Stephen Einhorn & Fairtrade Gold Jewelry

This post was originally published on Aug 17th 2011 and updated on Aug 10th 2018.

If you think about it, ‘fair’ really is a pretty good word. It means that everyone is happy with their piece of the pie, no one’s trying to swindle anyone else, and no one is trying to profit from someone else’s misfortune.

We’ve always tried to be fair here at Stephen Einhorn. We think it’s fair that our local community should benefit from a thriving business so we support it, we want our wages to be fair (not minimum), we make sure the precious stones that we use in our jewellery don’t come from countries where human rights abuses are rife.

Recycled and Fairtrade Gold

Fairness is something we have always considered and which we give great importance to. Which brings me to Fairtrade Gold. We have long used recycled gold in our men’s and women’s fine jewellery, which we will continue to do. This gold has been in the supply chain for hundreds of years, it may have been in computer chips, pirate bullion, or an old beloved broach, and it has its own story because of this. Our Fairtrade Gold jewellery is a brand new story, another to add to our ‘fair’ collection alongside non-Burmese rubies and adult labour.

So what does Fairtrade Gold mean?

It means that the people who mine the gold – just like Fairtrade farmers of coffee or tea – get a decent price for the raw material. It means it’s mined using safe working practices including the management of toxic chemicals, such as mercury and cyanide which can be harmful to both environment and miner. It means that Fairtrade Standards are met regarding working conditions, health and safety, handling chemicals, women’s rights, child labour and protection of the environment.

How much more is Fairtrade Gold?

You will be paying a little extra for jewellery made from Fairtrade Gold, so that small-scale miners and their communities can benefit from its sale with a minimum guaranteed price. In addition, miners receive the Fairtrade Premium of 10% which goes towards the social, environmental and economic development of their community. The additional cost of having a piece of Stephen Einhorn jewellery made in Fairtrade Gold is approx. 10% on top of the standard retail price.

Stephen Einhorn was one of the first jewellers to sign up back in 2011.

After trying to be as ethically sound as we could, it finally became possible for us to use a certifiable, Fairtrade Gold stamp. Doesn’t that pie taste good now? So you now have the option when buying a piece of men’s or women’s fine jewellery from us, or commissioning a bespoke jewellery design, to pay a bit extra for the Fairtrade Gold. You get to choose the story you want. It’s only fair.

If you are interested in having one of our jewellery pieces made in Fairtrade Gold please contact us.

For more information on Fairtrade Gold jewellery please visit www.fairtrade.org.