More jewelers support protecting Bristol Bay from mining
This week, four more jewelry retailers and designers representing $1 billion in sales announced they won’t buy gold from Anglo American’s proposed Pebble mine. Birks & Mayors, Herff Jones, Commemorative Brands, and Hacker Jewelers took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans by signing the Bristol Bay pledge. "Birks and Mayors proudly joins other responsible jewelers denouncing the proposed mining of precious metals at Bristol Bay," said John Orrico, Senior Vice President of Birks and Mayors. "We trust that the jewelry industry will stand in support of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery".
The Pebble mine would irreparably harm Bristol Bay
The jewelers join over a dozen other prominent retailers, including Tiffany & Co. and Helzberg Diamonds, who have vowed not to buy gold from the Pebble mine, a massive gold and copper mine proposed at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Some of the most productive salmon-spawning rivers on Earth flow into Bristol Bay, which supports the world’s biggest commercial sockeye fishery. The mine is projected to be the largest in North America, generating billions of tons of mine waste and using 35 billion gallons of water per year.
A different kind of Tiffany & Co. advertisement
And in October, Tiffany & Co. will be running an unusual advertisement in National Jeweler, stating that "[d]espite the best of intentions, 175 years of experience sourcing gemstones and precious metals tells us that there are certain places where mining cannot be done without forever destroying landscapes, wildlife and communities. Bristol Bay is one such place."
TAKE ACTION : thank the four most recent signatories to the Bristol Bay Pledge