Fair Trade Gold

MTW Jewellery was the first Goldsmith in Ireland to offer fairtrade gold and silver in her bespoke jewellery designs. In 2012, after months of hard work between hers and Fairtrade Ireland the option for Irish consumers became a reality. 

MTW also offers recycled gold as an alternative ethical and sustainable option.

Sotrami Mines

Fairtrade Gold is fully traceable and comes exclusively from artisanal and small-scale miners. The fairtrade gold I use comes directly from the Sotrami mines in Peru. The Mining Community is paid fairly for the gold and also given an extra amount of money which is democratically used to improve the living standards of their community.

What is Fair Trade Gold?

Fairtrade Gold is exactly the same carat as traditional Gold - the only difference being is where it is sourced. Gold comes from the ground yellow and as 24ct. At this stage it is quite soft. Picture if you will the cliched image of a cowboy biting into the nugget of gold. If he leaves a mark then it is the soft 24ct fine gold. (I would not recommend you try this at home!) The 24ct gold is then alloyed with other metals to make it usable in jewellery. This is where the terms 18ct and 9ct came from - 18 parts fine gold out of 24 or 9 parts fine gold out of 24.

At the moment only Fairtrade Gold is available but I’m looking forward to using Fairtrade Platinum and Silver in the near future.

Here are some links which give more information about Fairtrade Ireland and Fairtrade Gold.

www.fairtrade.ie

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Farmers-and-Workers/Gold

Recycled Metals

When not using Fairtrade metals, all the metals Marie-Therese uses are recycled.

Ethically Sourced Gemstones

Over the years MTW has established supply chains with gemstone dealers who only supply ethically sourced and mined gem stones. These are connections she will continue to build.