Help Put the "Class"
Back In Class Rings!

Dear No Dirty Gold supporter,

Students at universities and high schools in the United States purchased some 1.67 million class rings in 2003 -- the production of which generated more than 9 million tons of mine waste!
 
This fall, hundreds of thousands of high school and college students will purchase class rings containing gold. A class ring should be a symbol of pride, and not be tainted with environmental destruction and human rights violations.

As part of the No Dirty Gold campaign, students across North America are educating their peers and lobbying class ring companies to clean up dirty gold.

Please email the three biggest class ring retailers and urge them to provide students with an alternative to dirty gold!

Tell them that you want them to help clean up the gold-mining industry and take responsibility for the gold they use in their rings. (Feel free to personalize the letter  below -- by adding your school name, for example.) Then, keep an eye out for class ring representatives on your campus and tell them what you think about using dirty gold in class rings. 

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Class Ring Executives

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Please put the "class" back in class rings

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am concerned that the gold used in your class rings was produced using irresponsible mining practices. Therefore, I call upon your company to trace and disclose the source of the gold in its rings, and take steps to verify that it is not produced at the expense of communities, workers, and the environment.

Gold mining is one of the most destructive activities in the world. Toxic chemicals such as cyanide and mercury that are used or created in producing gold have polluted drinking water supplies, destroyed fisheries, contaminated farmland and harmed the health of workers and communities.

Class rings and other kinds of jewelry account for an astounding eighty percent of gold consumed each year. A class ring reflects school pride, and its purchase marks years of hard work and achievement by a student. This symbol should not be tainted with dirty gold.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Alan Septoff

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What's At Stake:

About class rings
The three largest U.S. class ring companies are Jostens, American Achievement Corporation (which owns the brands ArtCarved, Balfour, Milestone, Keystone, Master Class Rings, and R. Johns), and Herff-Jones. Together they account for approximately 92 percent of the North American class ring market.

Students at campuses across North America are joining the No Dirty Gold campaign to educate their peers and lobby class rings retailers to clean up dirty gold.  In October, students at Yale University and American University kicked off student campaigning with actions outside the student bookstores where class rings are sold.  Learn more about how students can get involved in the No Dirty Gold campaign.

About dirty gold in class rings
On average, the production of an ounce of gold results in 79 tons of mine waste. Given that approximately half the gold in a class ring is recycled, the average man's class ring contains slightly more than a fifth an ounce of gold, and the average woman's class ring contains approximately a twelfth of an ounce, each class ring generates 3.3 to 8.2 tons of mine waste.

In 2003, some 1.67 million class rings were sold in the United States. That's equivalent to more than 9.6 million tons of mine waste!

Despite the high price at which gold is sold -- a piece of gold jewelry typically sells for four times the value of the gold it contains -- the gold industry is a business that has yet to hold itself accountable for the damage done in creating its merchandise.

You can help change this! First, sign the No Dirty Gold pledge. Then, if you haven't already, respond to this alert to send a letter to class rings retailers urging them to provide students with alternatives to dirty gold in class rings.

Campaign Expiration Date:
July 5, 2006