From Ore to Evidence: an article in The Alchemist

The Alchemist, edition 123, published by LBMA for the Global Precious Metals Conference held in Sorrento this week, carries an article by Laurent Mathiot, Chairman and CEO of OCIM Group.

Artisanal and small-scale mining accounts for close to a fifth of the world’s gold production, but for under 1% of the volumes that Good Delivery refiners process. The article examines that distance from inside Soleil Metals’ processing plants in southern Peru, following a batch of ore from the plant gate to the strongroom.

It describes how narrow the window is. Once the ore is crushed, every batch looks alike and its origin remains legible only through what was recorded beforehand. The work therefore happens upstream of that moment: months of supplier onboarding, a visit to the mine site, a chemical fingerprint taken on arrival and a payment that leaves a trace in the banking system.

A second measurement follows at dispatch, where each doré bar carries a signature that a refiner can check by taking its own reading.

The article closes on the instruments available today. The ASM Toolkit is published, formalisation registries operate in several producing countries and origin verification technology is on the market. Their consistent application at scale remains the work ahead.

Read the article: https://www.lbma.org.uk/alchemist/alchemist-123/from-ore-to-evidence