Welcome back readers! Today’s we are back with the last (I promise) post on gemstones.
With the plethora of “sustainable” jewellery brands popping up, I felt compelled to do some more research on the environmental impacts of manufacturing “normal” (unsustainable) jewellery. In my previous 2 posts, I focused more on the ethical issues associated with gemstone mining. So, today we are exploring its tangible impacts on our environment.
Digging through the Internet, I found a report that thoroughly summarised everything there is to know about the process of mining and extraction for the typical materials required for jewellery, entitled Towards an Ethical Jewellery Business (Mcfarlane et al., 2003). Thus, we will be covering the more technical extraction process and how it harms the planet.
The section I was most interested in was about coloured gemstones. while diamonds have always been seen as the poster child for war and conflict, how are the less precious gemstones that much different? Surely the mining processes are similar. The gem mining process can be broken up into different types: Underground extraction, surface extraction, and river dredging.
Underground extraction seems straightforward enough, but the real problem arises after our precious stones have been extracted. When these gems are washed out of the dirt, fine sediment is washed into streams and rivers as runoff, creating sediment build-up and flood risk. Furthermore, as such sediment is not returned to the ground (where they came from), large pits are left unfilled and empty. Normally, this does not occur during legal operations, but in reality, most mining is unlicensed anyway. These pits end up flooded or even collapsing, causing soil erosion and posing danger to wildlife. Deep water-filled pits breed mosquitos, creating unnecessary malaria risk. This is apart from the fact that these pits are already drowning hazards!
Surface extraction isn’t much different. To spare you the dry details, surface extraction can be done quite haphazardly without a mapped out plan, it’s almost a combination of exploration and mining simultaneously. This results in piles of excavated material dumped indiscriminately, again, leaving empty pits around (albeit shallower). However, in the case that mining in a particular spot is successful, these pits are completely unsupported and prone to collapse, posing danger to workers.
Lastly, river dredging seems to be the biggest villain here. Dredging river beds causes bank erosion and collapse, giving way to flooding, more so if vegetation on the river bank is removed (very likely so). Damaging the river bank is dangerous for local communities who rely on those water bodies for domestic activities. Water is also contaminated, harming ecosystems, people and wildlife. Water coated with chemicals is no longer potable, and harms plants and wildlife below as oxygen flow is disrupted. This can adversely affect the food chain and thus fisheries nearby. Increased sedimentation lowers the rivers’ carrying capacity (by raising the river bed) as well as silts up connected irrigation channels, affecting agriculture as well.
While gemstone processing does not require harsh chemicals, the mining process is very much problematic as illegal mining companies have no incentive to improve their practices. Without proper land rehabilitation, habitat loss and population decline of wildlife is inevitable. This leads to long term destruction of land and aquatic ecosystems which unlicensed mining operations will simply choose to ignore.
That’s all from me today, I hope this post shed some light on the technical aspects of jewellery-making, especially with reference to the extraction of raw materials. While it’s easy to overlook the environmental repercussions as the end product is always pretty, it’s important to know how that prettiness came to be. It’s easy to forget that our shiny gemstones came from the ground, especially when they look so polished on us. Look out for my next post!
♡, Qystina
Sources:
Archuleta, J.-L. (2016). The Color Of Responsibility: Ethical Issues And Solutions In Colored Gemstones. Gems & Gemology, Gemological Institute of America.
Mcfarlane, M., Tallontire, A., & Martin, A. (2003). Towards an Ethical Jewellery Business. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich.
What is Sustainable and Ethical Jewelry? (n.d.). Sustainable Jungle. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-fashion/sustainable-and-ethical-jewelry/#item%204