Mia Farrow, illustrated by Natasha Thompson
Tall tales of cursed jewels are ten a penny. From the classic novel The Moonstone to the very real Hope diamond, the story is pretty formulaic: huge gem is prised from eye socket of sacred statue; setting in motion a thousand misfortunes – like an Indiana Jones-style booby trap. The curse followed the Moonstone from exotic India to the English countryside; and the hapless Marie Antoinette is falsely rumoured to have lost her head wearing the huge Hope diamond.
In fact there seems to be a sneaking suspicion that there can be hell to pay for gems with a murky past. But the modern-day mystery surrounding supermodel Naomi Campbell and the blood diamond that actress Mia Farrow alleges she received from Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia and war criminal, over at Nelson Mandela’s pad, shows not only is truth stranger than fiction, but that mud – or should that be blood? – sticks.
Since 2002 when The Kimberley Process “[an] … initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds – rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.” was introduced, and with a little help from Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2006 box office hit, consumers have been keen to bag rocks with a clearer conscience. In fact the ethical jewellery movement has gained such momentum that this year’s London Jewellery Week (LJW) saw the launch of Essence, ‘an Ethical Jewellery Pavilion’. Showcasing pioneering ethical luxury jewellery brands like CRED and Fifi Bijoux alongside cutting edge names, like Ute Decker who uses recycled silver and bio resin, and some future glitterati from London Metropolitan University experimenting with materials like nylon.
Christian Cheesman, of CRED, speaking at the What is Ethical Jewellery? Debate at LJW said, for him, ethical jewellery means redefining luxury to encompass “inner or spiritual values”. But the union of spirit and sparkle is not an easy one. Cyanide, the favoured poison of many an Agatha Christie murderer, is used to extract gold, with lethal leakages into local water supplies a potential by product. According to the No Dirty Gold (NDG) campaign a gold ring results in 20 tonnes of mine waste. And miners, often fleeced by manipulative middle men, live lacking life’s bare necessities. Thus CRED The “world’s first Fair Trade jewellery retailer” uses Oro Verde green gold, “the most loved gold in the world”, to create its wedding rings. Oro Verde gold being produced using an “environmentally sustainable, socially responsible form of artisanal mining”.
Illustration by Jenny Costello
NDG’s slogan: ‘The more you know, the less gold glows.’ is exactly the knowledge Vivien Johnston, Director of Fifi Bijoux, is keen to harness. Recently dubbed “The Fairest of Them All” by Harpers Bazaar, Fifi Bijoux highlights hot topics with discreet designs in ethically sourced materials: from the humming bird pendant ‘inspired by our fragile earth’ to the Little Acorn pendant with 10% of profits going to sponsor children at risk of exploitation in Ghanaian mines. When I suggest to Vivien it’s about ‘educating’ the consumer she corrects me, it’s about making an “informed choice”, whether that is ethical or not, she says.
Which brings us to ‘Essence’, a curious name for a jewellery showcase? It evokes aromas and flavours, not twinkling trinkets. But according to the Oxford English Dictionary ‘essence’ can also mean:”the intrinsic nature of something; the quality which determines something’s character.”. And it’s this facet of the word which resonates with the ethical jewellery ethos. We buy jewellery to mark memorable moments in our lives; and the meaning attributed to these special pieces makes it all the more imperitive they be produced in the best possible way. Ute Decker, for example, influenced by the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi, crudely ‘imperfect beauty’, makes a feature of the creative process itself so that “…each object carries a meaning beyond its functional use.”.
And from next Valentine’s Day wearing your heart on your sleeve – or round your lover’s neck – will be made easier with the launch of Fairtrade Fairmined gold, the first ever third party independent certification for gold, developed by Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM). The launch date seems to symbolise the need to ’spread the love’ all the way from your luxury pad here to impoverished mining communities there; as well as emphasising ethics as a high priority consideration to privileged consumers.
Naomi Campbell, illustrated by James Wilson
So as notorious Naomi hotfoots it to The Hague to testify at the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, to “…help clarify events in 1997.”, it seems hardly surprising that someone with a string of ethical boobs to her name – famously U-turning on her “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” campaign for PETA – may be embroiled in such a saga. However, perhaps, this time, the ever fascinating flawed star will pull in the punters the good and the green sometimes fail to reach, casting some light on an industry which often bedazzles and beguiles. Let’s just hope, this time, her heart is in the right place.
Tags:
Alliance for Responsible Mining, Blood Diamond, Charles Taylor, CRED, Diamonds, Essence, Ethical Jewellery, fairtrade, Fifi Bijoux, ghana, Hope Diamond, Indiana Jones, Jewels, Leonardo DiCaprio, Liberia, London Jewellery Week, London Metropolitan University, Marie Antoinette, Mia Farrow, Naomi Campbell, Nelson Mandela, No Dirty Gold, Oro Verde, Oxford English Dictionary, PETA, Sierra Leone, The Hague, The Kimberley Process, The Moonstone, Ute Decker, Vivien Johnston
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