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INDUSTRY NEWS: 3,000 KIDS POISONED AT GOLD MINES; NYSJA GIVES TO VETS; DEF GIVES $75K FOR EDUCATION October 10, 2012 (0 comments)
3,000 Poisoned Kids: Another Black Eye for Gold Mining
Zamfara, Nigeria—South African labor clashes, South American druglords, destruction of the Alaskan ecosystem, money laundering in Italy.
Now add lead poisoning to the list of reasons why NGOs and environmentalists are increasingly turning their sights to gold. According to this report on NPR, a little-known area of northwestern Nigeria may have the most dangerous gold mining conditions yet.
Lead poisoning from dozens of unauthorized gold mines in the area has already killed hundreds of children and sickened thousands more.
Because the mines are unauthorized—locals dig shafts by hand—nobody’s officially responsible for what happens there. But without any roads, electricity, or formal jobs in the area, local men say digging for gold is their only way to earn a living. So they dig, bringing up ore that contains both gold and lead. The crushing and processing of the ore not only releases lead into the air, but once the gold is extracted, the rest of the ore is simply discarded.
Inhaling lead is dangerous but ingesting it is worse. Unfortunately, kids in Nigeria do what kids everywhere do—they eat dirt. Whether intentional (sometimes) or not, dirty fingers find their way into little mouths. With so much lead in this dirt, about 400 children have died in the past two years and thousands more have been sickened from lead poisoning, according to Doctors Without Borders. The organization is currently treating at least 2,600 children for extreme lead poisoning, and is expecting to treat hundreds more.
Top photo: NPR
NYSJA Golf Outing Raises $5K for Jewelers for Veterans
New York, NY—The New York State Jewelers Association (NYSJA) held its third annual golf outing on Monday, October 1, at the Willow Ridge Country Club in Harrison, New York. The group raised $5,000 for the Jewelers for Veterans Foundation, a new industry organization that works to provide veterans with jobs in the jewelry industry.
J4V, as many in the industry refer to it, offers vets online resources, job counseling, one-on-one support, educational opportunities through industry institutions, employment opportunities through industry employers, and general knowledge about careers in the jewelry industry.
Motto from the Jewelers for Veterans website.
"One of the oldest organizations in our industry has stepped up to help one of the newest. Jewelers for Veterans is enormously appreciative of the support provided by the New York State Jewelers Association at their Willow Ridge golf outing," said Ralph Destino, chairman of the Jewelers for Veterans Foundation, who attended the event. "When an event can combine camaraderie, sport, and fun for all, while at the same time raising funds for a worthy cause, then that is surely a triumphant event indeed, and that is precisely what the NYSJA outing perfectly provided."
"What a fantastic day we all had together! The camaraderie, friendships, networking, and weather all came together for a memorable event," says Mike Wilson, president of NYSJA, and president of Wilson and Son Jewelers in Scarsdale and Mount Kisco, New York. "It is truly a pleasure to join forces with Jewelers for Veterans, and to be able to donate $5,000 to the foundation."
NYSJA also again held the "Favorite Awards," voted on by association members. The Favorite Jewelry Store was awarded to Cornell's Jewelers of Rochester, New York. The Favorite Advertising Sales Representative was Dan Kisch of SmartWork Media (Instore magazine). The Favorite Jewelry Sales Representative was Kara Sheridan of Mikimoto. The Favorite Watch Sales Representative was Mike Hopper II of Baume & Mercier.
DEF Awards $75,000 to Botswana Top Achievers Program
New York, NY—The Diamond Empowerment Fund last week presented a $75,000 check to the Botswana Delegation to the United Nations, as a donation to the Botswana Top Achiever Program, which affords top students in the diamond-producing nation an opportunity to attend the university of their choice worldwide. Upon graduation, they then return to Botswana to contribute to its future.
The $75,000 was the result of funds raised at the June ‘Salute to Botswana, Diamonds Empower Africa’ event held in Washington, D.C., co-hosted by DEF and the Embassy of the Republic of Botswana. Phyllis Bergman, DEF board president, reaffirmed the importance of the event.
"Botswana is a shining example of the positive impact diamonds have on communities when good governance is coupled with wise management of natural resources. Not only does Botswana manage is natural resources well, it also embraces its most important natural resource, its youth, through the Top Achiever Program. This mirrors the mission of DEF and we are thrilled to contribute to this amazing program.”
In accepting the check, The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of education and of “using this tool of education to empower Botswana’s youth to become the next leaders in our country, able to drive economic diversification and growth that will benefit all. We thank the Diamond Empowerment Fund for this most generous donation, which together with past donations amounts to $225,000.”
From left: Nicola Breytenback Steiner, DEF; Hedda Schupak, DEF; Anna Martin, DEF; Ambassador Seretse, Ambassador to Botswana; Nkoloi Nkoloi, Deupty Ambassador; Jim Fernandez, Tiffany & Co.; Scott Rauch, DEF; Michael Kaplan, DEF; Sally Morrison, DEF; Nancy Orem Lyman, DEF: Lesego Mathware, DEF; model Flaviana Matata, Mrs. Skelemani, Botswana Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs Phandu Skelemani; Ambassador Charles Ntwaagae, Permanent Mission of Botswana to the United Nations; and John Thomas Dipue, Botswana Foreign Affairs.
IDMA Helps Kickstart DDI Annual Fundraising
Antwerp, Belgium--The International Diamond Manufacturers Association, along with the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, are among the first contributors to the annual Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) industry fundraising campaign. IDMA secretary general Ronnie VanderLinden says his organization's mission statement "works to encourage fair and honorable practices and decent working conditions for those employed in the diamond industry," and therefore fully supports DDI's goal of achieving fair prices, safe working conditions, education, and the safeguarding of human rights in the African and South American diamond industry.