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Laban Roomes has long taken a stand against unethical gold-mining and strives to ensure all gold Goldgenie source for their products and customization service is fair trade. Inspired by a trip to the gold mines of South Africa, where he saw the dangerous conditions gold-miners work in for very little pay, Laban vowed to raise money to supply the workers with safer equipment and Goldgenie have since raised over £26,000 to go towards ethical gold mining projects in South Africa and Ghana.
“Once you see how Gold is sourced and the intensive labour that goes into the process from ore recovery to extraction, you develop a new respect for Gold and its value. Whatever the weight in Gold in your hand, you can guarantee that there is ten times the weight behind it in work. This is why the price we pay for gold must not only reflect the value of this rare mineral but it must also truly reflect the efforts that have gone into creating the end product.” states Laban Roomes.
As Goldgenie prepare for the release of the iPhone6, rumoured to be later this year, they are stocking up on Gold from Fair Trade sources in South Africa and Ghana.
Remembering last year’s iPhone 5s release, when demand for their 24ct. Gold customized iPhones outstripped supply, Goldgenie want to make sure that they are well-stocked in raw materials to keep up with orders. Gold is not the only thing on their mind, as Platinum has also proven a very popular option amongst customers lately.
And as Goldgenie are working on new designs with their in-house artisans, Laban travels the world to source the finest diamonds, precious stones, exotic skins and pearls.
Recently he travelled to Afghanistan to source emeralds, rubies and tourmalines, Burma and India for diamonds, Indonesia for CITE certified python skin and the South Pacific for mother of pearl (have you seen Goldgenie’s new mother of pearl iPhone 5s collection?). He even went diving off the coast of Tahiti to find a deep sea Tahitian pearl, with the forthcoming iPhone6 in mind! Finding one is rare and he had no luck this time unfortunately but if and when he finds one, you can be assured that it will be used for a limited edition Goldgenie customization… While we cannot guarantee that we will ever find one, one thing is for sure, nothing will stop Laban Roomes going to the ends of the earth, high and low, far and wide, to find the finest materials for Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone6.
Gold Mine, South Africa
Gold Ore
Laban in Afghanistan
Laban Diving for Pearls
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