Sustainable Development Goals and Jewelry

"The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030."The United Nations

You may wonder what jewelry could possibly have to do with such ambitious but necessary global goals.  The answer is a lot.  

Every element of the jewelry that I create comes from our earth.  Gold, Gemstones, and Diamonds all materials dug out of the ground by another human being, sometimes with only simple hand tools.  It is the journey of the gems and gold before they reaches my hands and yours, that can change the world for the better.  These minerals that I create jewelry with, are in the sector referred to as Artisanal Small Scale Mining.  Artisanal Small Scale Mining (ASM) is second only to agriculture in rural areas as a source of income.  ASM occurs in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

Globally, 40,179,125 people work in ASM, producing 15-20% of the world’s non-fuel minerals. Between 60-150 million people worldwide depend on ASM work for their livelihoods.

I don't want to make jewelry at the expense of other peoples lives or to the detriment of our world, I want to make jewelry that will benefit every person along my supply chain.  The photo in this blog of Eunice and I shows us at The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference, where we were together to further the SDGs.  Eunice is a miner and the Chairperson of The Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA) a non-profit, and founding association of MOYO. Together we represent the beginning and the end of a jewelry supply chain, together we are committed to Sustainable Development through the creation of beautiful jewelry.