PRESS RELEASE: PeaceGold announces open evening to launch its Jewellery Hub and Community Workshop

To introduce this initiative, the team behind PeaceGold - including Founder Greg Valerio MBE and in-house goldsmith and jewellery designer Kate Seow - invites local jewellers to an exclusive Open Evening on Wednesday 9th July, 6pm - 8pm.

The event will be held at the PeaceGold Ethical Jewellery House, 53 Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PE. It’s open to jewellers of all levels, - from complete beginners to experienced master goldsmiths. Refreshments are provided, and the team is happy to accommodate any dietary requirements with prior notice. To RSVP, please contact PeaceGold via email to confirm attendance.

The UK jewellery industry's key hubs are currently focused in London and Birmingham. “We feel this puts the rest of us at a big disadvantage, especially those of us working on our own,” says Kate Seow. “But we're working hard to change that.”

Committed to nurturing jewellery craft in the North East, PeaceGold is now providing a dedicated space for the region's growing jewellery community. After securing initial funding from Durham County Council and local community funds, PeaceGold has begun transforming an abandoned shop into a state-of-the-art jewellery workshop and educational hub.

This new community space is designed to offer a variety of resources and opportunities for jewellers, whether just starting out or informed by years of experience. Ideas in the pipeline include:

Exhibition space, both in-store and online

Bench space for hire with access to full equipment

Workshops and tuition from beginners to advanced professional development

Funding for tuition and teaching opportunities

A venue for client consultations and business support

Gemstone fairs,

This initiative aims to nurture a thriving, collaborative community where jewellers can share knowledge, network and support one another. PeaceGold is eager to hear from local jewellers about what they would like to see from the space and how it can best serve their needs.

As such, the upcoming open evening will offer a chance to meet the team, learn more about the new workshop, and explore how the PeaceGold Jewellery Hub can support local talent. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their ideas, ask questions, and help shape the future of PeaceGold as a social enterprise and community interest company.

This announcement comes shortly after the news that PeaceGold has been shortlisted for Corporate Social Responsibility Leading Enterprise of the Year at the Professional Jeweller Awards 2025.

“PeaceGold is a CIC working at the intersection between mining in conflict-affected areas and ethical jewellery designers and goldsmiths,” says Greg Valerio. “Not only do we elevate the bravery and resilience of our PeaceGold cooperative members in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we actively promote ethical jewellery as the future of our trade. Peace is not an optional extra in our world, it is a prize worth fighting for.”

For jewellers interested in actively supporting PeaceGold’s transformative social impact work in DRC, the PeaceGold Early Adopters Jewellery Membership grants first access to PeaceGold fine bullion when it arrives on the market.

About PeaceGold:

PeaceGold is a ground-breaking initiative transforming artisanal gold into a source of peace, prosperity and community development in conflict-affected Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo. Jointly supported by peace-building organisations PeaceDirect and Centre Résolution Conflits, PeaceGold is on a mission to remove child labour, foster a transparent and legalised supply chain, create a community-led social fund, preserve the local environment and offer rehabilitation and community-based psycho-social support to former combatants. In sourcing ethically mined gold and fairly traded gold, PeaceGold works across the supply chain – from communities impacted by conflict to a growing network of ethical jewellers worldwide.