Why Mercury-Free Gold Is the Future of Sustainable Jewelry

Creating jewelry with fair-trade and mercury-free gold sourced from Fairmined-certified mines avoids one of the key downsides of gold mining—mercury emissions. With gold mining the leading source of mercury pollution in the world, changing the manner in which it’s sourced could have a profound environment impact. “Consumers have probably heard about ‘blood diamonds,’ but few know about gold’s connection with toxic mercury,” says Pure Earth president Richard Fuller. While the company has been working directly with artisanal miners to train them in mercury-free techniques, consumer requests often serve as the final word on which techniques are utilized. “Increasing the demand for mercury-free gold will help persuade more miners to make the switch. We already see progress. In Mongolia, Pure Earth has trained over 1,000 miners to go mercury-free, with many more on the waiting list.”
http://www.vogue.com/article/pure-earth-heavy-metal-auction-mercury-free-gold