Gold Mines of Wales appoints Vivien Johnston Glass
21 Nov 2022
Gold Mines of Wales Limited (a subsidiary of Alba Mineral Resources plc) is pleased to announce that it has engaged Vivien Johnston Glass FRSA as its specialist “mine-to-market” supply chain consultant for jewellery and refined gold products. This appointment is in line with the Company’s plans to advance its commercialisation strategy in readiness for future gold processing and production at its Clogau-St. David’s Gold Mine in Wales.
At its height, at least 80,000 ounces (around 2.5 tons) of gold was recovered from the Clogau-St. David’s Gold Mine, making it the UK’s largest ever gold producer. The mine closed in 1998, when the gold price crashed to only $300 per ounce. Today, gold is trading at over $1,700 per ounce.
The gold in the Clogau-St. David Gold Mine was previously found in exceptionally high-grade pockets, with what is described as ‘bonanza grades’, which ran to hundreds if not thousands of ounces of gold per tonne.
The extensive exploration campaign, which has been undertaken by Gold Mines of Wales at the Mine, has uncovered new, large-scale gold targets with the potential to host significant and previously unexploited gold veins. The company is currently gearing up to access the highest priority gold target in the coming months, which it hopes will lead to the first underground development and significant production at the Mine in many decades.
Vivien Johnston Glass has over 20 years’ experience in the jewellery industry. She gained an honours degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery from the prestigious Glasgow School of Art and is former Head of Design for a commercial jewellery design brand. With an extensive and influential network, Vivien is an expert in the responsible sourcing of precious metals, diamonds, and gems. She has first-hand experience of the ethical luxury consumer market having founded her own brand in 2006 to pilot a sustainable business model promoting positive ethics in mining and jewellery using materials exclusively from traceable and ethical sources. Since then, she has consulted for a range of clients including major luxury jewellery houses, independent brands, diamond producers, junior mining companies, manufacturers, and international brand agencies.
Vivien was the Chair of the Jewellery Ethics Committee UK and Ireland between 2011-2015 and Ethics Manager for the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (2013-16). She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 2021 launched her own boutique consultancy, Johnston Resources. She gained substantial relevant experience as a consultant to Scotgold Resources (2011-2022) during which time she supported the company through from a successful planning application outcome all the way to its commercial production phase and building a route-to-market for gravity gold for the fine jewellery market.
Vivien’s role with Gold Mines of Wales will be wide-ranging, encompassing the fostering of partnerships and offtake discussions with jewellery brands, manufacturers, and designers; managing stakeholder relationships, including harnessing the already considerable support for the Mine within the local community; and supporting the Mine’s planning process towards permission for full-scale commercial production at Clogau St. David’s. A key aspect of her role will be to devise and pilot a provenance-proofed, traceable “mine-to-market” supply chain for gold produced from Clogau St.David’s, which will underpin the Company’s ability to command a premium price for its products.
George Frangeskides, Chairman of Gold Mines of Wales Limited, commented,
“I am delighted to welcome Vivien to the team; I cannot think of anyone better to help us to maximise the commercial opportunities presented by this unique project. In tandem with her strong commitment to ethics and sustainability, Vivien’s experience supporting other similar businesses including Scottish commercial gold producer Scotgold Resources makes her ideally placed to help us to deliver an outstanding commercial strategy for Gold Mines of Wales.”
Vivien Johnston Glass said,
“I am thrilled to work with Gold Mines of Wales. Each mine is different and presents unique challenges and opportunities in the creation of a verifiable route-to-market. The history and heritage of the Clogau-St. David’s Gold Mine, the cachet and prestige surrounding Welsh gold and in particular gold from this Mine, and Gold Mines of Wales’s position as the only possible future producer of that gold, all make for a very exciting proposition. I look forward to supporting Gold Mines of Wales as it advances its commercial strategy, leveraging my experience in the industry to foster partnerships with luxury brands and to implement a mine-to-market verification process for gold production from Clogau-St. David’s, which will be essential both to ensure an ethical supply chain and to secure the best possible returns for this unique product.”
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Source: Gold Mines of Wales