Fairmined and Fairtrade Gold are the “gold standard” for certified ASM gold. But are their rigid standards a double-edged sword, which creates a barrier to expansion? And if so, what are the alternatives?

Meet Saskia, a British-Belgian designer and jeweler, based in the hip Dansaert design area of Brussels. You’ve seen her on Zoom ~ learn more about Saskia here!

This repost, originally posted on Professional Jeweller and authored by Sam Lewis, summarizes the human rights abuses that have taken place in Zimbabwe and questions why this country should be given a leadership position in the Kimberley Process. It is an important read for anyone who wants to stay up to date on the current conflicts surrounding diamond mining.

Source author Chloe was able to chat with both Annie Doresca and Elyssa Jenkins-Perez about forming BIJC and developing the soon-to-launch I.D.E.A.

Wow, we made it through another Covid year. Seriously, give yourself a pat on the back. Ever since The Source launched in October 2020, you’ve supported us and been the reason we keep writing and sharing our content. We thought it would be interesting to look back and see which of our original Source articles were your favorites!

I spent two weeks of October in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), touring several small-scale gold mining sites and meeting with a number of supply chain actors involved with the USAID-funded project known as Zahabu Safi.

Are your favorite jewelry books replete with glossy photos, preferably of gorgeous pieces from different artists and eras? Mine are! Jewels by Jar, or Jewelry by Suzanne Belperron, anyone? And yet, perhaps the most informative jewelry books I’ve read in the past few years have focused on mining and extractives.

The author of this guest article, Jorden de Haan, works with Pact’s Mines to Markets program in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a development practitioner specializing in the intersections of ASM, formalization, socio-economic development and peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ian Bone is co-founder of Capricorn Gems, a wholesale gem business that specializes in sapphire, boulder opal, zircon, and chrysoprase from Central Queensland, Australia.

You’ve just finished polishing a new piece of jewelry or designing the recent collection for your line. Now it’s time to price it. Is this the hardest part? Pricing isn’t easy to talk about; that said, I’ve been asking a few designers to share their pricing formulas with us.

On May 28, 2021, Germany officially apologized for the state-sanctioned genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples, which took place between 1904 and 1908 in what is now Namibia. This harbinger of the Holocaust occurred after German colonizers had stolen Herero and Nama land — which turned out to be exceedingly valuable, and full of some of the richest diamond deposits ever discovered.

The CRITICALSMITHS Research Series is a project created by Lucy Louise Derickson of Ethical Metalsmiths and Missy Graff-Ballone of Wellness for Makers to inspire students to think critically about how their studio habits connect to environmental and personal safety issues.

This article by Estelle Levin-Nally and Danielle Keller Aviram was originally posted by Levin Sources on June 27th, 2019. Levin Sources is an advisory firm specialising in promoting responsible business conduct and good governance in minerals production and sourcing.

Human rights attorney turned jeweler: a career swivel of 180° yet graciously bringing these two worlds together. Meet Zulaikha, as we continue our intermittent series called “Friend of a Friend” and get to know other people in the jewelry industry and beyond. Full disclosure for the sake of transparency: Zulaikha is a member of Ethical Metalsmiths.

I started out working on various sanctions programs towards Sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan and Liberia, which had a diamond component.

Featured Members for 2021 Summer Edition

Marc Choyt's article, presented here, is centered around one question posed to the jewelry industry: “What’s our 500-year plan?” Providing insight to some of the central concerns many of us have, this “Ethical Jewelry 101”-style piece is a concise yet thorough overview of ethical jewelry, helpful in filling in some of the gaps many of us have — as well as in grounding us in our current moment.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. To say there’s been a dramatic cultural shift in the year since is just about the biggest understatement I could make. Everywhere you turn, businesses are now pro-BIPOC (Black, Indigeonous, + people of color), anti-racism, pro-LGBTQ+, Anti Asian Hate.

Jewelry designer and metalsmith Jennifer Dawes was an early adopter of responsible sourcing and eco-conscious jewelry making. She launched Jennifer Dawes Design in 2000 and currently serves as a Board Member of Ethical Metalsmiths as part of her work towards increasing transparency in the jewelry industry.

Gold is fascinating! Learn more from these films, books, and sites and please add your suggestions below. Or find me on Instagram and suggest other ways we can all continue learning. Thank you! @christinamallenyc