Marketplace All-in-One Can jewelry ever be truly conflict-free?
Mar 18, 2026
Mimi Swabi, BBC reporter on ethical jewelry supply chains and community-led mining projects. Nancy Marshall-Genzer, Marketplace reporter covering tech and business news. They explore traceable gold and gems, a London jeweller linking women miners to ethical supply chains, and Microsoft’s reported reaction to the Amazon–OpenAI cloud deal.
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Precious Metals Supply Chains Are Deeply Opaque
- Jewelry supply chains are often opaque and linked to human rights abuses and environmental harm.
- Mimi Swabi describes efforts to create traceable, women-led supply chains from riverbeds in Colombia and mines in Afghanistan to finished pieces.
Small Size Makes Precious Metals Easy To Illicitly Move
- Small size and high value make gems and gold easy to smuggle and tie to armed groups or illegal mining.
- Pippa Small built a system linking women panners, certified mines, refineries, and local goldsmiths to create traceable jewelry pathways.
Source From Certified Small Mines And Women Panners
- Work with small family-run and certified fair-trade mines and women panners to ensure ethical sourcing.
- Pippa Small stresses vetting partners and avoiding illegal miners to preserve resources for future generations.