Exhibition: Radical Jewelry Makeover at Velvet da Vinci Art Jewelry and Sculpture Gallery, San Francisco

Radical Jewelry Makeover offers a fun, informed and creative alternative to mining and jewelry production.

This is how it works: the public is asked to "mine" their homes, "uncovering" gold, silver, and other jewelry, that is no longer used or wanted, and deposit their "lode" at designated places in the bay area. Teams of volunteer jewelers and metalsmiths working at schools and studios in seven different locations will reconstruct and transform the donations into exciting new jewelry designs. The resulting fresh, unique, handmade, 100% recycled jewelry will be exhibited and sold at San Francisco's renowned Velvet da Vinci Gallery. Sales will benefit Ethical Metalsmiths' efforts to educate and connect people with responsibly sourced materials.

Seven organizations, studios and schools are lined up to transform donations into inspiring new work. Coming together for the largest Radical Jewelry Makeover to date are:

Metal Arts Guild
Academy of Art University
California College of the Arts
City College of San Francisco
The Crucible
Revere Academy
Richmond Art Center
Scintillant Studio

The "makeover" jewelry will be exhibited and sold at Velvet da Vinci Gallery.

As a result of gold mining that took place more than a century ago, the San Francisco Bay is lined with several feet of sediment from hydraulic mining and its waters are contaminated with dangerous levels of mercury. Today, mining is this nation's most toxic industry according to the EPA. And Earthworks reports that an estimated 80% of the gold mined each year is used for jewelry. A single gold ring leaves 20 tons of mine waste. Ethical Metalsmiths, an artist-run non-profit organization, seeks to galvanize mining reform efforts by staging an "alternative supply chain" and is bringing their successful project, Radical Jewelry Makeover to the San Francisco Bay Area.

"American households are a clean and transparent source of precious metals and jewelry that is waiting to be recycled. Ethical Metalsmiths employs a skilled workforce of volunteer artists who will act as miners, smelters, refiners, designers, silversmiths, goldsmiths, chainmakers and stonesetters to transform your hoard of old jewelry into unique and innovative hand-made items," says Christina Miller, Project Director.

Radical Jewelry Makeover is many things. It is a traveling community mining and recycling project and a creative art and education project, teaching makers how to produce contemporary, innovative jewelry from recycled sources and proudly placing responsible jewelry in the hands of the consumers. The overall project is meant to raise awareness of the connection between mining and metalsmithing as well as showcase innovative making.

"I have been working with Ethical Metalsmiths on the Radical Jewelry Makeover project since it premiered in February, 2007 at Virginia Commonwealth University, where I teach jewelry and metalsmithing. The project offers students a unique perspective of their material. "Making" takes on new meaning and responsibility as they discover how their art and the environment are linked," says Susie Ganch, Assistant Project Director.

ETHICAL METALSMITHS
Ethical Metalsmiths is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of stimulating demand for responsibly sourced materials as an investment in the future. We stand for social responsibility, a healthy environment and materials that are consistent with these values. Our website
Ethical Metalsmiths
describes our goals, activities and accomplishments as we raise awareness, provide information and promote ethical sourcing among jewelers, metalsmiths and the public.