I just finished reading the article The Price of Gold by Susan
Kingsley in the most recent issue of Metalsmith Magazine. I found
the article enlightening and extremely disturbing. I urge you all to
take a look at the article. It discusses the ecological, social and
political costs of gold mining…and the picture it paints is not
pretty. I have always tried to walk gently on the earth, which I
imagine is the case for many others on this list. How do we
reconcile our use of gold in making objects of beauty and joy, with
the terrible destruction the mining of gold causes in the world. It
is an issue that Susan’s article will force me to grapple with and I
am eager to hear the thoughts and feelings of others on this matter.
Thank you - Ellen Schiffman
Having dredged gold from Washington rivers, not only do we clean the
environment, loosen the gravel for better spawning, but also remove
a considerable amount of mercury that covers the gold from old
Chinese mining practices circa 1800. So I beg to differ about the
extraction of gold from the earth being a destructive practice in
this manner.
Just my 2 cents
Ringman John Henry