Five UK Casting Houses to Begin Offering Fairtrade Gold

Some of the top jewelry supply houses in Britain have agreed to begin offering Fairtrade gold as part of their product line. Cred, Cooksons, Hockley Mint, Vipa Designs, and Western Beamor will begin offering jewelry makers wire, sheet, casting grain, tube, and chain gold from Fairtrade. Each of these suppliers will also offer wedding collections available in Fairtrade metals.

This partnership is meant to "reform the way the jewelry industry works, for the better."

Fairtrade Gold began as an international initiative in 2011 to offer an avenue for small-scale and artisanal miners to sell their gold at a fair price. Certified miners are required to utilize safe and responsible practices for managing toxic chemicals and agree to process the gold without the use of mercury and cyanide. Child and slave labor is also prohibited under Fairtrade policies.

Small-scale mining is thought to employ some 15 million people around the world. By partnering with Fairtrade Gold, these small-scale miners can get a minimum price of 95% of the London Bullion Market's gold fix price, with additional incentives available to gold that is produced without the use of certain dangerous chemicals.

The company also maintains a chain-of-custody from the mine to the consumer, so that all gold purchased via Fairtrade is fully traceable.

Now, consumers seeking to avoid "conflict gold" have more options. Fairtrade Gold is currently available in the U.K., Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan and South Korea with plans to expand to Switzerland and the U.S. in the near future.