What beautiful stories can artisanal mining tell us? Hear Cristina Villegas, the globally respected Director of Mines to Markets at Pact, share her bright, gem-rich fantasy vault and describe what ethical jewellery means at a human level, ultimately choosing that one special treasure to keep safe forever.

Welcome Inside the Jewel Vault hosted by me, jeweller and gemmologist Jessica Cadzow-Collins, with guests drawn from the great and the good across the jewellery world, who chose six special pieces from their life and career in jewellery to save in a fantasy jewel vault.

I hope you enjoy listening!

Guest Bio: Cristina Villegas is a leading figure advancing good governance in the artisanal and small-scale mines to market sector. About 20% of the diamonds and gold we buy and 80% of the sapphires are amongst the minerals mined informally by an estimated 45m people worldwide, some of whom earn less than $2 a day. Whilst it’s a hugely important source of minerals and metals globally, it traps communities in a cycle of poverty. Based in Washington DC, Cristina is Director of Mines to Market at Pact, a respected global NGO advancing development and sustainability and her projects range from mining safety in Indonesia, to child labour in gold mining in Columbia via many projects in African nations including the pioneering Moyo Gems women’s social enterprise in Tanzania.

I want to hear from you!

How about you? What special treasures would you put into your fantasy jewel vault, and why? Every so often I’ll compile your stories into a podcast of their own - so feel free to curate your own fantasy Jewel Vault and share with me by email. I read each and every one.

Email me [email protected].

To access show notes and images, go to: https://insidethejewelvault.com/podcast

Produced by broadcast & media guru Lizzie Wingham.

Engineered by sound genius Asa Bennet.

My grateful thanks to you both!