Online Articles

Empowering Women & Communities Moyo Gems is on the move. Launched in 2019, Moyo Gems seeks to empower women gemstone miners in Eastern Africa by providing new training opportunities, financial security, and access to fair trade markets. A collaboration of several businesses and organizations—the ethical gem suppliers ANZA Gems, Nineteen48, and Maison Piat; traceability company […]

Transforming Gold Mining The son of missionaries, jewelry designer Toby Pomeroy knew he always wanted to make a difference. In 2004, he got his chance when he learned about the No Dirty Gold Campaign started by Earthworks, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental health and corporate awareness. The campaign strove to raise awareness about the environmental […]

Mined with Care A look at responsible initiatives in precious metals and gemstones By Shawna Kulpa (Originally Published April 2024) For jewelers, embracing responsible practices isn’t just about meeting consumers’ expectations for transparency and accountability. It’s also about upholding the integrity of the sentiments their jewelry represents. No one wants to think that their creations—pieces […]

Looking Beyond Reusing With demand for 100 percent recycled gold growing, suppliers are struggling to keep up By Rafael Amador (Originally Published July 2023) The jewelry industry is facing a metals crisis that many jewelers may not even realize exists. As consumer interest in responsibly sourced products has risen, many jewelers have responded by creating […]

Jamie Hollier Balefire Goods Arvada, Colorado Jamie Hollier first fell in love with metalwork and jewelry thanks to her exposure to metalwork in her grandfather’s machine shop, jewelry in her great aunt’s antique shop, and going to art shows with her mother. Although she studied art history and metalsmithing in college, her career took her […]

Wendy Woldenberg WEND Jewelry Seattle A goldsmith and founder of WEND Jewelry, Wendy Woldenberg taught high school jewelry/metals for 22 years while making custom jewelry on school breaks. After a two-week backpacking trip around Mount Rainier, everything changed. She founded WEND Jewelry, a rugged fine jewelry brand focused on ethical sourcing and nature-inspired designs. She […]

Alisa Thorp Mercurius Jewelry Oakland, California Alisa Thorp co-founded Mercurius Jewelry with her husband, goldsmith David Thorp in 2007. She holds a BS in environmental science from Columbia University but followed her heart to study and teach yoga for more than a decade before taking over the operations at Mercurius. Currently, she is studying gemology […]

Niki Grandics Enji Studio Jewelry San Diego Niki Grandics is a designer, jeweler, writer, and activist who holds degrees in marketing and applied design from San Diego State University and a Graduate Jeweler diploma from GIA. She is the founder of Enji Studio Jewelry, an “ethical with an edge” fine jewelry studio. A member of […]

One Word, Many Meanings Four jewelry designers share their views on “responsible design” By Shawna Kulpa (Originally Published April 2023) What does it mean to be responsible? Does it mean using only certified recycled and repurposed metals? Eliminating waste and hazardous chemicals from a jewelry studio? Knowing the exact origins of all your materials and […]

Walking Softly Advice on adopting sustainable practices in your business By Sharon Elaine Thompson (Originally Published April 2023) With daily news stories about forever chemicals, toxic chemical spills, and plastics in our water, food, and bloodstreams, it is impossible anymore to ignore the human impact on our global environment. Some of us have become inured […]

The Foundations of a Sustainable Jewelry Practice with Christina Miller Airdate: April 1, 2023 Christina Miller is the founder of Christina T. Miller Sustainable Jewelry Consulting, providing strategy, education, and guidance to small and medium-sized companies in the jewelry and fashion industries. In this episode, Miller, shares her insights and tips for building and supporting a […]

Live from Expo 2022 Mark Hanna on a Responsible Industry Hosted by Andrea Hill Mark Hanna, chief marketing officer with the New York City–based Richline Group, is a leading advocate for responsible practices throughout the jewelry industry. He’s collaborated with the U.S. Wildlife Council, Pure Earth, and Responsible Artisanal Gold Forum, among other groups, and […]

The Need for Sustainability Despite a slowing economy, focusing on sustainable efforts can create value and build resilience Even with the threat of a slowing economy in the new year, should companies still prioritize investments in sustainability? According to a recent McKinsey report, the answer is a resounding yes. The report notes that even “in […]

Going Green Tips for small shop changes that can make a global difference By Shawna Kulpa What does it mean to be an environmentally responsible jeweler? Is it knowing the origin of the precious metals and gemstones used in your work and ensuring that they were sourced responsibly? Is it recycling all of your metal […]

It Takes a Village Exploring best practices for sourcing responsibly By Deborah A. Yonick For more than a decade, there’s been a movement within the jewelry industry to improve how the precious materials used in it are sourced. As a result, many companies have begun referring to their products as “responsible,” “recycled,” and “sustainable.” But […]

Doing Good Is Good Business The path toward a socially responsibly business By Andrea Hill Most of us agree that being a responsible parent or adult is important, and, if asked, I imagine that every person reading this could articulate the elements of responsibility: Telling the truth, demonstrating good character, modeling good behavior and values, […]

Make Change Participation is essential to developing responsible sourcing solutions By Andrea Hill Three of the most challenging aspects of engaging in jewelry industry responsible supply chain activities are how opaque jewelry supply chains continue to be, how many problems remain to be solved, and the moral dilemmas around many of our materials. The truth […]

Doing It In-House Columbia Gem House’s system for qualifying stone suppliers Jewelry makers dedicated to responsible practices can get frustrated when it comes to sourcing colored gemstones, since there currently aren’t any gemstone-specific certifications for suppliers. That’s one of the reasons why Eric Braunwart, president of Columbia Gem House (CGH) in Vancouver, Washington, decided to […]

Making a Difference Adopting standards are a business necessity, not an option By Andrea Hill The world woke up on February 24 to the news that Russia had begun a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During the week that followed, as extraordinary international sanctions were implemented and the UN Security Council and General Assembly censured Russia, […]

For Good Reason Sustainability is key in sustaining diamond sales By Deborah A. Yonick Next to food and clothing, fine jewelry ranks as the third most frequently purchased category based on sustainability considerations among consumers. In fact, sustainability considerations are on par with price and design for jewelry consumers worldwide, according to De Beers’ 2021 […]

Just the Start Industry initiatives and projects promoting sustainability By Sharon Elaine Thompson Tucson is always hectic, but this year, Eric Braunwart and his staff were unable to leave their booth even to get lunch. What really surprised Braunwart—the founder of Columbia Gem House in Vancouver, Washington, a leading supplier of responsibly sourced colored gems—was […]

Certified Responsible Certifications and standards for responsible supply chains By Shawna Kulpa RJC, COP, SCS, IRMA, ARM, CRAFT, OECD… If you’ve looked into responsible sourcing within the jewelry industry, you’ve likely come across many of these acronyms. They may even have you scratching your head in an effort to keep them all straight. Being a […]

Profiles of two of the industry’s leaders in responsible sourcing By Shawna Kulpa Consumers love a good story, and jewelry, with its sparkling gemstones, storied history, and romantic underpinnings, has lent itself to many an intriguing tale. But there’s also a side of the jewelry industry that doesn’t make for a good story—one where precious […]