Carbon capture diamonds and recycled gold: Jane Goodall collaborates with jeweler Brilliant Earth

Concern about recycled gold has grown so great that Signet, reportedly the world's largest diamond jewelry retailer, rejected the term entirely this summer. “Recycled should really only apply to products that are intentionally diverted from a waste stream. And gold is rarely if ever part of a waste stream,” the company said in its statement.

Experts also say gold mining isn't going away – it's the lifeblood of too many communities around the world that rely on small-scale mining, and the best thing jewelry companies can do, they say, is to encourage those communities to adopt more responsible mining practices and support them in maintaining them. Shying away from the problem only helps perpetuate it, they say.

Brilliant Earth says it is working diligently with suppliers to improve the integrity of its gold sources. “We are committed to transparency across the industry to ensure we drive sustainable change across the supply chain,” says Gerstein. “We believe all of these ongoing efforts are necessary to guide the industry toward more responsible and transparent practices for our gold sources.” The brand also works with initiatives that support responsible small-scale mining practices, but recycled gold was the only choice for the most recent one Introduction, says Gerstein.

Dr. Goodall, whose nonprofit aims to “protect chimpanzees and inspire people to preserve the natural world we all share,” already has partnerships in a number of sectors (including fashion). They represent an attempt both to educate people about the problems in these industries and to model other – more ethical and environmentally conscious – ways of doing business. Jewelery is the latest sector to draw her attention and the unmatched importance it holds. Brilliant Earth hopes that the support of Dr. Goodall highlights the urgency of the issues the brand is working to solve and the need to upend the industry's often destructive status quo.

According to Gerstein, the partnership between the jewelry brand and the conservation icon began over a year ago, and around Dr. To celebrate Goodall's 90th birthday in the spring, the Brilliant Earth Foundation donated $100,000 as an “inaugural donation” to the Jane Goodall Institute and announced at the time that a collection would be released later in the year. Brilliant Earth will donate additional funds to the Jane Goodall Institute through the sale of the collection. “The overall goal is to support their legacy,” Gerstein says.

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