The Choco Div3rsity Jewelry Collaboration

Jewelry making in Choco has a distinct aesthetic featuring designs that have been preserved for centuries because of the isolated location between the Cordillera mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

The main technique, the filigree, came with the Spanish jewelers brought during the period of colonization, but the Afro-Colombian jewelers who take the gold flakes and transform them into jewelry have made the techniques their own and are an important part of the cultural heritage of the country.

The designs consist of elements derived from nature and religion and a wealth of chain-making techniques that result in extremely tactile, sensuous pieces of jewelry. Their signature bright gold finish is also a secret, only shared orally as part of the apprentice system that has endured in the Chocó Biogeographical Region towns.

While mainly created to celebrate life’s various rituals, the jewelry is also part of intergenerational family wealth that can be given as a warranty and recovered when cash flow is short.

The ancient gold deposits, created millions of years ago when the West Mountain Chain emerged and erosion carried the gold into lowland rivers, have been the source of the alluvial gold that has been hand panned for centuries.

Today, the artisanal women miners work hard and proudly support their families with what they can pan each day. The work is intense and done in hot and humid conditions under the glaring tropical sun with rudimentary tools. Their work is artisanal in nature, in tune with the region’s gold heritage and traditions but under a weak institutional system.

A core value of the panning tradition is to only take what you need, intentionally leaving gold behind for future generations. Unfortunately, this way of life is threatened by heavily mechanized and illegal mining.

With sustained sales, the women miners, who summon the courage to insist on making a living from the glistening gold flakes the river beds offer, can partner together and further their goals to become an association. This allows them better access to markets and increased visibility and compensation.

Local miners in the town of Muzo can sustain their livelihoods and this in turn also supports the gem-cutting and polishing profession. Next, in this bustling chain of economic and ethical values activity are the Afro-Colombian jewelers who require access to clean artisanal gold in order to keep their jewelry making legacy alive.

The heritage of local jewelers from the towns of the Chocó Biogeographical Region might be in jeopardy if new generations of jewelry apprentices cannot envision making a living from this craft, a risk Moda Elan knows too well and is adamant to avoid. The role of stringing together these makers with international buyers is the missing link that may give new life to rich cultural legacies.

Finally, Robert Goodman Jewelers is the connecting force between the miners, jewelers, and the American consumer. This virtuous chain of values closes the circle bringing back a premium that is returned to the origin contributing to the women miners who want to create an association and regenerate the biodiversity of this wild and threatened region.