GJ Town India

The RJC accepted a new proposed definition of recycled materials   Recently, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) announces that the RJC Board has accepted a new proposed definition of recycled materials. The definition (including implementation guidance) will be communicated within the upcoming 2024 publication of the Chain of Custody (COC) standard in December. Chain of Custody standard 2017 (COC) defines an approach for companies to handle and trade gold, silver and platinum group metals in a way that is fully traceable and responsibly sourced.  Additionally, RJC is ready to host their Standards Committee at the 2nd in-person meeting this year, which will take place from October 16-18 in London. This meeting will focus on finalising the Code of Practices (COP) standard and guidance, which is also set to be published in December.    Code of Practices standard 2019 (COP) provides a common standard for ethical, social, human rights and environmental practices....

RJC’s failure to suspend Russian companies!   Pandora announced it is ending its 12-year membership with the trade association Responsible Jewellery Council, RJC. The decision follows RJC’s failure to suspend Russian companies’ memberships and responsible business certifications and urge its members to suspend business with Russia. Pandora had previously requested that RJC take such actions.    “We are shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and our thoughts go to the people of Ukraine, who are victims of this senseless act of military aggression.  The war requires all businesses to act with the utmost responsibility regarding any interactions or business dealings with Russia and Belarus. Pandora cannot in good faith be a member of an association that does not share our values,” says CEO Alexander Lacik.    On February 24th, Pandora suspended all business with Russia and Belarus. Pandora has also instructed all its suppliers and bu...

  RJC virtual SDG Roadshow- Part 1     Hear from United Nations Global Compact and RJC members as they share their experiences and practical tools on how you can show your customers and suppliers how you contribute to a sustainable world. Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has never been more critical.  The SDGs are universally understood and provide an opportunity for businesses to show their commitment to a sustainable world.  In partnership with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is enabling this effort towards positive global impacts by the jewellery industry and has launched the RJC SDG Roadshow - a series of webinars for the jewellery and watch global supply chain.   This webinar, which focuses on implementing steps 2 and 3 of the SDG compass, will, 1: Provide insight on how a company can define their SDG priorities, 2: Explain how you can set your SDG goals & 3: Showcas...

  Eying on to educate and certify CSR, sustainability  and SDG officers for the jewellery industry!   CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and Intertek Italia SpA, the Italian subsidiary of the Intertek Group, a multinational assurance, inspection, product-testing and certification company that assists companies ensure that their operating procedures and products meet quality, health, environmental, safety, and social accountability standards, have announced a joint initiative to educate, train and certify CSR, sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) compliance officers, specifically for the gemstone and jewellery industries. It will be the first dedicated programme of its sort worldwide. The announcement was made on September 12, 2020, during the opening day of the VOICE VicenzaOro trade event in Vicenza, Italy, by CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, who was joined on the main stage by Alessandro Ferracino, Regional Director of Italy & France Inter...

Act Responsibly to Find Opportunity Earlier this month, RJC returned to JCK Las Vegas to host a panel discussion on responsibility and trust in the jewellery supply chain. This year our panel consisted of: 1: Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director at RJC, 2: Raj Metha, Director at Rosy Blue NV, 3: Erik Jens, CEO at LuxuryFintech.com, 4: Gina Drosos, CEO at Signet Jewelers, 5: Jeff Corey, Owner at Day’s Jewelers, 6: Feriel Zerouki, Senior Vice President at De Beers Group & 6: Shekhar Shah, Director at Real Gems. David Bouffard, RJC Chair, opened the session and welcomed all panellists and attendees. The discussion was moderated by Brandee Dallow, RJC's Business Development Lead in North America and the panel presented insights on the following key areas: The RJC’s mission has never been more relevant. Consumers have a choice. Trust and transparency are the new equity. Product integrity and disclosure across the value chain to protect consumer confidence is the m...

First virtual AGM held broadcasted to all RJC members The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the jewellery industry’s foremost standard setting and certification body, held its first virtual annual general meeting (AGM) this week – appointing a series of new Board members. The event, held in partnership with leading software and audience engagement technology provider, Lumi, was broadcasted to all RJC member companies globally from Chatham House in London on Tuesday 14 May 2019. During the meeting, David A. Bouffard, RJC Chair, announced a series of appointments to the RJC Board of Directors and its Standards, Assurance and Communications Committees. The newly appointed Board members will represent their respective forum in the jewellery supply chain, from mine to retail. The new appointments are,   1: James Pounds from Dominion Diamond Corporation and Nelson Zarzosa from Minera Sotrami S.A who will be representing the diamond, gold and/or platinum group me...

The COP defines responsible, social & Environmental business practices Today RJC is launching its new Code of Practices (COP). The COP defines responsible, social and environmental business practices for companies in the jewellery supply chain and commits members to adhere to a robust set of comprehensive auditable standards. Since it was formed in 2005, the RJC’s third COP iteration reflects the evolving needs of the industry and demands of consumers globally. The latest version builds on a solid foundation and the core requirements, structure and format of the COP will be deeply familiar to RJC members. Significant changes include: 1: the expansion of the scope of materials to include coloured gemstones (rubies, emeralds and sapphires) and silver; 2: the alignment of due diligence requirements with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains; and 3: new requirements on the detection of labor...

Certificate valid Up to 23 February 2021 Pranda Group, a Thailand’s leading fine jewelry manufacturer, has recently been certified as a member of Responsible Jewellery Council or RJC with a certification period of 3 years from 23 February 2018 – 23 February 2021. The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is the leading social auditing framework for the global fine jewellery supply chain, providing confidence and trust to the industry and consumers that jewellery, precious metals and diamonds are produced and sourced responsibly. The RJC material scope includes diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. Mr Decha Nuntanajareonkul, Executive Director, on behalf of Social Management Representative (SMR), Pranda Group revealed: “Pranda Group is officially certified as member of Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) effective from 23 February 2018 and will last for 3 years from now on.  The benefits that the company will receive from RJC certification are confidence in ...

BV Schmuck &  Uhren becomes a member! The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the standards setting and certification organisation for the entire jewellery supply chain, has announced that BV Schmuck & Uhren has become the first German jewellery trade association to be members of the RJC. Announced at Inhorgenta Munich, one of Europe’s largest jewellery industry events, the organisation pledged to meet the RJC’s standards and, by joining as a Trade Association member, will act as a conduit to its members and the German jewellery industry to promote and encourage implementation of RJC membership and certification. The RJC, which has more than 1,100 members globally, including 14 other trade associations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, has been keen to work with a renowned German jewellery industry association in a bid to further embed the importance and relevancy of RJC certification in one of Europe’s key jewellery markets....

RJC host an event at fireside chat on  acting on CSR Last week RJC returned to Arizona to attend and host an event at JCK Tucson 2019. RJC's Edward Johnson, Director of Business Development and Brandee Dallow, RJC's North American representative hosted a fireside chat in the JCK Tucson ballroom with guest speakers to talk about the benefits of acting on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the jewellery industry. The guest speakers represented the many facets of the jewellery supply chain and included Lisa Bridge from Ben Bridge, a major US independent retailer; Sara Graham, a prominent American jewellery designer; Mark Hanna from Richline Group, a large scale jewellery manufacturer; Laurie Watt from Mayer and Watt, a US coloured stone dealer and Emmanuel Piat from Maison Piat, an international coloured stone cutter and dealer. Approximately 40 people were in attendance including several representatives from RJC members including the Gemological Institut...

Initiatives to promote sustainability and responsible Business practices in the jewellery supply chain MoU focuses, Industry to scale the supply of responsible gold from Artisanal Small Miners (ASM) to Switzerland from Peru, Bolivia and Colombia A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), the Better Gold Initiative for ASM (BGI), Max Havelaar-Foundation (Switzerland) (MHCH) for Fairtrade, and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). By acting together, the parties are embracing the opportunity to significantly increase the volume of ASM gold to the market, and thus advance the economic and social wellbeing of ASM and mining communities in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. The positive impact of the collaboration far exceeds that which any one organisation could achieve acting alone. The agreement recognises that greater co-operation is in the best interests of all parties, including the ASM. When carrie...

Public Consultation Round 3 on Diamonds Due Diligence The jewellery industry is a force for good, helping people mark some of the most important moments in their lives. That positive role extends to the way we do business, where we create jobs and opportunities globally. As an industry, it is vital that we can celebrate companies that take our role in society seriously, so we can build trust from mine to store. The RJC strives to represent the very highest ethical standards in the industry, building confidence in the work done by our members.  As part of this process, and in line with RJC policy and the ISEAL Alliance Codes of Good Practice, in late 2017 we began the process of reviewing our Code of Practices (COP) standard. We now enter the third and final phase of consultation on that review and proposed move to a due diligence model for the diamond supply chain. In this consultation, informed by feedback from a range of industry stakeholders, we propose alignin...