Will Will and Kate have Fairtrade goldwedding rings? Who knows, but there is a flurry of rumours circulating the papers and the internet that William and Kate may be up for wedding rings made from the first batch of Fairtrade gold. This would be a mighty rupture with tradition as since the Queen Mother's 1923 marriage, royal weddings rings have been cast from Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine in Snowdonia. Clogau gold is a costly rose-coloured metal that is only available in small quantities from a former copper mine that in 1854 revealed a seam of glimmering gold. I first spotted the Fairtrade gold wedding bands story yesterday morning as I was looking to see coverage of the launch of the first Fairtrade gold. The Mirror reported that there was a possibility that the royal couple would chose ethically sourced gold that made the headlines on its Valentine's Day arrival. So I got in touch with the press officer at Garrard as it is one of the first jewellers to sign up to buy Fairtrade gold and the house that made Diana's sapphire and diamond engagement ring, now on Kate's finger. The press officer confirms that they have not been approached to create the royal rings from Fairtrade gold. So yes it looks like the idea of Will and Kate having Fairtrade gold wedding bands, is just a rumour. But wouldn't it be great if they did? Imagine what a coup it would be for the Fairtrade Foundation who, for the first time ever, are able to sell gold that assures a fair deal for the small scale miners and their families, toiling away deep in pits or up the waist in water. Despite the 21st century gold rush, more often than not, the miners are still living in poverty. Fairtrade gold is the first mined metal that the Foundation has certified and it has the potential to improve the lot of millions of small-scale miners around the world. And the ecological gold is processed without the use of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. The first ingot arrived in London last week fresh from a small Bolivian cooperative and you can find out more by watching the video here. If Kate and William were to chose Fairtrade gold wedding rings it would send out a clear message: we care about the world and we are in touch with issues that matter. I would be very proud of them if they did, and it would make me wave my Union Jack on April 29th as the wedding would have special significance for me and millions of artisanal miners around the world. Fingers crossed that this will happen. And what about the Welsh gold? Well there has been talk of mixing both metals, which would be a very neat compromise.
