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Activists Protest Against Precious Gold On Valentines Day
If you did some last minute jewelry shopping in the New York City Diamond District this past weekend, you would have met some very loud protesters (literally right outside our diamond headquarters) who oppose some of the gold mining practices.
The "No Dirty Gold" campaign, launched by nongovernmental organizations Oxfam and Earthworks a year ago this week, claims that U.S. Valentine's Day sales of gold jewelry leave 34 million metric tons of waste worldwide. Campaign organizers claim Valentine's Day is the number one day for gold jewelry sales in the United States.
Protesters stood in front of jewelry stores throughout the United States, handing out cards with the message "Don't tarnish your love with dirty gold." One protester, dubbed "Ms. Godzilla" stood on New York's Fifth Avenue shopping district wearing a skull mask.
"Gold loses its luster when it is produced at the expense of healthy communities, clean water and human rights," Payal Sampat, international campaign director of environmental group Earthworks, said in a statement.
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