Along the Ugly Path to Beautiful Jewellery

“Producing one single gold ring can generate up to 20 tonnes of mine waste, with mercury and cyanide going into the water system,” explains New York-based jeweller Monique Péan, who, several years ago, became horrified by the destructive impact of her industry. “The more I learned, the more frightened I was about how I’d be able to proceed and create beautiful things that spoke to the same sense of quality and craftsmanship as other luxury players and still be able to stand behind the pieces that I was producing.”
http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/07/ethical-jewellery-monique-pean-pippa-small-bibi-van-der-velden.html