November 10, 2025 |
Gold is, of course, a notoriously shady resource, but the recent growth in demand for Single Mine Origin (SMO) sourcing of the precious metal is beginning to attract the industry’s most creative players and promising a better future for all.
“In Africa, there are no detectives. If something goes missing, you’re not going to call the police,” says Satta Matturi, the Sierra Leonean designer behind Matturi Jewellery. “What they do, and I saw my mum do this when I was little, is take a gold ring and pop it into a glass of water. Then someone will say, ‘My watch – or the book that went missing – no one’s owning up to it. But in this circle, someone was witness to it. May the gold catch you!’ Then they pass the glass around and people take a sip. We believe gold has karmic influence. It gets you back, and when it gets you back, it gets you back tenfold. So, if someone in the circle has done it, they will resist drinking. Or say, ‘I know who took it: it was that person.’”
It’s a long way away from that to her plush new showroom on Bond Street. But Matturi’s mission is to bring back the meaning, history and culture of her heritage through her jewellery, and her customers are all in: her clients range from art collectors to Rihanna, all of whom are falling for the African influence and stories Matturi exercises over the brand. That’s why she needs every part of her collection to reflect her mission, from the design to the stones to the metal. “Gold in West Africa is not just currency, it brings protection. The minerals seep into your skin. That water ceremony goes to show its power, history and energy. They put gold in water because that energy in that water, once you’ve ingested it, is guilt.”
a 10g SMO gold bar
Gold has a dark side, of course. In his book Gold Laundering: The Dirty Secrets of the Gold Trade – And How to Clean Up, Mark Pieth uncovers some of the industry’s deeply troubling aspects: slave and child labour, mercury poisoning, deforestation, kidnapping, organised crime, smuggling and money laundering. The exact scale of the problem is hard to calculate, but it is not confined to the past. Swathes of the Amazon are prey to small-scale mining (‘artisanal mining’, as it is misleadingly called) that chops down forests to access gold deposits. Mercury, traditionally used to attract gold out of the soil, poisons the surrounds. Mexican drug cartels have switched to dealing gold as it is now more valuable than cocaine, with its price increasing exponentially in the last few years.
But the industry is getting its house in order. And SMO gold is one of the most promising initiatives that enlightened designers and brands are gravitating towards. For Matturi, a one-time diamond buyer well versed in provenance, sourcing and value, knowing exactly where her gold has come from is imperative, especially when it exercises so much totemic power. “It’s not just a piece of jewellery, it’s meaning,” she says. SMO allows her to buy directly from the Ity mine in Côte d’Ivoire, knowing the gold has been extracted with independently audited checks on ethical and environmental practices. It is gold sourced from the land that she is telling stories about, dug out with care and attention, honouring the communities that hold it.
A few days earlier, on a hot July night, Matturi was in South Kensington’s Natural History Museum, sitting under the 25-metre skeleton of Hope, the young blue whale. Around her were some of the world’s wealthiest philanthropists and representatives of the mining industry, gathered to launch the SMO Foundation: an initiative that deepens the positive impact of gold mining. From healthcare and biodiversity management to soil restoration, the foundation aims to provide a channel for all those interested in creating responsible and regenerative practices for their work. “I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of mining and ESG [environmental, social and governance standards],” says Djaria Traore, an executive vice president at Endeavour, one of the world’s largest mining companies. “One truth has guided me throughout: when mining is done responsibly, it changes lives. I’ve seen children go to school for the first time because the mine provided them with bursaries. I’ve seen parents help with homework after learning to read and write through literacy programmes. I’ve seen health centres open, local entrepreneurs emerge and sustainable practices take root. We believe we cannot extract value from the earth without creating value on the ground. That’s what responsible mining is all about.”
from top: the Ity mine in Côte d’Ivoire, molten SMO gold poured into ingots
Also in the room was designer Emefa Cole, who brought perhaps the starriest moment for SMO when Michaela Coel and Lauryn Hill wore her jewellery to the Met Gala this year. For Cole, SMO is imperative, as many of her Ghanaian clients are already switched on to the issues with gold. “My use of SMO is becoming increasingly important to my customers, who understand why it’s important to know where your gold has come from,” she says. “I switched to SMO gold because of the 100 per cent traceability and also because I can choose gold from the region I come from. All my gold is from the Ity mine and two incredible women run it. These mines provide vital social, environmental and cultural support to local communities, and that’s important to me.”
Witness Cole’s recent Sika series, inspired by the history of the great West African king Mansa Musa, reputedly the richest man in history. “Sika is a tribute to the history of gold in Ghana, Mali and throughout West Africa,” she says. Sika means ‘money’ in the Akan language, but the collection is also an homage to Musa, “a man who gifted so much of his wealth while visiting Egypt that he devalued the metal and impacted their economy for years to come”. By working with SMO, Cole has been able to source gold directly from the mines of West Africa to create true authenticity in her homage. “This is gold that has history and a sense of place: gold with the heritage of Africa.”
SMO is also sourced from mines that have the capacity to focus on environmental impact. According to a joint report from The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 250 tonnes of earth is displaced in the process of extracting just one carat of gold. Regenerating the environment around a mine is part of the foundation’s work, but for jeweller Valérie Messika, the Bellevue mine in Western Australia represents real progress in that respect and she was able to set up a partnership through SMO. “I liked their willingness to be transparent,” she says. “SMO gold provides me with the assurances required on responsibility, traceability and transparency, a great achievement when it comes to gold. Our customers are gradually raising their expectations in terms of transparency and traceability. From my point of view, it’s a must-have because it’s the only real way of supporting the reduction of our environmental impact and ensuring that flows are not polluted, illegitimate or from illegal sources.” By guaranteeing the use of Bellevue’s gold, Messika is at the forefront of ESG advances “and this makes me proud”.
Shield ring in 18k SMO gold by Emefa Cole
Set up by the British brothers Dan and Charlie Betts, SMO is the result of many generations of experience. Their family business, Betts Group, was founded in 1760 as a gold-recycling operation in Birmingham. Dan left the business to set up his own gold-mining company, giving him experience across the entire supply chain. What they saw was that even when you buy gold from a specific mine, the chances are when it gets to a refinery, it’ll be mingled with other sources. SMO sends in independent auditors to check this doesn’t happen and by buying from large-scale mines is able to do this at an affordable price. While Fairtrade and Fairmined gold are equally admirable options, the price is often prohibitive. With SMO, the potential to grow a responsible supply chain is exponential.
“The majority of gold in the world comes from big industrial mines and historically there hasn’t been much scrutiny of that as a source for gold,” says Charlie. “Most of it will have come from large-scale mines to Swiss refineries, where it’s getting co-mingled. You can’t have accountability for that gold because you don’t know where it came from. Our point of difference is to send in an auditor to make sure the gold we source remains separate. We couple that traceability with scrutinising the source, which we want to be responsible and transparent. We select the best sources within large- scale mining and that becomes a competitive playing field. As we develop and become a bigger brand, I think mines will want to supply SMO because it will be a badge of accreditation. We’re recognising them as best-in-field in decarbonisation or community impact.”
Back in her showroom, Matturi is showing me her newest series, which is called Pengusa. “It’s a term from Sierra Leone, where my mother comes from. In local dialect, pengusa means ‘an elevated woman’. It’s like, when you walk into the room, you have arrived. You get to design your own earrings – you can choose malachite, lapis, we also offer it in wood: eberly wood, purple wood and redwood, all African wood, and I absolutely know where they’re coming from. I launched SMO gold with this range because it takes time to find what’s right. You burn your fingers when you meet the wrong supplier. Turning to SMO was a huge step. But if you believe in excellence, then excellence follows you.”
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 75 – BIRTHDAY, EVOLVE, TRANSFORMATION – out on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
