Lured to the Americas by tales of El Dorado, conquistadors exploited the gold mines of Colombia for centuries. Gold is still central to the identity of the community in the Marmato region. To reduce the environmental impact of mining, ‘Suelo Orfebre’ uses Jagua, a waste mineral product currently discarded into the rivers, containing traces of gold, silver, iron and sulphur. Together with the local community and a master glassblower, Colombian designer Simon Ballen built an oven and produced a series of glass objects with the minerals left-behind when gold is processed and extracted. The pieces are hand blown on-site into using moulds assembled from bricks, stones and metal pieces found in the surroundings. The project uses design as a tool for empowerment and encourages the mining community of Marmato to make use of the local resources and own local realities to create objects that could benefit them on a social and economic level.