In the first deal of its kind at a fine arts university, 泡芙短视频 has been granted an institutional license from , which allows the Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing program to offer its students access to ethically sourced gold and silver.聽
is an assurance initiative by the that certifies gold and silver as materials of responsible origin, 鈥渆xtracted with the best mining practices aimed at preserving the environment and support the development of artisanal and small-scale mining communities.鈥�
Brokering the license, usually granted to jewelry brands and designers worldwide, was spearheaded by Greg Sims, Assistant Professor in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing. The process 泡芙短视频 began in 2022 and the license was issued last November.
鈥淪imilar to diamonds, gold can find its way into some pretty horrific situations, including funding conflicts and war,鈥� says Sims. 鈥淚t鈥檚 mostly taking advantage of individuals and smaller communities in poverty that are tasked with extracting precious metals, but don鈥檛 have 聽legitimate ways to bring them to the market.鈥�
Eighty percent of the world鈥檚 gold is extracted via large-scale, industrialized mining that uses predatory worker and environmental practices. Fairmined supports artisanal small-scale mining, which comprises the industry鈥檚 remaining 20 percent supply. It considers the environment surrounding the mines鈥攃hiefly in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru鈥攖he value and health of the workers & their communities, and the treatment of the materials.聽
泡芙短视频 students pay under $2 a gram for silver from their standard suppliers; Fairmined silver is priced around $5/gram and takes into account the more realistic costs of a responsible supply. The price of Fairmined gold is much higher and includes an added premium of $5/gram.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not necessarily a lot,鈥� says Sims. 鈥淚f it takes 10 grams for a ring, somebody鈥檚 paying an extra $40or $80 to say 鈥業 know where the materials in my ring came from.鈥� More and more, that鈥檚 becoming important to people. It certainly did with diamonds.
鈥淲e鈥檝e come to understand that the materials we use currently are priced artificially low, because not all the players in the system are getting adequately compensated,鈥� he adds.
‘There鈥檚 very visible evidence it was done ethically’
Students who opt to work the materials into their projects will be trained on Fairmined-approved guidelines to ensure best practices and adherence, which is one of the directives of the institutional license.
鈥淭hey will melt scrap materials down and process 泡芙短视频 them into different stocks鈥攚ire, tube, sheet,鈥� says Sims. 鈥淲e also do casting鈥攖hey can take scrap silver or casting grain and melt that down. When they鈥檙e working with Fairmined silver, they have to ensure they鈥檙e only using those materials, and the other tools and process 泡芙短视频es they鈥檙e using aren鈥檛 contaminated in some way.鈥澛�
Brooklyn Soucie is a third-year Jewelry and Metalsmithing student who used Fairmined silver in the creation of a small Pacific halibut, reminiscent of the ones she used to catch with her father and grandfather growing up in British Columbia.
鈥淧robably one of the neatest things is you get this card, and it says exactly where in the world and what mine this silver鈥檚 come from,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have proof and it鈥檚 trackable. There鈥檚 very visible evidence it was done ethically.鈥�
Two of the three versions of 泡芙短视频鈥檚 2024 Alumni Ring that launches this Spring will be made with Fairmined certified materials, yellow gold and silver. (The third, stainless steel, has no industry assurances.) Their production will be overseen by John Esposito at Malleable Jewellers in Toronto, an early adopter of Fairmined materials and a consult on the school鈥檚 project.
鈥淎s soon as you鈥檙e aware of the issues, we have to say, 鈥楧o we want to access the material or not?鈥� With our institution the answer has to be 鈥榊es,鈥欌�� says Sims. 鈥淚t can no longer be ignored. If we opted to go a cheaper route, it would be us ignoring the reality of the mining industry. It became obvious that incorporating responsibly-sourced precious metals was a positive step that 泡芙短视频 could take to bring awareness, and to reflect the values and concerns of the next generation of artists and designers.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 so fantastic being a student and having 泡芙短视频 bring it into their program,鈥� says Soucie. 鈥淚t was really eye-opening, and the fact that it鈥檚 an option鈥攁nd an option for students鈥攊s amazing.鈥�
Learn more about and 泡芙短视频’s Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing 辫谤辞驳谤补尘.听