an open-pit gold mine. for scale, notice the "huge" yellow earth-mover in the center of frame.

this huge (see the people in front of the track?) machine is used for open-pit mining of invisible gold particles. it scoops up surface ore, which is then processed chemically and eventually poured into gold bars.

I have personally been to a gold mine.

In 2003, while living in Northern California and creating large-scale functional metalwork, I had the opportunity to visit a goldmine that was in the process of closing. It’s an astounding and disturbing thing to see a hole seemingly to the center of the earth that stretches out as far as the eye can see. But, this visual has served me well to remember what an enormous impact precious metal mining has on the environment. It can take up to 20 tons of ore required to produce enough gold for a single ring. Many gold mines also release cyanide and mercury into nearby water sources and are associated with poor safety standards, inhumane labor practices, and disregard for the rights and interests of indigenous people.

So, what to do? We want to our jewelry to reflect our environmental consciousness and values, as do you. That’s why kara | daniel JEWELRY explores many ways to create jewelry that is as responsible, as it is resplendent. We work with raw material suppliers whose products are made with reclaimed/recycled metal or from third party certified, ethically mined metal. We recycle metals and gemstones from your existing jewelry to create updated and timeless pieces of art. We design with alternative metals such as stainless steel that do not carry with them such a heavy environmental and ethical price. Our commitment is to creating jewelry with integrity, that you can wear with integrity.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 11:11 am and is filed under process. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.