

 

There has been a lot of speculation in the press recently about everything that is going on in Burma, including what people should be doing to help sort the situation out. The problems are numerous and complex, but one of the solutions that has been suggested is restrictions on trade (particularly of luxury items) with Burma to make those in government realise that the people in the world outside care and will not allow these atrocities to continue. One of the main luxury items traded from Burma is fine rubies - the most prized rubies in the world, known for their quality and their deep, rich colour.

The problem, of course, is similar to that of stopping buying diamonds from African countries and / or only buying Canadian diamonds with the intention of ensuring they are conflict free – the government of the countries you refuse to trade with rely on the revenue from the diamonds (or, in the case of Burma, rubies) to finance health and education among other things and restricting this will only make the situation worse for those with least.

Having said that, most of the rubies we use have tended to come from Madagascar or Thailand. There are not many fine rubies coming out of Madagascar any more, but according to our stone dealers there are plenty in Thailand! In fact, since they're only just across the border, the stones from Thailand are a very similar quality to the Burmese ones, but because they’re not asked for as often they tend to be slightly less expensive.

One of my favourite ruby rings we've made so far, which uses a Madagascan stone is this one:

My feeling towards all this is that we as jewellers have to do whatever we can within the framework of the system as it is – we have one dealer in particular who travels the globe, visiting the mines, who can vouch for what happens there, but there are few who do this. We use his stones wherever possible and trust the other dealers when they say they are doing the same. Sadly, mining is not a straightforward operation and it is inherently damaging to the environment, but if we can persuade corporations to clean up after themselves and treat their workers properly we can ensure safe work for people who would otherwise be without. I’m proud that we are one of the founding members of the Worldwide Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices and excited by the prospect of finding out more about what we can do to ensure that everyone we work with (both directly and indirectly) is treated fairly.

Alice Rochester
 
Harriet Kelsall
25th October 2007 17:07

Sarah Larson

 

Hi there - just reporting in with some trivia I noticed a new face in the recent press - Sarah Larson - was wearing $3 million worth of jewellery by one of the big brands at the recent Venice film festival which instantly attracted my attention! I wondered who she was and found out that she is the lovely George Clooney's new girlfriend and it sounds like a real Cinderella story. You can see pictures of her at the film festival here wearing the very beautiful jewellery and the very beautiful George Clooney.

Apparently she has just been on an impromptu round-the-world trip with her new celeb boyfriend. I have read that she was a waitress at a bar and she allegedly gave her boss her resignation by texting him "won't be making it back any time soon" - !

Another couple of articles:

Harriet Kelsall
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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