Over 2,000 tons of gold is mined for jewelry every year. Family members young and old are injured, and some even die, while working to extract gold from the ore. Local residents are often forcibly displaced to make way for the mine. Waterways and soil are polluted, while mercury and other toxic chemicals destroy ecosystems and harm wildlife and people. It is so bad that the United Nations calls it "a worldwide crisis".
Read MoreConnecting artisans around the world, the Devi Arts Collective is an ethical fashion
brand featuring handmade nature-inspired jewelry, accessories, and home décor by
designer Bayoush Mengesha. The idea for the collective came from a deep recognition that she needed to start being accountable for where the raw materials she was using in her pieces had come from.