Oscars and Dirty Gold?

As most of us who make jewelry are also interested in jewelry industry related news and since the Oscars are just about here, I thought this news from Earthworks.com might be of interest to readers. As many of you know already, there is a big push in the jewelry industry for ethical gold and gemstones to be used in the jewelry making process.

Most of us are on the low end production-wise when compared to larger jewelry manufacturers, so we look to them to sort of set an example. According to the post at Earthworks, this group is trying to pressure Harry Winston to step up and agree, like many other big name jewelry companies including Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, to refuse to use what they term "dirty gold." This is gold that may have been mined using unsafe or unethical practices.

At the very least, I think it will be interesting during the Oscars to see what the stars are - or possibly more so are not - wearing when it comes to the jewelry they normally borrow for their red carpet appearances.

Let me know, then, if you plan to watch the Oscars at all what you think about the jewelry in general.