About Us
Fair Jewelry Action (FJA) is a Human Rights and Environmental Justice Network within the jewellery sector. FJA promotes ethical and fair trade jewellery business by advocating traceability and transparency in the jewellery supply chain. FJA’s objective is to direct more of the economic contribution of the jewellery sector toward regenerating local economies in small-scale artisan producer communities, as well as supporting their cultural integrity and assuring environmental sustainability.
FJA’s activities focus on being a driving force and voice to consumers with the aim of making ethically and fairly traded jewellery the only moral choice. FJA supports jewellers by connecting them with the source of their material and enabling them to see the social, environmental and market advantage of providing ethical products.
FJA does this through three action streams: education, campaigning for indigenous peoples affected by mining and the support of small-scale producers for Fairtrade certification purposes.
Organization
FJA was founded as an outcome of collaborative efforts of two activist jewelers, Greg Valerio (UK) and Marc Choyt (USA). See biographic information below.
Fair Jewellery Action is a programme kindly facilitated by Christian Relief Education & Development (CRED) a charity registered in the UK (No. 1072426).
In the USA, FJA efforts are funded and sponsored by Marc Choyt with the support and sponsorship of his company, Reflective Images Inc.
At present, FJA rather functions as a network, a communications platform and information nexus for those interested in the vision and mission of the organization. There is no charge for membership.
FJA is currently seeking targeted funding to expand its mission and vision.
Membership
Membership to our network is open to small jewellers, NGOs, and artisan, small scale, focused mining companies that are fully committed and implementing mine to market traceability and transparency. For example, simply selling jewelry that is recycled is not sufficient. We need to see intentionality and the emphasis on ethical practices in practice and across marketing platforms. Companies must also be aligned to FJA’s Mission and Vision. .
In the USA or Canada, Contact:
Contact: reflective@cybermesa.com
Publisher: www.fairjewelry.org
Reflective Images
912 Baca St
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA
Telephone: 505-988-7393 Fax: 505-983-1421.
Marc Choyt is co-founder of Fair Jewelry Action and publisher of fairjewelry.org. Since its founding in 2007, fairjewelry.org has become the most comprehensive trade and consumer resource on ethical jewelry production. With its translator function, it is read by people from 130 countries a month, and receives several hundred visitors a day. As a journalist, Marc has published several articles in trade and consumer publications and has written two e-books on ethical sourcing issues: one for the consumer and one for the trade.
Marc is a social entrepreneur and President pf Reflective Images Inc, a designer jewelry company located in Santa Fe, NM that was established in 1995. Reflective Images, which has won several awards for excellence, and converted its entire production, nationally and internationally, to recycled precious metal. It focuses on artisan sourcing and production.
Marc also spearheaded a three year volunteer cross sector project from the Madison Dialog meeting in at the World Bank in Washington DC in 2011 to create the world’s first Fair Trade Jewelry Manufacturing Standards and Principle Document.
In 2010, Marc was recognized by Jewelers That Care, a nonprofit organization, for his contributions and leadership in the greater movement to create ethical sourcing in the jewelry sector.
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In the UK or EU, contact:
Contact: greg@gregvalerio.com
Greg Valerio, co-founder of Fair Jewelry Action, is a fair trade activist, public speaker and journalist. He writes a regular ethics column for the UK’s National Association of Goldsmiths jeweler’s publication and The Jeweller. His articles, initiatives and interviews are regularly posted on Fair Jewelry Action.
Greg is a social entrepreneur, and the founder of Cred Jewellery, the leading fair trade jeweler in the UK, located in Chichester, West Sussex. He has established an ethical platform based on transparent sourcing, and a bullion supply house for Oro Verde gold, recycled silver and traceable gemstones and diamonds.(www.credsources.com).
He is also one of the founding board members of the Alliance of Responsible Mining (ARM), Greg is also well known in the international fair trade community for his groundbreaking work on behalf of small scale miners throughout the world. Recently he worked for the Fair Labeling Organization (FLO) to successfully bring the fair trade gold initiative to market in the EU.
In June of 2011, Greg won top honors for Global Activist of the Year from the UK Sunday Observer for his pioneering effort to bring fair trade gold from mine to market.
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If you are outside North America or Europe feel free to contact either Marc or Greg directly.
For press requiring further details, images etc please contact Marc by the phone number above or via email: reflective@cybermesa.com
Copyright 2011, Fair Jewelery Action
Webmaster: Marek Sutherland: marek@celticjewelry.com
