The ethical jewellery cemetery is full of tombstones of good intentions, inscribed with the words: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (i.e. “the more that changes, the more it’s the same thing”).
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In recent years, evolving consumer demands and concerns over ‘conflict’ diamonds and minerals have coincided with the emergence of a powerful data-tracking approach known as ‘blockchain.’ This technology, in development since the 1980s, anchors a core tenant of ethical sourcing: traceability and transparency.
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The true historical context of the term ‘responsibility’ as it pertains to jewellery sourcing can be traced back, at least partially, to the diamond industry’s response to blood diamonds.
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In “Sourcing ‘responsible’ diamonds: Where morality meets storytelling,” Marc Choyt and Kyle Abram discuss marketing narratives as they pertain to jewellery sourcing, unpacking the complicated relationship between the diamond industry and Russian mining groups.
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In October 2021, Kyle Abram flew to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) project, a model for the future of ethical gold sourcing from small-scale mines.
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Today’s jewellers widely recognize caring for the future is in their best interest—namely because millennials and gen-Z consumers tend to shop their values.
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In August of this year, JB contributor, Kyle Abram, spoke to Robin Erfe as research for his upcoming article, ‘Where Black lives don’t matter to jewellers.’
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Earlier this year, 29 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) U.S.- and U.K.-based jewellery designers penned an open letter to the industry.
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