One of the decisions that may be overshadowed by which venue to have, or where to go on honeymoon, is where to buy your wedding jewelry from. It’s easy enough to walk in to a high street jeweller and select something you like, but have you and your partner considered where the gold, platinum or stones comes from?
Introducing fair-trade gold wedding jewellery
Many people wouldn’t think twice about buying fair-trade bananas or coffee in the supermarket, but don’t even know about the existence of fair-trade gold.
Fair-trade and fair-mined certified gold comes from artisanal and small-scale mining organisations meeting the fair-trade and fair-mined gold standard. In other words, the gold has been responsibly mined and the miners have received a fair-trade minimum price and premium.
Fair-trade gold wedding jewelry in the UK
Fair-trade and fair-mined certified gold was officially launched in the UK in early 2011. As things stand, the fair-trade and fair-mined gold website lists fewer than 30 UK retailers selling jewelry made from it.
Millions of people worldwide rely on small-scale gold mining to survive. Most of them work in harsh conditions with no health and safety regulations, and many of them do not receive a fair price for the gold that they produce. For consumers who want to help combat these problems, the launch of the fair-trade and fair-mined gold and platinum is a major step forward.
Choosing fair-trade and fair-mined gold doesn’t mean you have to compromise on luxury. Choosing the right jeweller is important: at Ingle & Rhode, we were honoured to be one of the first UK jewellers to receive a shipment of this gold.
We are proud to have been pioneers of ethical engagement rings, using only ethical diamonds, ethical gemstones, fair-trade gold and ethical platinum in our engagement and wedding rings, and our ethical policies mean that all of our jewelry is conflict-free and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Not only that but it is beautiful and bespoke. We also offer the option of having our jewelry made using 100% recycled gold and platinum.
“The jewellers leading the way to cleaner, greener gold.” The Independent
“Now diamonds can be a girl’s best friend without it tainting your conscience.”
The Evening Standard
Visit www.ingleandrhode.com and www.fairtrade.org.uk/gold for more information.