Fifty-four jewelers have pledged not to use gold from the
proposed Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay, organizers claim.

The mine, a project of Anglo American, a shareholder in De
Beers, and Northern Dynasty Minerals, would be the largest open-pit mine in
North America. It has not yet received formal approval.

Anti-mine campaigners claim it will generate up to 10
billion tons of toxic waste that would be disposed in the Bristol Bay
watershed, a major source of wild salmon. But the mine’s proponents argue it will
bring jobs and economic growth to the area.

Among the jewelers who have joined the campaign: Zale,
Helzberg, John Hardy, and Tiffany.

“Jostens recognizes that Alaska’s Bristol Bay Watershed is
an ecosystem of national and international significance and,” said Richard
Stoebe, communications director of Jostens, a prominent class ring company.

JCK