A FairJewelry.Org Exclusive: An Interview With Toby Pomeroy
It was Toby’s desire to use only ecologically sound gold that led him to talk to Torry Hoover, CEO of Hoover and Strong. In the end, Torry changed the course of his river, Hoover and Strong, one of the leading precious metal and refining companies in the country. Torry is now supplying recycled gold, silver and palladium, as just part of his ecological initiatives.
Here’s a brief interview with Toby Pomeroy:
FJ: What was it, from your life experience that brought you to ask that question to Torry?
Toby: I have seen often enough over the years that the only thing that makes a difference is action. No amount of good ideas, insights, or well-meaning intentions makes any difference unless accompanied by action. There have been many times when I haven’t acted, when I’ve stopped short because of some fear or concern, an awkwardness, not wanting to intrude. Some of those times have cost dearly. I always want to act when there is an opportunity.
FJ: Let’s cut to the chase and talk about business. My experience at this point is that almost all but a few retailers don’t care about eco gold All they care about is the bottom line, not the triple bottom line. I’m not saying this as a criticism, but I’m just stating what I am seeing around me. I’m trying to get a sense here of is whether eco gold has actually been a tipping point for any of your trade customers—outside of those who are already passionate about these things and outside of those who would have bought your items anyway because they like your designs. What I want to know is, how has the difference in your ecological principles, added value to your product to the trade?
Toby: First of all I’d say that many retailers are interested in offering environmentally sustainable jeweler but it’s challenging to promote new products that might raise questions from their customers about the pre-existing inventory. Regarding the matter of being a tipping point, the response to EcoGold has been quite surprising. There definitely is a growing trend toward an awareness and appreciation for all things sustainable and I’m confident that environmentally sustainable products will be increasingly important throughout the commercial food chain. This is only a tiny blip of what’s to come.
There are a tremendous number who share this view and many, many people are looking for opportunities to contribute in some way, including creating and purchasing conscious products.
FJ: To sell your work with the green perspective at a jewelry store, you have to get to the sales force in that store. Do you have any sense of what percentage of your trade customers actually market you as a “green” goldsmith? Related to this, can you offer any advice to the rest of us on how to get that sales force passionate about your unique selling points?
Toby: I don’t know the percentage but it is growing. I suspect in the vicinity of 35~40% market us as green.
We aren’t interested in selling our jewelry to everyone. We’re simply looking for retailers we relate to, who love our designs, love what we stand for and are passionate about earth-friendly practices and products. The media is doing such a great job of educating us as to the benefits of sustainable practices, there isn’t a lot to do as far as training goes. Our selling point really is our story and everyone wants to know the story; we all want to be inspired by what underlies our possessions. There seems to be a significant proportion of people wanting to possess few but very special items. Simple and noteworthy.
FJ: Do you have any experience with retail customers around these issues? If so, how much has it made a difference?
Toby: Last month Vanity Fair featured one of our pendants as one of their recommended Green Products and we’ve gotten many calls from retail customers. Most of those who called or emailed mentioned being inspired by the fact that we’re creating jewelry from reclaimed metals. We have gotten calls from several magazines, as well as a major NY newspaper looking for examples of or information about sustainable jewelry.
FJ: Can you speak of the opportunity that the trade is missing, if any, by not connecting to these customers?
Toby: It seems that few are unaware of the approaching tsunami of interest in sustainable jewelry and fair-trade gems. If you’re not headed in this direction, you’re likely to miss out in a big way.
FJ: When I mention that the gold is recycled, some people on the retail end have said, “That’s not good enough because the mining was probably done irresponsibly anyway.” What would you tell that person?
Toby: They’re right, there’s no such thing as “pure” gold in any sizable quantity. What I intended when approaching Torry Hoover about starting a reclaimed gold program was simply to be proactive in an intolerable situation… that of metals mining being arguably the single most toxic activity on the planet today. Using reclaimed metals is no ultimate solution. There isn’t enough gold being recycled to account for the demand. I wanted to begin to put pressure on the gold mining industry, to let them and the world know that we in the jewelry industry know how nasty mining has been and we’re demanding the implementation of sustainable practices. This is just our first salvo.
FJ: How much has changed over the last year in terms of fall out around these issues, and what is your best guess as to how many years it will take before social and ecological responsibility becomes important to the jewelry industry as a whole—if ever?
Toby: As I mentioned, it’s fast approaching and there’s no if in it. It’s like a squall… you don’t see it coming unless you’re really paying attention then you’d better hustle to secure the vessel ‘cause you’re going to get pounded.
FJ: As a bench jeweler, are there any specific compounds or chemicals that you recommend that are good alternatives to those less harmful? For example, in our shop we do not use cadmium solder and we use pickle that is made with citric acid. I’m looking for ideas like that. Can you think of other steps a manufacturer in the industry can take—besides the recycled metals, to become more ecologically and socially responsible?
Toby: We are in the process of switching all of our packaging away from those effortless and ubiquitous zip-lock plastic bags to environmentally friendly, fair-trade materials. Several of us regularly ride our bicycles to work to cut down on CO2 emissions and we recently spent $6,000 on a filtration system so we can re-use the water and separate the sludge from our mass-finishing unit. It is a big cost right now and I’m confident that it will pay in the long haul. Through employing sustainable practices we are insuring a viable future. There’s no integrity in leaving messes behind for our children to clean up.
FJ: What are the next steps for all of us?
Toby: It is a real individual matter. Whatever we’re doing, if it’s worth doing at all it’s worth doing right.
It is possible for each of us to be proud and inspired by every aspect of our work, our selves and our lives. I intend to go to my grave fully satisfied, having not one regret and knowing that I’ve made this a happier, more friendly, more beautiful and a more workable place.
To learn more about Toby Pomeroy and his hand made jewelry made from 100% recycled gold, visit his website at www.tobypomeroy.com
For more on why Toby does what he does, read this article from JQ Magazine which you can also find on his website here: http://tobypomeroy.com/testing/jq_magazine_article.html
