ETHICAL AND TRACEABLE METAL RESOURCES FOR JEWELERS
BRIEF: On this blog, you will find a list of NGOs that audit and certify mines worldwide. They are the best way to find conflict-free, ethical, and traceable gold and other precious metals for your jewelry business. - Reading time: 5 minutes.
Note: Before you begin, I recommend reading the Responsible Supply Chains blog. There you will learn the components of a responsible supply chain, what is due diligence, transparency, and how to approach suppliers while building yours. Also, read the certifications and guidelines blog, where you will learn how to self-assess and structure your business.
Photo from the Fairmined website
Photo from the Fairmined website
IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE READ THIS!
The following list of suppliers, organizations, and certified mines will help you find traceable metals for your jewelry business, but it is not perfect; you will have to ask questions. Some of the suppliers' certifications required them to present traceability documentation only to the country of origin (you will find a note about this when applicable). Ask questions before buying; make sure to provide the reason for your request. On the responsible supply chain blog, you will find the recommendations from the Responsible Jewelry Council on communicating and requesting information from suppliers.
Photo from the Mineral Supply Chains DRC Due Diligence Report
Do you work with conflict minerals?
Conflict metals benefit arm groups directly or indirectly. At the moment, gold, tin, tantalum (niobium), and tungsten are considered conflict minerals depending on the country and mine of origin, but not all metals from a high-risk area are conflict metals!
The mine of origin, not the country, is the key to choosing your supplier. Colombia, for example, is a high-risk area with a few legal gold mines that are part of the Fairmined Standard.
Here is a link to the conflict minerals page by the US government
FAIRMINED CHAINS, CLASPS, AND FINDINGS
Photos from the Riva Precision website
RIVA Precision is "the only manufacturing company in North America that supplies wholesale Fairmined gold chains, clasps, and findings."
Their catalog currently includes four styles of cable and paper clip chains sold by the spool or by the piece in different lengths that come with a FAIRMINED stamp (read more about Fairmined below).
They also offer earring findings and nine designs of invisible clasps in sterling silver, yellow, white, and rose gold that you can customize with pavé stones, enamel, flush diamonds, and textures.
GOLD FROM CERTIFIED STANDARDS AND NGOs
Small-scale and Artisanal mines can get training and eventually certifications that help them enter the responsible and traceable jewelry market. The organizations mentioned below are great resources for certified and traceable minerals.
IRMA - INITIATIVE FOR RESPONSIBLE MINING ASSURANCE (Chain of Custody Standard)
IRMA certifies and evaluates mines' social and environmental performance against a comprehensive Chain of Custody Standard. The Human Rights Watch organization calls the board at IRMA "unique in that it has equal representation of mining companies, downstream companies, NGOs, affected communities, and trade unions." IRMA's audits, which results are published on their website, include labor rights, Indigenous people's rights, and the environment.
Their Responsible Mining Map is an excellent resource to find certified conflict-free stones and metals directly from a mine.
Fairmined and Fairtrade are non-profit organizations that audit small-scale mines of gold, silver, and platinum through local NGOs that evaluate good working conditions, environmental impact, legality, trade, and social development in small-scale mines. When you purchase traceable metals from these organizations, you also pay an extra sum to fund community programs to improve living conditions in mining communities.
Fairmined has gold and ecological gold; the latter doesn't use toxic chemicals like Mercury in the extraction process.
Fairmined virtual map of certified mines and jewelry businesses
'Just Gold' is a project of traceable gold created by IMPACT, a Canadian NGO, that provides equipment and technical support to artisanal miners in Africa in return for selling the gold through legal channels at fair and transparent prices. They successfully exported conflict-free artisanal gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2017 and have expanded to other conflict-affected areas.
Photo from the IMPACT website
Solidaridad is a non-governmental group working directly with miners and farmers around the globe. One of the industries they work on is gold; they provide miners with occupational and safety training and help establish direct contact with buyers.
Photo from the SOLIDARIDAD Website
"The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) was established in 2004 and is a leading global expert on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)." They "work to transform the ASM sector into a socially and environmentally responsible activity, while improving the quality of life of artisanal miners, their families and communities."
Visit their supply chains page HERE
TIC addresses major issues and challenges facing its industry, such as conflict minerals legislation, artisanal and small-scale mining, and transport of radioactive materials.
Photo from the Responsible Jewellery Council
METAL TRADERS WITH A CHAIN OF CUSTODY CERTIFICATION BY THE RESPONSIBLE JEWELRY COUNCIL
There is a catch with these suppliers!!!!! They are certified by the Responsible Jewelry Council, but the certification process requires traceability documentation to the country of origin only, not to the mine. Some of these suppliers may follow the OECD due diligence, but you will have to do your homework and ask.
Image from the PX Group website
GOLD REFINERIES THAT DO BATCH PROCESSING
A challenge for the responsible jewelry industry is that refineries mix gold produced under responsible conditions with gold from other sources. The following refineries do "batch" or "segregated" processing of Fairmined gold:
S&P Trading (France) - I found this refinery through the Human Rights Watch organization, but I could not find their website.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE GOOD TO KNOW
Flux is a group of jewelers from the UK that promotes responsible sourcing from rights-respecting mines.
RJM "is an international community jewelry mining and recycling project focused on education and collaboration. It brings together jewelers, working to examine mining issues while making innovative jewelry from recycled sources."
Better Without Mercury is a fundraising campaign to remove mercury contamination from "La Fortaleza" an artisanal gold mine in Colombia, and restore the land.
Ethical Metalsmiths is "committed to responsible, environmentally sound practices for all facets of the jewelry industry and strive to connect and educate people globally from mine to market." I recommend becoming a member. It is affordable, and you will gain access to the group email where people experienced in the field will help you in your journey as a responsible jewelry business.
Photo from the Ethical Metalsmiths website
Thanks for reading and for being here. All blog posts are "active." I update them as I find new information. We are a community. If you have relevant information on the subject you want others to know, please leave it in the comments below.
