Buy ethically sourced gold
There are 22 countries that are known to use child labour or forced labour in their gold mining. This is gold that runs all through the global supply chain. These children are forced to work for long hours in the heat and then they process gold nuggets with mercury (a poisonous substance that causes irreversible damage to their health and to local river systems). The kids are as young as five. It’s devastating to think about. To avoid buying gold that was sourced this way, you need to actively seek out jewelry companies that use responsibly sourced gold. Most jewellers don’t. These companies will advertise that they are ethically sourced because this is something (unfortunately) that is unique in the industry. Jewelry companies will only improve their sourcing practices when consumers demand they do, so you can also ask your favourite jewelry company how they source their gold, which will let them know that their customers care about it.