RING OF AUTHENCITY

From Eccles cakes to Champagne, objet d’art to Yorkshire worsted, the discerning customer wants to know he is getting the genuine article, if that is what he thinks he is paying for, and is increasingly knowledgeable about authenticity.

Yet when it comes to one of our most precious treasures, very few people know or think of its origin.

Gold is simply gold to most buyers, whether for investment or adornment. They will check on the carat of course, and should look for the hallmark, but as to whether it comes from a mine in South America or South Africa, few will know – or care.

Yet care they should. The Fairtrade organisation, which has had such success in the food field, is making considerable efforts to educate consumers about gold mining and why it matters to know its origins. And with the Spring wedding season looming, and the surge in ring buying it brings, it has chosen now to promote the fact that all that glisters is not good gold.

Some 16 million people are involved in mining for gold world wide, the second largest occupation in the world, with small scale, artisanal miners accounting for 90per cent of the labour force in gold extraction, and around 10per cent of the global gold supply. The vast majority work in dangerous conditions, are not covered by any safety/health considerations, and are very poorly paid.

Fair Trade Gold has enlisted over 150 designers and goldsmiths to support their work in helping these miners, many of them women, and in encouraging safer working conditions and fairer payment. And they came together for a presentation early in the New Year at the shop of London jeweller Cox & Power, to display rings all made from gold ethically sourced in Peru.

As the wedding ring season gets underway, the aim is to persuade happy couples that their union will be all the better for knowing that their gold bands are not based upon the exploitation of others.

“Your wedding rings are a daily reminder of the promises you make, and I wanted something that we’d both be happy wearing,” was how Ian, a newly wed of Edinburgh, explained his choice. “I don’t agree with the exploitation of people, especially people who have so little anyway.

“Although I initially wondered whether one person buying one ring could really make a difference, if everyone thought that way nothing would ever change,” said another young groom, Martin. “I think that buying a Fairtrade ring can make a difference and as consumers, that is our contribution.”

It has not been easy for Fairtrade to start making changes in the gold mining world. There is a long and complex supply chain before a gold ring sits in a shop window, and the industry has been slow to open its doors to scrutiny, so that consumers had little opportunity to know the provenance of any gold item.

But a set of clearly defined standards for responsible mining has been developed by Fairtrade, now being pursued  with small miners’ organisations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Already, significant improvements in standards of working conditions are being made, and certified Fairtrade gold is being sold on world markets.

The British jewellers showing their ring designs at what was the first exhibition of Fairtrade gold this January are leading the way in a movement that should lead to safer conditions, more environmentally sound methods of mining, and fairer prices being paid to the miners for the precious metal.  And the wedding rings on show, for men and women, not only displayed a wide variety of designs but come with a certificate that guarantees their provenance.

“Provenance is supremely important to us, in our own personal lives as well as in our work,” explains Sheila Teague of Mayfair jewellers Wright & Teague, who now source all their 18 carat gold from Fairtrade suppliers. “How wonderful to know that the futures of small-scale miners and their families, thousands of miles away, will be enhanced. Somehow, the beauty of this gold seems deeper, more profound.”

HK Bespoke Jewellery was one of the first to embrace Fairtrade certified gold and its campaign to improve the lot of miners. Managing director Harriet Kensall was nominated by the IoD as one of six ‘Women Most Changing the Business World’ for her ethical stance in the jewellery industry. “We do our best not to let anybody suffer in the jewellery supply chain, “ she emphasised.

Anxious to treat the South American gold with the utmost respect, Amanda Li Hope now hand alloys the grain in her Clerkenwell shop and brings a modern look to her wedding bands  with a range of golden hues and finishes. These may be teamed up in bespoke pairs for couples.

A combination of finishes in male wedding rings from Cred Jewellery makes them distinctive but not too elaborate. Manager Niki Clarke reports that men often start off feeling somewhat hesitant about shopping for jewellery but soon become interested once they are looking at designs.

West Country-based jeweller Erica Sharpe sees more and more of her customers choosing Fairtrade gold for engagement and wedding rings. She is often inspired by her country surroundings , as in a Swan ring featured in the exhibition. Swans pair for life.

Classic, plain bands remain popular for men and Jon Dibben has created one with a modicum of originality in its central peak, featured in his Ridge Collection. This also includes cufflinks in Fairtrade gold. He will hand carve personal motifs or patterns onto wax, to be cast in gold.

Dulwich based jeweller, Lila’s, was inspired by betrothal rings of the 16th and 17th centuries for rings that feature engraved designs on the inside of the ring.

As most of these jewellers provide a bespoke service, it seems only fitting that a groom now ordering his wedding day suit should want equally exclusive rings for him and his bride-to-be. A full list of UK jewellers who use Fairtrade gold may be obtained from the Fairtrade offices at www.fairtrade.org.uk.

From the top: matching his'n hers from Amanda Li Hope; diamond studded ring by Jon Dibben; varied gold finish from Cred; entwined design by Erica Sharpe; broad burnished gold from Cox & Power.