Certified Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold

We are very proud....

To have been one of the first twenty jewellers worldwide to launch certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold in 2011.

Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold at Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design

Gold certified to Fairtrade and Fairmined Standards provides small-scale miners and their communities in developing countires the opportunity for better living and working conditions.

From 14th February 2011 all of our bespoke customers will be offered a Certified Fairtrade and Fairmined option for their gold. For a modest extra charge, Fairtrade and Fairmined gold sourced from artisan miners can be used, and through the Fairtrade chain of custody you can be sure that miners will receive a fair price for their gold and an extra Fairtrade premium, which they decide how to invest in their communities.

Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design will not profit from the use of Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold over regular gold.

Gold is Gold

Unlike some other Fairtrade products there is no compromise for the customer. Gold is an element, so gold sourced from artisan miners is the same as gold sourced elsewhere - the only difference being the Fairtrade premium passed to the miners.

The Fairtrade and Fairmined Dual Stamp

The Fairtrade and Fairmined dual stamp is available from the Assay Office. Only the companies licenced to work with certified Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold are allowed to use the dual stamp on their jewellery.

Statement from Harriet Kelsall

'We are proud to be leading the way with this high profile and exciting launch. Responsibly sourced gold has been something we have offered our customers for some time, but only now is it properly rubber-stamped, with a process in place to make sure the paper-trail goes back to the artisanal miners for every piece of jewellery created.

Globally, there are over 100 million people who depend directly or indirectly on artisanal and small-scale mining and who are trapped in unfair supply chains, struggling to get a fair price for the gold they mine.

With the launch of certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold we can slowly start to change this and improve economic, social and environmental conditions for miners. As one of only 20 companies in the UK to be involved at the launch, we are committed to educating people about the difference they can make by choosing Fairtrade and Fairmined gold over 'standard' gold and hope one day to have so much demand that we can convert all our gold over to Fairtrade and Fairmined gold.

Our message is simple. For the price of a meal out, you can have an Fairtrade and Fairmined gold ring instead of one made with standard gold and feel happy in the knowledge that the people who mined the very same gold that is on your finger were paid fairly. When we are talking about the important life-moments such as a ring as a symbol of engagement or to mark the birth of a child, this seems especially worthwhile somehow.'

Where does Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold come from?

The Fairtrade and Fairmined gold we will be using comes from the Bolivia. The suppliers will be required to abide by national environmental legislation, preserve the environmental balance in the forests, minimise water use and the use of toxic chemicals and help preserve ecosystems, particularly those that form the environment of indigenous people.

Further Information about Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold

Certified Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold has been initially launched in the UK and then rolled out to other countries with a long term vision of capturing 5% of the gold jewellery market over a 15-year period. This will equate to 14 tonnes of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold annually.

Victoria Waugh, Business Development Manager from the Fairtrade Foundation, says: 'The UK is streets ahead of other countries when it comes to understanding Fairtrade as a brand, which is why we have chosen to launch Fairtrade and Fairmined gold in the UK first.'

It's important to remember that just supporting Fairtrade is not enough though. If all artisanal miners became part of the Fairtrade and Fairmined process, this would only satisfy about 20% of the world's demand for gold. This means it is also important for large scale mining companies to clean up their act - so we can cleanly and fairly satisfy the world's demand for gold. At least now though we are taking steps in the right direction and attitudes are finally changing. This is why we have been members of the RJC for many years and are hoping to continue our work with big businesses to help imorove things within the industry as a whole alongside our work with the Fairtrade Foundation.

It is our long-term goal that all our bespoke gold jewellery uses Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, but that is up to our customers. We urge all our customers to consider the Fairtrade and Fairmined option and are always happy to talk through the details with you.

Related blog articles

• Read Harriet's article entitled 6 reasons to buy certified Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold
• Alice's article on Fairtrade and Fairmined gold
• Read Alice's blog article on Fairtrade and Fairmined gold standards launch.