Copper, Silver and Gold (Mining) Oh My!

Bingham Canyon Copper Mine


This is the beginning of a series about the Bingham Canyon open pit copper mine outside of Salt Lake City. It is the largest mine in the world at nearly 3/4 of a mile deep. It hopes to be 500 feet deeper by next year, approaching that of the Grand Canyon. It is actually a tourist attraction. But why should we care about this mine? Why is this in the news? Fortune magazine has a spread in their recent issue. Two main reasons my friends. First is the fact that it is the poster child of clean responsible mining. It is tightly controlled and monitored by outside organizations to make sure it keeps with its promise of being as environmentally responsible, green if you will, as possible. Second reason is that Tiffany and Walmart have latched on to this earth friendly mining operation as a terrific opportunity to enhance their public relations efforts. In subsequent postings, we will explore these two facets and explain why this is important to the jewelry buying public.