Podcast
Gem Connection
Hosted by Susan Thornton · EN
Gem Connection is about the interconnectedness of gemstones to the broader world around us: to geology, ancient Greek coins and the annals of history, to the fascinating people who have impacted the gem trade, to lab grown diamonds and their uses in applied science and quantum computing and water purification, to sustainability and the climate.
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3episodes
Episodes
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Structural Color, Biomimicry, & Genevieve Hudson-Price, All Social Butterflies
Dec 28, 202200:15:14Tap to summarizeStructural color and biomimicry are the subjects of this episode, and the blue morpho butterfly is a featured player in both. Structural color is how light interacts with the nano surface of a material - like a blue morpho butterfly wing, or the exoskeleton of an iridescent beetle. Biomimicry refers how science borrows from the natural world to create new technology. My special guest is the immensely stylish and interesting Genevieve Hudson-Price, actor and jewelry designer born and raised in NYC. As an actor, she is best known for her work on HBO’s The Wire, The Deuce, and The Outsider. Her jewelry line, Blue Morpho Jewelry, is comprised of one-of-a-kind pieces handmade by Genevieve using recycled metals and ethically sourced precious materials—often featuring real butterfly wings and spider webs encased in hand-carved crystal and gold, as well as real beetles. All of her butterflies come from sustainable butterfly farmers—never hunters. Her jewelry is available is available at ABC Carpet & Home, her website is bluemorphojewelry.com. Photo thanks to Genevieve Hudson-Price.
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Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)
Jul 8, 202100:34:54Tap to summarizeArtisanal small-scale gold mining, shortened to ASM or ASGM, has workforce of 20 million and produces 16% - 20% of the gold annually! ASGM is also the largest global user and emitter of mercury. Mercury has been used for thousands of years to extract gold, but the way miners use it produces low yields of gold, and miners don’t know the risks of using it. My guests in this episode are working to formalize ASGM toward ethically mined, responsibly sourced gold with the purpose of reducing or eliminating the use of mercury while also addressing issues of health and safety, human rights, the environment and, public awareness. Special guests: Ludovic Bernaudat is Senior Task Manager in UNEP Chemicals and Waste GEF unit where he leads the technical team developing and implementing projects. He joined UNEP in 2015 and had been leading the developments of multi-agency programs including the planetGOLD program. Before joining UNEP, he worked for 12 years in UNIDO where he led projects on Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining, cleaner production and eco-cities. He led the development of the agency’s mercury program. Additionally, he has been the co-lead of the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership area on Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining since its inception in 2007. He has a MSc in Environmental Sciences and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Susan Keane is the Senior Director of Global Strategies, in the International Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Susan is a public health specialist with over 30 years of experience working on domestic and international environmental health issues. Her work has covered a range of topics, and spanned several regions of the world. Most recently Susan has focused her advocacy on reducing global mercury pollution, particularly in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. She was directly engaged with governments during the negotiations of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and is now working with the UN agencies, countries and NGOs to put the Convention into action. In particular, she is working with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNEP on the GEF-funded planetGOLD program to reduce mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in eight countries. She is also the co-leader of the ASGM Area of the United Nations Environment Program Global Mercury Partnership. Maggie Gabos is Lead Consultant for Christina T Miller Sustainable Jewelry Consulting. She has a demonstrated history of working across sectors towards improving the responsible sourcing and sustainability impact of the jewelry industry. She has a Masters Degree in International Development and Environmental Sustainability. Elizabeth Chatelain is owner of MVI Marketing LLC a market research firm working exclusively in the worldwide gem, jewelry and watch industries. MVI provides market research, industry intelligence, and strategic analysis for companies within the gem, jewelry and luxury watch industries. Websites for your continued research: planetgold.org, unep.org, fairmined.org, christinaTmiller.com, mercuryconvention.org, epa.org, thegef.org , artisanalgold.org, hooverandstrong.com, themveye.com Photo credit: https://education.australiascience.tv/mercury-poisoning-from-gold-mining/
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Paula Crevoshay, the Queen of Color
Dec 24, 202000:29:38Tap to summarizePaula Crevoshay is a central figure in the jewelry trade as a judge (of the Buccellati Awards, Saul Bell Awards, and Spectrum Awards), educator, designer, award winner, and visionary. She's known in the trade as the Queen of Color. Paula’s work, all of it - including her lectures, books, her infectious positive energy, her incredible curiosity - has made an indelibly connection to nature, art, and science. Her jewelry is on display at prestigious American museums including the Smithsonian Institution, The Carnegie Museum, and Gemological Institute of America (GIA). In this episode we talk about Paula's museum shows, how she works to elevate artists in the jewelry trade, her design secrets, her fascinating background, and influences. Website: crevoshay.com Instagram: @crevoshay
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