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I would like to close with an example of a very real issue, a high profile mining issue, that the jewelry industry must soon confront. For us, it represents a critical test of our commitment to sustainability and precisely the type of effort I spoke of just now where we believe we can make a leveragable impact. There is a very special place in southwestern Alaska, called Bristol Bay, not very far from Katmai National Park. Many of you may know the park from its famed Brooks Falls, where each year Grizzly bears are famously photographed “fishing” for spawning salmon.

At the headwaters of many of the wild, pristine rivers that drain into Bristol Bay, there sits an enormous deposit of gold, silver, and copper, perhaps one of the greatest deposits remaining on earth. Unfortunately, Bristol Bay is also one of the world’s greatest remaining wild salmon fisheries. And there is great concern that mining and salmon most certainly do not mix. The companies seeking to develop the Pebble Mine are adamant the project can be developed without threatening this pristine ecosystem and they are committed to making this mine one of the most responsible in the world. The local communities are split. Some look forward to the jobs the mine will provide and others fearful of the harm it may bring. The deposit resides on land owned by the state of Alaska and government officials have yet to reach a decision.

Tiffany, along with four other jewelry retailers in the U.S., have pledged not to source gold from Bristol Bay. We may never know whether this mine can be responsibly developed, but we do know that our customers trust us to make the right choice. We are certain they would not want to put at risk the future of one of the world’s last great places and the extraordinary natural wonder of the Bristol Bay salmon runs, simply for the sake of jewelry, even Tiffany jewelry.

And this, above all, is what has made Tiffany & Co. such an enduring brand: Our customers trust us with their futures. As jewelers, we create the precious objects that are cherished over time; the special keepsakes that will be handed down from one generation to the next. And as part of that trust, our customers expect us to leave behind, for generations to come, a world every bit as beautiful and complete as the one we inherited. That is a trust that we, nor any brand, dare not betray.

This article was adapted from Michael Kowalski’s presentation at “Green: Sustainability, Significance, and Style,” a conference organized by Initiatives in Art and Culture in New York in December 2008. The conference also included presentations by Tom Cole of Macy’s Inc.; green metalsmith Toby Pomeroy; socially responsible designer Monique Pean; gem dealer and novelist Benjamin Zucker; Stephen D’Esposito of Resolve and the Earth Solutions Center; SeaWeb, organizers of the campaign to protect coral; and Rosalind Kainyah, president of De Beers USA.