Photos: The Commercial Art Lab
New Gold Collection Launches To Support Pure Earth, Protect The Amazon Rainforest
Auction Opens October 10
Featuring Actor and Musician RUBY RIVERA MODINE,
30+ Designers
New York, NY, October 5, 2022 — Pure Earth, a leading global environmental health nonprofit, is teaming up with actor and musician Ruby Rivera Modine and 30+ designers for the 2022 Pure Earth Pure Gold collection. Featuring pieces crafted using only Fairmined gold that has been responsibly sourced, the collection is the centerpiece of Pure Earth’s ongoing collaboration with the responsible jewelry industry. The collection aims to raise awareness about the global impact of mercury pollution from gold mining, the plight of artisanal and small-scale gold miners, and the solutions being implemented in the Amazon rainforest and beyond.
The Pure Earth Pure Gold collection will open for auction October 10, with bids closing on the evening of October 17 during the Pure Earth Benefit Bash.
“The Pure Earth Pure Gold collection is not just beautiful, it is purposeful. It shows that gold can be mined without toxic mercury, and without the destruction of lives and our natural resources. The incredible jewelers collaborating with Pure Earth are a key part of the solution. Their work on this collection should inspire us all, just as Mother nature inspires me, to work for a better world,” says Ruby Rivera Modine.
Connecting Miners to Jewelers to Consumers
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which supplies about 20% of the world’s gold, is the largest source of global mercury emissions. In the Amazon, ASGM mining with mercury has resulted in large scale destruction and mercury pollution of the rainforest. This has exposed local communities to health risks, which also pose threats far beyond its borders. Mercury moves through the atmosphere and drops into oceans and rivers worldwide, poisoning the global food supply chain and the seafood we all consume.
“I think we all have to start asking questions about how gold is mined. Responsible jewelers who support our work and educate their peers and clients will help create a demand for gold mined without mercury, and that in turn will encourage more miners to go mercury free. We all want the same thing. Gold that does not poison our food, does not contaminate our precious natural resources, and is safe for artisanal miners and their families, who do much of the hard work to get the gold into our hands. The Pure Earth Pure Gold collection is one of the ways we are connecting responsible gold miners to responsible jewelers to consumers to begin the transformation,” says Richard Fuller, Founder, Pure Earth.
Breaking the Gold and Mercury Connection
As the only organization working directly with miners to train them in both mercury-free techniques and reforestation in the Peruvian Amazon, Pure Earth is in a unique position to make an impact in one of the busiest gold mining areas on earth.
Pure Earth is currently working closely with leaders in the jewelry industry on solutions:
• Pure Earth works hand-in-hand with artisanal and small-scale gold miners to produce gold without the use of mercury, and to support the commercialization of “clean” gold. To date Pure Earth has trained over 1000+ miners worldwide. Pure Earth works with miners to implement the best mercury-free approach for their mine, often increasing gold recovery rates. In the Amazon, an entire mining association can go mercury-free with just a handful of miners trained.
• Pure Earth has helped miners in the Peruvian Amazon plant over 10,000 seedings (15 different species) to restore land damaged by mining. Survival rate is high, at over 70%. Nearly 10 hectares of rainforest has been restored, serving as model for how mines can be closed. Pure Earth is working to install nurseries in mining concessions in the Amazon to facilitate reforestation.
• Pure Earth is also working with responsible miners and jewelry industry partners to test and create a “clean” gold supply chain.
The 2022 Pure Earth Pure Gold Collection
The 2022 collection features Fair-Mined gold donated by industry leader Hoover and Strong.
Participating jewelers include:
Andrea Jose Castro, Ani Fine Jewelry, Sandrine B Jewelry, Bario Neal, Bondeye Jewelry, Brilliant Earth, Dana Bronfman, Susan Crow, Freebird, Futura, Catherine Grisez, Maya Kini, Delphine Leymarie, LOLiDE, Made Line, Christina Malle, Melissa Joy Manning, MERZATTA, Leigh Miller, Mina Stones, Anna Moltke-Huitfeldt, Hi June Parker Fine Jewelry, Patrizia NYC, Plume by Kate Collins, Toby Pomeroy, Andrea Pooler, Truss and Ore, Irene Weinz, WEND, Susan Wheeler, WWake, SharonZ.
Previous Pure Earth Pure Gold collections have featured members of the Model Mafia, modeling sensation Molly Bair, and Colombian actress, model and philanthropist Taliana Vargas. Last year’s collection featured actors Kathrine Narducci, Gianna Palminteri, comedian Tara Cannistraci, and Broadway dancer Brittany Conigatti.
Editor’s note: Photos are available. Interviews with Ruby Rivera Modine, Pure Earth, participating jewelers and miners on request, [email protected].
About Pure Earth
Pure Earth is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and improving lives and protecting the planet by reducing disease-causing pollution and cleaning up toxic hot spots in low- and middle-income countries. Since its inception in 1999, Pure Earth and its field teams have completed more than 120 projects in 27 countries using best-in-class science, analytics, and engineering practices to identify toxic hot spots and teach communities how to improve soil, water, and air quality with pragmatic, cost-effective solutions. Pollution is the largest environmental cause of death and disease in the world, stealing 9 million lives each year, and disabling hundreds of millions of children. Pure Earth prioritizes actions that protect the developing brains and bodies of children and pregnant women living in toxic hot spots with a specific emphasis on lead and mercury exposure. Partnering with governments, communities, and industry leaders, Pure Earth aims to elevate pollution as a global priority, create sustainable change, and support a healthier future.
