The extraction of gemstones is not indifferent to the ecosystem. Despite the sincere efforts of many organizations, the pollution from illegal mines and the working conditions of miners are unacceptable.
For this reason, I order my stones only from large suppliers based on contacts developed over the years. My suppliers provide services to companies such as Cartier, Harry Winston, and Bulgari. They have an outstanding reputation, sometimes developed over generations, and follow the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).
Buying gemstones from reliable suppliers is one way to take care of the planet and counter illegal mining. However, there is yet another way to achieve this.
The earrings below are an example. They have been made with Pink Moissanite. Which a mineral of cosmic origin discovered by the French chemist and mineralogist H. Moissan in the Canyon Diablo meteorite in the United States.
The parameters of this mineral are indeed cosmic. It has a hardness similar to that of a diamond (9.3 on the Mohs Hardness Scale) and a higher brilliance. Thanks to this, the gemstone has even more gloss than a diamond.
Moissanite has been extracted in a laboratorial manner since the 1960s. The process takes place under controlled conditions and avoids devastating priceless nature. The gemstones have been set in white gold 585.
