The real price of gold

The issue of conflict associated with diamonds has received considerable attention the past few years, but only now are the issues associated with gold mining beginning to surface and impact consumer behavior. “Gold’s human and environmental toll has never been so steep,” writes Brook Larmer in The Real Price of Gold, an article appearing in National Geographic now on newstands.

• Gold produces more waste per ounce than any other metal.
• 2-5 grams of mercury are released into the environment for every gram of gold harvested.
• 10-15 million artisinal miners worldwide hope that gold will lift them out of poverty. Of these, 30% are women and children.
• 2/3 of all gold harvest worldwide is used in jewelry.

We implore you to read this article.

Here is an excerpt:

“Fueled  by luck and desperation, sinking in its own toxic waste and lawlessness, this no-man’s land now teems with dreamers and schemers anxious to strike it rich, even if it means destroying the environment and themselves in the process.”

[All C5 jewelry is fair-trade produced with recycled precious metals.]