Publisher’s note: This letter was sent as part of a NRDC campaign. You can sign the petition off a link. Rio Tinto is a Founding Member of the Responsible Jewelry Counsel. According to their website, RJC Members are committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner

This bench mark study, which compares eight leading standards, focuses on the impact of precious metal mining—particularly gold. The emphasis of the study is the impact to communities and the environment. It was commissioned by Solidaridad and authored by Estelle Levin with the assistance of Amanda Stark. These that were studied and compared were: 1.

When we think of conflict minerals or gemstones, certain countries in Africa come to mind. But with the rapid increase in precious metals comes increase risk of conflict at the mines throughout other parts of the world. Just as we celebrate Fair Trade Gold from the small scale miners in Colombia, this article by the