"No Dirty Gold" campaign

Jewelry Discussion
24 
And people who live in cities and drive them should be arrested
(well occasionally I think they should face the death penalty but
that is usually when they are talking on the phone, yelling at the
kids, have a dog jumping around, a movie on in the VCR and are
trying to shove a donut in their mouth all at the same time).

One day I was driving down the road in my, ummmm…Jeep Cherokee
(and yes, where I live in PA you need one sometimes). Anyway, I passed
a lady who was obviously driving with her knees because she was busy
with both hands flossing her teeth while she looked in the rearview
mirror. Haven’t seen anything like it since !

Brian Corll
Vassar Gems

25

Daniel

Could not have come close to stating my opinion as good as you have.
I have always wondered how many trees are cut down to print all the
brochures about saving the trees.

Keep up the great input.
Bill Wismar
www.wismargallery.com

26

Hi Chris:

But, thanks to the loss of a critical parent in each of these small
families, their survivors are now, while not starving to death,
leading lives of intense poverty, and are faced with future lack of
opportunity because their children cannot afford an education.

I admire the way that you, and others on the list, are bringing the
families of the victims of this tragedy to the forefront of your
thoughts Truthfully, however, you can probably affect more positive
change in the World by helping someone less fortunate close to you.
If you think about it for a minute…suppose we did organize a
large group of protesters. We could rally in Washington. We could
demand that the Chinese government provide masks to the workers in
the mines. We might even get somewhere with our protest. Things might
even change for the better, but, actually, probably not. There is a
family right in my neighborhood where the children are in need of
help. I would bet there are many people on the list who have families
in their neighborhood or community who are in desperate need of help.
Instead of looking halfway across the globe for someone to assist,
look on your street. You are the David in this situation. You can do
more by tackling the small conquest at home rather than attempting
to throw tiny pebbles at Goliath.

Kim Starbard
p.s. but I still admire you for your capacity for hope

27

On Compact Flourescent Bulbs:

It seems that they have problems as well. My wife read in our local
recycling literature that they should not be thrown away due to
mercury in the ballasts. A quick google search revealed the info
below.

Environmental concerns

CFLs contain trace amounts of mercury. The amount is not large
enough to pose a hazard to users, but it does become a concern at
landfills, where the mercury from many bulbs escapes and contributes
to air and water pollution.

Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be
processed. Consumers should seek advice from local authorities.
Usually, one can either

  • Bring back used CFLs to where they were purchased, so the store
    will recycle them correctly; or

  • Bring used CFLs to a local recycling facility.

The first step of processing involves crushing the bulbs in a
machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a
mercury-absorbing filter to contain and treat the contaminated gases.
Many municipalities are purchasing such machines. The crushed glass
and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling
factories.

So it appears that almost everything is somehow tainted…

Andy Cooperman

28 
Start by changing out your incandescent and halogen light bulbs
with compact fluorescent lights (CFL). They use 1/4-1/3 the energy
of the other types of bulbs. Replace your energy ineffiecient
appliances with energy efficient ones.

Ohhh sounds so good, but what is the total environmental impact of
said lamps? I don’t know but for starters an incandescent is fairly
simple, Glass, Nickel, Brass, Tungsten.

For fluorescent add the rare earth powder that is toxic both during
manufacturer and after the lamp is no more good and if cursed with
Bioavailability.

Here in Quebec they expressly warn us not to include them in our
recyclable trash for that reason.

Don’t get me wrong energy savings is good, however don’t do like my
Mother in law and replace the Incandescent with fluorescent and
leave them on all the time because they are cheaper to operate. In
her case the energy savings at the end of the month is nil and the
environmental impact is much higher.

There was an interesting study done in Europe of baby diapers, which
is better disposable or cloth diapers. They did a cradle to grave
analysis of the energy inputs and environmental impacts, and
disposable was the hands down winner. Yet to this day
"Environmentalists diss all over disposables and insist that cloth
diapers are the best way to go.

Food for thought and maybe some reassessment of fondly held belief

Kay

29

I am a little bemused by the posts to this thread, especially the
ones by Daniel and Katherine. If I decided to be 100% “ecologically
correct,” I couldn’t survive. As someone with limited income
possibilities, I am also unable to make a lot of changes that I would
like to make (like living off the grid, or driving a hybrid). So, I
do what I can, based on certain variable criteria.

One is ease–if “doing the right thing” isn’t going to have a
negative effect on my ability to get by, I will probably do it.
Another is expense–ditto. If, instead, I based what I do on trying
be “pure,” I would probably give up and not do anything to contribute
to ecological health. Or, to put it another way, I would just keep
“doing the wrong thing” in all areas, since change would seem
overwhelmingly impossible, and any change I made would seem too small
to matter.

Why are you angry at people who have picked one battle, or picked
one different from the one(s) you have picked? Is it better that
people care about, and act in, one area, or that they act in none at
all? I know, the "no dirty gold’ and “no conflict diamonds” campaigns
may seem to threaten some Orchidians’ livelihoods. But I know
jewelers who are using their commitment to these campaigns as
marketing tools, and doing quite well. I don’t believe they are
insincere, either. Maybe they are deluded, but I doubt that, too.
(Daniel, you are ideally situated to use this strategy.)

Boycotts don’t necessarily close down companies, but they do have a
surprisingly successful history of forcing positive change on them.
Boycotting diamond and gold jewelry is painless (and definitely
inexpensive) for any consumer who doesn’t care about projecting a
certain image. (It’s no different from boycotting SUVs, and there is
certainly a movement afoot to do that; all the wealthy people I know
own hybrids). Supporting these boycotts wouldn’t be easy, or
painless, for lots of jewelers. But I did post, a while back, on how
we, as Orchidians, might be able to act on these issues. My post
received zero replies at the time but, since the issues are now
“hot,” here is the link:

Lisa Orlando
Albion, CA, US

30

so, my question here is 'what’s so wrong with expecting people to
take on a little moral accountability?" by which i mean actually
accepting the fact that your actions have some sort of of
repercussion and making some sort of an attempt to soften that blow.
even if it’s ever so softly by, say, supporting companies and
corporations that take human life and suffering and well being into
account while developing and manufacturing their products. it’s not
that hard. it could be as simple as reading a company’s mission
statement and making a decision based on whether or not you agree.
furthermore, what’s so wrong with education? shouldn’t you know
where your product and materials are coming from? is it easier to
turn a blind eye to it, simply because we live in this squishy soft
privileged bubble that is “western civilization”? isn’t it nice that
all you have to complain about is the skyrocketing cost of gold
instead of, say, choking down the toxic, poisonous fumes created
during the mining and smelting process. i bet all those people in
china, happy to have any job, are just thrilled about the
skyrocketing costs mercury and lead poisoning. who needs drinking
water? isn’t that what dasani is for? maybe if customers were
educated about metal and stones trends would change, from blind
ignorance to to even a remote sense of responsibility. although i
guess for customers to be educated, so do the sellers. perhaps i’m
one of those that has to live in angst and turmoil. sorry i’m not so
jaded yet that i still think maybe i can make a small dent, even if
it’s just in the small space around me, in what accumulates into the
greater problems of the world. yes, i realize that any argument i can
offer will be flawed. i use silver, but scraps. i use stones, most of
which i’ve had for years or inherited. i can’t say i don’t use oil,
but i try to support companies who follow some sort of human rights
guidelines in their mining. if someone is okay with ignoring what’s
going on because it makes them feel better, fine. if you are educated
in the goings on and the processes, and you’re a-okay with it, great.
but don’t try to make those of us who do care sound crazy or
irrational simply because we can’t sleep as well as you night.

31

katherine, you are as wrong as you can be thinking that vegans
cannot live in the wilderness, you did say you go to town once a
week, have you ever heard of legumes, whole grains, olives,
nuts, torula yeast, yams, seaweed, dates, figs etc, plenty of
protein and nutrients, supplements for all, stores well, and
depending how vege you are, adding cheese, raw milk, eggs, you
don’t need to live in the city to vege out, but you have put the
work in to make a beautiful home, energy efficient, i am totally
envious, dp

32

Chris, its not a false dichotomy. Its a fact of life. As I said on
another list, we (those in other areas of the world) have the luxury
of sitting here making assessments about the living conditions of
others and I know there are some who actually take their voice and
transfer it to their feet, but most don’t and until you go and get
personally involved over a long period of time, you’ll never know
what its really like and what the real issues are. Its so easy to
sit here and read and talk to people and think we know what the
reality is, and I don’t argue against your beliefs or opinions, but
there is often so much more to the story than we think. Having
family and friends living in places like Burma tells me that. And
I’ll say it again, for the record, don’t take food out of someone’s
mouth (or the ability to put it there) unless you already have a job
alternative already waiting for them. So often our ‘help’ isn’t
really help at all. and thats just my. 02

Janice

33 
On Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: It seems that they have problems as
well.

Indeed they do!. Besides the environmental concerns listed below, I
would point out that the one (and only!) compact fluorescent bulb I
hopefully tried lasted less than 3 hours before it burnt out.

Margaret

34

A year ago Russell Shore did a nice piece in GIA’s The Loupe - “Good
Business for All” - about the then-forming CRJP

http://www.responsiblejewellery.com

Here’s the link to the complete article:

http://www.gia.edu/loupeonline/29960/22961/2344/back_issue_detail.cfm

Quotes of interest to this thread:

  "...this initiative is a necessary, proactive means of
  accomplishing two important goals: 

  a.. Reducing opportunities for unscrupulous operators to take
  advantage of the traditional trust within the jewelry
  industry. 

  b.. Seizing the public relations agenda from groups who have
  become progressively hostile to the diamond and jewelry
  industries. "The idea arose out of a study by
  PricewaterhouseCoopers, which found that other industries have
  seen consumer and investor confidence undermined by criticism
  from NGOs and negative press reports. Our industry is
  particularly vulnerable, the study noted, because purchases
  are 'entirely discretionary.' 

  "The study, which was commissioned by JA, warned that inaction
  in the face of this situation would keep the industry on the
  defensive, 'responding to agendas framed by others.' Although,
  Runci noted, the study also warned that 'doing something'
  posed some risks as well - mainly attracting attention to what
  many consider an 'non-problem from a consumer awareness
  standpoint.' He stressed the risks of doing nothing far
  exceeded the latter risks. 

  "...such a standard 'would help smaller companies who have
  very little clout of their own convince their clients and
  suppliers to adhere to standards of good business practice." 

  "We have been on the defensive in the jury of world opinion
  during the past five years, since the conflict diamond
  controversy broke. A truly independent foundation that
  articulates the high standards to which most companies and
  individuals have long adhered would enable our industry to
  restore its diminished credibility. It would also offer a
  cynical world tangible evidence that our industry is committed
  to these standards without being coerced by laws or consumer
  actions."

Chris

35

I’ve been skimming/reading, thinking about this thread for the
considerable time it has been running. I don’t imagine I can add a
great deal to what has been written already.

To all those who demand utter purity and consistency from others
before you will listen to their concerns or consider their
suggestions - Please remember they are human beings and therefore
are as fallible and inconsistent as you are.

To all those who hurl accusations of moral turpitude at careless
users of gold, diamonds, electricity or whatever - please remember
those people may be really scared s–tless and witless at the
thought of losing their livelihoods and a lifetime of work and
investment. That has happened to workers and entrepreneurs in many
occupations, many times and places.

I and others have mentioned before in this forum that gold and
diamonds and their ilk are essentially worthless to human life. Their
intrinsic value to humans is in a limited number of industrial
applications which probably account for a very small proportion of
the total mined and processed. I believe the vast bulk of the demand
which causes scarcity which in turn causes artificially high prices
is for personal ornamentation and status symbols. This point of view
is usually met with deafening silence on this forum. There is nothing
especially evil about our use of “precious” materials that cannot be
said equally about other items of commerce; cars, cigars, foods of
all sorts, clothing, etc etc. All of these things overlap into areas
of basic necessities but are also burdened with artificially
arrived-at symbolic values. Even good old water has become a status
symbol. Somebody mentioned “Dasani” in one of today’s postings. Does
anyone out there recall that Dasani was recently busted for selling
ordinary tap water in its bottles? (as have other bottled water
companies from time to time) And does anyone imagine people will give
up drinking from overpriced bottles just because they know they are
being ripped off? Not likely. I believe the rip-off is part of the
appeal - allowing oneself to be ripped off displays a kind of
devil-may-care affluence (in a very small way.)

We are animals, and herd animals to boot. We are no more likely to
give up our ritualistic courting and status display behaviours than
peacocks are likely to give up showing off their feathers. Of course,
we have more options available to us than birdbrains. Don’t we?

Without demanding perfection of ourselves or others, we can exercise
these options, use our power of choice ( a phrase beloved by
capitalists and lovers of “market forces”)

For example, I became somewhat of a vegetarian about 13 years ago. It
was not a black-and-white decision or religious conversion. I was
concerned about the over-use of land and resources for what was a
pleasant but non-essential product. So I stopped eating meat as a
sane land-use decision. I have no moral attitude about this and I
don’t condemn meat-eaters as evil any more than I would condemn a
robin for eating a worm. If I pick up and eat a mysterious hors d’
ouevre at a party and it turns out to be a piece of meat I’ve popped
into my mouth I do not gag nor require absolution nor confession nor
ritual cleansing. But over the years, in the aggregate, I have been
responsible for far less damage to earth than I would have done if I
hadn’t made that choice.

I expect like-minded people will be making similarly sane choices
about gold and diamonds - a sort of harm-reduction strategy. My
personal choice is I wouldn’t spend a nickel on the stuff myself. But
to you in the jewellry biz in a serious way, I wouldn’t worry too
much about going broke. Sadly it seems that there are always enough
bird-brains to go around. “One born every minute” said PT Barnum.
They found corpses clutching bags of gold coins in the ruins of
Pompei. I might, however, worry a bit about what my children and
grandchildren think of me. And that worry is what shows up in some of
the posts I’ve been reading - a whole lot of nervous defensiveness
and lashing out directed at environmentalists, at people who suggest
(A) look at all the effects of all that we do. Then (B) just make
whatever choices you can. It’s not such a big deal. If you think of
yourself as a person with no options available - well, then, that’s
what you see in the mirror every morning. I’m sorry.

I’m no starry-eyed optimist, as you can see. I truly believe our
style of civilization is going down pretty hard and fast. In my North
American life and environment I have more choices available to me
personally than almost anyone ever had in all of human existence. At
the same time in this same world, many millions of people have less
and less choice, not even decent water to drink, never mind Dasani.
If we who live with choices available to us simply choose not to
exercise our power of choice, not even a little bit, then we
certainly deserve what is coming to us.

Thanks for listening.
Marty in Victoria, lovely spot, eh?

36 
People who live in the boonies (no offense intended) absolutely
have a need for larger, more durable vehicles.

What about people (like us) who drive seven passenger vans because
Husband is planning on filling the back five seats with carseats?
(only three to go) When he starts researching buying a school bus,
then I’ll worry…

Susannah

37

Olwyn,

A thoughtful and well thought out reply but I take issue with a few
points:

To all those who demand utter purity and consistency from others
before you will listen to their concerns or consider their
suggestions

I’m not demanding purity. I just think people forget about how so
many other things they do impact the environment in far greater
terms. There has to be a balance achieved. If you don’t like the idea
of damaging the environment, gold mining is not (by any means) the
worst thing going on out there (didn’t 200 Nigerians just die while
trying to steal oil from a pipeline so they could go sell it on the
open market?). Additionally the NCO’s go after what are considered
soft targets because it’s easier, not because they create more
damage.

I and others have mentioned before in this forum that gold and
diamonds and their ilk are essentially worthless to human life.

I don’t know what your customers are like, but a fair percentage of
mine would not consider what they purchase from me to be worthless to
human life. They are representations of what are psychologically
important periods in individual’s lives. And I’m sorry if you don’t
think emotional attachments are necessary to a human’s life, but
there are a lot of people out there who do. My pieces represent times
when people join together (try telling all my wedding band customers
that those rings have absolutely no value), when people welcome new
life into their family, when people say goodbye to family members,
when people have made great achievements in their lives or reached
important milestones. You try and tell my customer who bought 15
rings from me, each the same, to give to 15 of her dead 30 year old
son’s friends that those rings are essentially worthless. Or try and
tell the women who come in who’s husbands have died, who can’t get
their rings off anymore, but won’t allow anyone to take them off
because of what they mean to them. Or tell my customer who’s brother
died in Iraq and got an id bracelet with his name on it that jewelry
is worthless to human life. Or how about my customer who’s sister was
murdered and one of the things she remembers most is the sound of her
sister’s bangles clinking together on her wrist, so she keeps buying
bangles so that she can hear the same sound. Worthless to human
life??? THIS is what human life is all about.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392
@Daniel_R_Spirer

38

Hi All,

Well said Daniel.

I choose in my work to celebrate the human spirit. Gold and Diamonds
are my canvas and paint. It is sad that people do what do in our
world. More blood has been spilt over money than gold or diamonds I
would say. I am not going to forgo it’s use. Diplomacy is best use on
governments to support what is good for the whole. Making one more
group of victims out Jewellers is unfair and will accomplish very
little in the real world. Gold will be sold in the world, if not to
North Americans then to someone else. I would suggest dirty gold
group put more effort where it will actually get results and back off
form the retail sector.

Jim
Jim Zimmerman
Alpine Custom Jewellers & Repair

39 
I and others have mentioned before in this forum that gold and
diamonds and their ilk are essentially worthless to human life.

Judge for yourself…Two women come into my store and want bands,
they were married last year in Canada and are going back for a one
year anniversary. They have been together for 40 years, met in
college.

However, the deadline was to have them done in 2 weeks, and for the
first time in 15 years, I completely blew it and did not even start
them. They called the day before the trip, and I told them I
completely blew it, they were not ready, and I did not have an
excuse that was good enough, and asked what I could do to rectify,
could I loan them rings and have theirs ready when they came back.

The woman keep repeating how disappointed they were, and asked what
I could do to rectify the situation, and I told her I could have
them ready when the got back, and I knocked $100 off each ring. She
said that would help, although they were really disappointed, and I
said I understood and did not blame them for the way they felt.

Back from Canada on Thursday, Friday they come in, and I have a
“ceremony” when I make rings and both people are present to pick
their rings up, I hand the women’s to the man, and the mans to the
woman, and have them put the rings on each other.

I did this with these women, about a week ago. They both came in
yesterday and said they really love the rings, but the “ceremony” I
did was the closest thing to a ceremony they ever had in the U.S.
One of the women reaches across the counter takes my hand in both of
hers, and asks if they can recreate that moment in my store, with
their friends, and take pictures. I said “Of course.”

The bands I made are a signature piece, a two piece ring that is
like a puzzle ring, usually two different colors of gold, that fit
together and are interlinked, appear as one band when worn, and
symbolize two people, separate yet together.

Hearts touching hearts is hardly worthless. Without moments like
this, life would be a pretty barren landscape.

Postscript, a customer, a single mother who started buying gold
rings for her daughters to mark transitions when they were about 12
years old has a daughter that is graduating. She was accepted at the
Eastman (sp) Conservatory in New York, (she plays the violin). We
were invited to the graduation later this month.

The graduation card I picked says “Let the beauty we love be what we
do” Rumi

Anecdotal evidence, worth it’s weight in gold,

Richard Hart

40 
I believe the vast bulk of the demand which causes scarcity which
in turn causes artificially high prices is for personal
ornamentation and status symbols. This point of view is usually
met with deafening silence on this forum.

I don’t usually get involved in philosophical discussions of this
type but this one shows no signs of going away and I would hate for
Marty’s point above to be ingored [G]

Whatever the use to which the gold is put, one has to ask “Is it
worth it?”. Sure it is to the companies who mine the stuff and want
to keep making nice fat profits for their owners and shareholders and
there are also many on this forum who may think that they couldn’t
make livelihood without it, but are they right? Before the ban in
ivory, there were vast numbers of people who worked in the material
making jewellery, cutlery handles, whatever, but do we now see them
begging on street corners - no, they have found alternative outlets
for their skills and alternative materials to replace the ivory.
True, these replacements are usually inferior to real ivory and are
either not as nice to work with or require different techniques, but
we are now largely living without new ivory objects. The same applies
to gold - for all its uses there are available substitutes - perhaps
to the eye of the present generation not as pretty in adornment terms
but then adornment isn’t everything and tastes can be influenced. For
all his adult life, my father wore a wedding ring made of stainless
steel - not because gold was not available when he married in the
1940’s and he could certainly afford to buy a gold one with his back
pay after the war, but, at the time, stainless steel was new and
fashionable in the jewellery industry. Of course, we (as a species)
could solve the gold problem at a stroke by changing our financial
structure from the gold standard to something else. There are
thousands of tons of gold sitting in vaults around the world which
will never, under our present system, ever see the light of day -
why? Can you imagine any other species on the planet going to such
great trouble to acquire something which has no real use in
sustaining its life and hiding it away in underground chambers with
no intention of ever using it? As a species, we are remarkably
stupid! There are about 6 1/2 billion of us on the planet and the
majority of us couldn’t even feed ourselves or sustain our lives if
cast adrift on a desert island! I could take you to a patch of
woodland near here where there are more ants to the acre than there
are humans on the planet and yet they live in perfect harmony, they
do no harm to the environment, they have highly developed social
structures and, apart from occasionally giving a nip to some great
lummock who happens to carelessly tread on their homes, they cause no
harm to anyone. Also, as far as I can tell, they all seem to be
happy! I often think that just one of these tiny creatures has more
real sense than the whole government of any western country! Are you
proud to be a member of humankind? - I’m not. As a species we are
generally stupid and useless. The things we think we are ‘good at’
seldom have any real use as regards sustaining our species or any
other, in fact, most of the things we think we do well - technology,
art etc., are done at the expense of other species and damage the
very planet we rely on for sustenance. No other species is as bent on
self destruction as us. True, other species occasionally go to war
with their like, but this is almost invariably to secure a wider area
for food acquisition and not for esoteric and inscrutable reasons
such as jealousy or religion. I wonder why, if a ‘god’ created all
living things, that mankind is the only one with any kind of
‘religion’ . No, I don’t intend to rouse or trigger any kind of a
religious debate, it would not be fitting for this forum but, since
much of the gold used for adornment over the millennia has been
directed to this use, it does have some relevance to this discussion
and has a bearing on whether or not we should continue to need gold
to be mined. I could go on but I’ve said enough now - I’m not a
member of any environmental, religious, political or other such
organisation as they are invariably seeking confrontation with other
parts of society, I just prefer to be a free thinker and try to do my
part to preserve the planet and all living things. However, I wil
leave you with one thought - as one of only 6 1/2 billion people in
exstence, you probably have a better chance of influencing the future
of this planet and the lives of its occupants than you do of winning
the national lottery!

Best wishes,
Ian
Ian W. Wright
SHEFFIELD UK

41

Thanks to Daniel Spirer for his thoughtful reply to my recent rant.

I replied to him as follows -

For the most part I don’t think we are in any disagreement. I think,
however, that either I did not make myself clear or that you read my
rant hurriedly and maybe missed a few points.

First, On the issue of “purity” I agree completely that people
forget that there are many many activities, all human activities for
that matter, in which we must consciously examine the consequences of
our actions. If we choose to do something differently because of what
we have seen, maybe that’s a good thing. If we choose to do nothing,
to continue as before, maybe that’s OK too. Maybe we cannot afford to
change. Maybe we can be more effective making other changes in our
lives. I think I only asked that people don’t instantly dismiss what
is brought to their attention simply because the speaker or writer
is also a “sinner”. That is just a poor argument, an excuse used too
frequently by people who feel economically threatened. An economic
threat is a real threat, really scary, and scared people don’t
always think clearly.

Second, on the issue of “Value” - You actually support what I said
but you seem to have missed my point. I was writing about the
INTRINSIC value of “precious” materials like gold, diamonds etc. This
is a far different kind of value than “MARKET” value or "SOCIAL"
value. I’m sure you can understand that a bar of gold is
intrinsically worthless compared to a dish of food (to a person who
is starving.) That is an extreme case, of course, but makes the
point. We DON’T NEED gold. We NEED food. I agree wholeheartedly with
you that we also need means of emotional expression in our lives as
you so clearly stated. However, the means of expression is at our
discretion. In the absence of gold or diamonds, we can give other
objects as tokens of our deepest feelings and beliefs. An ordinary
seashell or pebble or flower or almost anything at all will do if
both the giver and receiver agree upon what is invested in that
object, both agree on what is being expressed.

My personal choice might be to give my wife a poem or play her a
song or cook her a meal. The market value of any of these things is
negligible. A few cents for a piece of paper, a few dollars for some
food, a little of my time. But the emotional value is very high - and
I don’t think you would think less of me for choosing to express my
feelings that way rather than by giving her a gold ring. It is
entirely a personal choice. If your customers can find no other way
to mark an occasion or hold onto a memory than via a piece of
jewelry, then that is their choice. We all make a choice every time
we take another breath or another heartbeat.

We just celebrated the 35th anniversary of our very happy marriage.
We were given rings by our children to mark the occasion. The rings
were 2 paper rings, the ones that come around big fat cigars. Cigar
bands. This was to commemorate our marriage in those days when we
were too poor to afford anything better than that. And nobody had to
dig up 30 tons of some far-away river bed or jungle hillside to get
a little gold for those rings. Nobody had to risk life and limb.
Nobody had to pour cyanide into an aquifer. Nobody had to scrimp and
save and sacrifice hard-earned cash that could better be spent on
food or education or shelter. We felt very good about those paper
cigar bands because of what they meant emotionally, and because of
what they didn’t mean to the the world. What is valuable is the
marriage itself.

There is the only place where we disagree. Your assertion that I
"don’t think emotional attachments are necessary to a human’s life"
is very wrong. There is nothing in what I wrote that should cause you
to make that assumption, that accusation. I regret the fear of
economic disaster that my thoughts have aroused in your heart. I know
these are painful feelings and may cloud your perceptions of who I
am. I cannot compel you nor your valued customers to do anything at
all. You are free. I am no threat to you. You are free. Your
customers are free. It ain’t such a bad thing to be free.

Some of my children and grandchildren live in Boston. Perhaps I can
drop in and say hello to you next time I’m there and you’ll see I’m
not very scary.

Incidentally, I am Marty Hykin, not Olwyn Morinski - although my
email will show “Olwyn” as the sender. She is my estimable wife and
this is her computer I am using, thus the mixup in names.

Thanks for your thoughts, from one emotional human animal to
another,

Marty Hykin, in Victoria, BC

42

Dear Richard,

The “worth” in your rings has nothing to do with the materials from
which they are made. As Ian pointed out, they could be made of
stainless steel and be just as “worthy.” IMHO, it depends on the
values of the recipients.

Gold has what one could call archetypal value, because it has been
so highly valued for millennia. The archetypal value of diamonds has
nothing to do with the substance–it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t
got that bling. But the values of modernism, post-modernism,
feminism. etc. could easily override those archetypal values. For
example, I know lots of lesbian couples (I am, after all, living on
Albion Ridge, a world-famous enclave) who wouldn’t be caught dead
wearing, or giving, or exchanging diamonds or gold. And that doesn’t
mean they don’t exchange rings.

Lisa Orlando
Albion, CA, US

43

Lisa,

I know lots of lesbian couples who wouldn't be caught dead wearing,
or giving, or exchanging diamonds or gold. And that doesn't mean
they don't exchange rings.

I feel like you missed the point of my post, it was not about gold
rings.

And from your above post, it seems to me that since rings are a
symbol of marriage, and lesbians can’t legally marry in the U.S., it
seems logical they reject diamonds, a symbol of engagement, but it
seems it would also be the ring that they would reject, (not what
material the ring is made of) as that is something our society
identifies with marriage.

And obviously, the lesbians I made rings for, would be caught dead
wearing gold rings., If you remember my post, they were legally
married in Canada, so the rings might be considered a valid symbol,
perhaps by the lesbians in your neck of the woods.

Wrong thinking does not make right action, and non-sequiters (reason
to not use gold or diamonds, reason to use rings) just seems like
confused thinking to me.

Validity or non validity of materials and their uses is based on
what criteria? Just make up whatever story you want to believe? Is
there some other material to make rings out of that make that
material more politically, emotionally, environmentally ect. correct?

It is not the downward spiral that concerns me, it is the rate of
speed.

Richard Hart