“Cartier: Design, Craft, and Legacy” opened earlier this month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Lashbrook Signs on As Mercury-Free Mining Premier Sponsor
And more on where the initiative is at in its mission to eradicate the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

The company’s $50,000 contribution will help the program in its efforts to find effective technologies for the safe, mercury-free mining of gold, connect small-scale and artisanal miners with these processes so they can protect themselves, and ensure the miners are more profitable as well.
“We greatly appreciate and commend Lashbrook’s leadership and commitment to the eradication of mercury from the global gold supply chain,” said Toby Pomeroy, MFM founder and executive director. “Industry support like that of Lashbrook is critical to advancing our mission and will help in immeasurable ways.”
Launched by Pomeroy in 2017, the initial goal of MFM (originally called the Mercury-Free Mining Challenge) was to get the jewelry industry to put up a $1 million prize for the creation of a safe, scalable and effective alternative to the use of mercury in mining by artisanal gold miners.
Artisanal miners produce 20 percent of the world’s annual gold supply, and almost all of them use the element to separate the gold they find from other materials.
They burn off the mercury by heating it, sending 12,000 pounds of toxic particles into the air that are harmful to people and the environment.
In January, founder Pomeroy traveled to Ghana to test a separation process called Goldrop that could fulfill his organization’s ultimate goal by using the elutriation process to separate gold, including all heavy elements and minerals, from mineral concentrate and tailings.
Elutriation is a process of precipitating out particles by means of an upward current of fluid, often water or air.
Pomeroy told National Jeweler in an email update Tuesday that following a promising report from the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM), MFM was considering raising funds to help bring Festus Adomako Kusi and Peter Osei, GNASSM mining engineers they had worked with in Ghana, and Ishmael Quaicoe from the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa, Ghana to the U.S. to continue testing and refining the Goldrop process.
But in March, COVID-19 travel restrictions ended those plans, as it did so many others. Shortly after Pomeroy also learned of the unexpected death of GNASSM’s Kusi.
Pomeroy said MFM hopes the engineers will continue exploring Goldrop’s potential in Ghana.
Meanwhile, the MFM and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) continue to explore ways to connect innovative “green” mining technologies with interested mining communities.
The two processors, Goldrop and Gold Strike Micron Gold, processes the Colombian ore samples to demonstrate their efficiencies in recovering gold from its mineral concentrates.
Pomeroy said he recorded a video of them applying their processes to the ore and will submit a report about the procedures and efficiencies to ARM, which will pass it on to Coodmilla.
If either or both technologies seem easy enough to use and allow the miners to mine more profitably, Coodmilla may elect to integrate one or both into its mining methods.
If they do choose to use one or both and find that production is significantly improved, “this will be earthshaking news,” Pomeroy told National Jeweler.
“The Coodmilla Cooperative’s current methods would be considered state-of-the-art by many ASGM processors around the world, and if an improved method of ore processing is available that allows them to mine more efficiently and profitably, the world will want to know about it.”
If all goes as they hope, MFM and ARM then would help set up on-the-ground testing programs in mining communities, and after that, pilot programs if they’d like to keep using them.
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Industry veteran Samantha Larson has held leadership roles at Borsheims, McTeigue & McClelland, Stuller, and Long’s Jewelers.

The risk of laboratory-grown diamonds being falsely presented as natural diamonds presents a very significant danger to consumer trust.
The two organizations will hold the educational event together this fall in Mississippi.


The entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.

The Ukrainian brand’s new pendant is modeled after a traditional paska, a pastry often baked for Easter in Eastern European cultures.

The jeweler has announced a grand reopening for its recently remodeled location in Peoria, Illinois.

The “Strong Like Mom” campaign features moms who work at Tiffany & Co. and their children.

Interior designer Athena Calderone looked to decor from the 1920s and 1930s when crafting her first fine jewelry collection.

During a call about its full-year results, CEO Efraim Grinberg discussed how the company is approaching the uncertainty surrounding tariffs.

The free program provides educational content for jewelry salespeople and enthusiasts to learn or refresh their diamond knowledge.

The online sessions are designed to teach jewelers to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to grow their business.

The opening marks the jewelry retailer’s first location in the Midwest.

The “United in Love” collection offers tangible mementos of hearts entwined with traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.

Robert Goodman Jewelers will hold a “Black Jewelry Designers and Makers” event on April 27.

The announcements follow a tumultuous start to 2025 for WJA, which saw a wave of resignations following controversial statements about DEI.

Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff answers questions about how the new taxes levied on countries like India and China will impact the industry.

Kenewendo, Botswana’s minster of minerals and energy, discusses closing the deal with De Beers and the work that was missed along the way.

The historic fancy vivid blue diamond set to headline Christie’s Geneva sale next month could sell for up to $50 million.

LVMH CFO Cécile Cabanis also discussed the effects of tariffs so far.

The “Mad Men” and “The Morning Show” star steals jewelry, art, and handbags from his wealthy neighbors in “Your Friends & Neighbors.”

The organization has reelected Kalpesh Jhaveri as president.

An investigation found that the former managing director of Movado’s Dubai branch overstated and prematurely recorded sales.

The collection pays tribute to the Japanese philosophy of Ma, studying balance, stillness, and the interplay between presence and absence.

Mari Lou’s Fine Jewelry in Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago, is closing its doors.