A complex trail leads from dusty mining towns to Irish shops

A CURIOUS tale lies behind the origin of a gold ring. It begins in the damp tunnels and dusty pits dotted like cheese holes across Ghana’s mining towns.

It continues where the raw metal is cleaned of impure rocks and soil and fused into a dazzling bar that is finally melted down and crafted into hundreds of perfect items of jewellery.

But few Irish people really question where the gold comes from. What if they discovered the source of a simple ring could have involved towns being polluted, disease being spread or even the death of someone?