Fair Trade Jewelry

Every day I read press releases and articles on jewelry companies that are branding themselves as green or fair trade. It is not uncommon for large companies to spend huge amounts of money to hire a movie star or athlete to carry this eco or socially responsible message. Just look at Citizen Watch and the De Beers sponsored diamond mine tour by Russell Simmons.

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Tags: Transparency, Change Agents, CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Fair Trade, Environment, Ethics, Rubies, Fair Trade Gems, Mining, Gold, Platinum, Diamonds by Marc Choyt
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Steve is working with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), jewelers, and those working in the small-scale mining sector to organize a mutli-sector “Ethical Jewelry Summit” on socially and environmentally sourced jewelry production to take place in Washington DC on Oct. 25th and 26th. The “Madison Dialogue” is convening the summit.

Stephen D’Esposito of EarthWorks

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Tags: CSR, Transparency, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Change Agents, Environment, Mining, Madison Dialogue, Gold, Platinum, Ethics, Interviews by Marc Choyt
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I met Jay Seiler of Security Jewelers at the JCK Show. He is a retailer who found my press release about fairjewelry.org at the Rapaport Fair Trade booth and sought me out in the Design Center Building. After the show, I interviewed him by email, curious as to why he is moving his company toward fair, ecologically and socially responsible sourcing.

Jay Seiler

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Tags: CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Interviews, Ethics, Environment, Diamonds by Marc Choyt
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If you haven’t heard by now, you will. John Hardy has sold his stake in The John Hardy Company.

Go here for all the details: http://www.jckonline.com/article/CA6458688.html

$100 million dollars is a lot of scratch. So, what’s he gonna do with all that green?

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Tags: Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, CSR, Transparency, Ethics, Environment, Change Agents, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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Wade Watson, cofounder of Pride Diamonds writes about his Social Entrepreneurship to help rebuild Sierra Leon.

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In early 2005, myself, together with Andrew Greenblatt, a social venture capitalist with a successful not-for-profit background co-founded, Pride Diamonds, a socially responsible, U.S.-based company that partners with local land owners and chiefdoms to small-scale, alluvial diamond mine in Sierra Leone’s rural countryside, and works to effect positive social change.

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Tags: CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Interviews, Mining, Ethics, Environment, Diamonds by admin
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South Africa Fair Trade Jewelry Stakeholders Conference to be held July 15, 2007 at Jewellex International Trade Fair

July 9, 2007-Johannesburg —

The Rapaport Group in coordination with The Jewellery Council of South Africa will present South Africa’s first Fair Trade Jewelry Conference on Sunday July 15, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The event is the first of its kind to bring together South African stakeholders interested in the development of South African Fair Trade Jewelry and follows-up on the Fair Trade Jewelry Conference held this past June at the renowned JCK Las Vegas Jewelry Show.

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Tags: Spin, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Mining, Ethics, Environment, Jewelry Manufacturing by admin
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We know how expensive it is to develop a brand. If one is working with the independent jeweler as a channel of distribution, not only must one sell to the owner of the store, but one must sell it also to the sales staff. This is a zero sum game

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Tags: CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Ethics, Environment, Diamonds by Marc Choyt
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“I left a piece of my heart in Africa. I went back in … 2006 to see if it was still there”

Amanda Stark was recently hired as Fair Trade liaison for the Rapaport Group. Anyone who is interested in fair trade and socially responsible jewelry has a friend in Amanda and also, of course, the Rapaport Group. She is the first person in the jewelry industry whose job is specifically to promote these issues!

Amanda Stark of The Rapaport Group

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Tags: CSR, Transparency, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Change Agents, Environment, Interviews, Fair Trade Gems, Madison Dialogue, Mining, Ethics, Diamonds by Marc Choyt
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Here’s part of a letter from Al Gore circulating on the internet:

“On 7.7.07 more than two billion people will come together during Live Earth. That number is unfathomable - more than one-fourth of the world’s population will participate

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Tags: Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, CSR, Spin, Environment, Change Agents, Ethics by Marc Choyt
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Jewelry Designer, Retailer, Writer and Speaker Gary Dawson informally discusses Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings on mindfulness and the power of “Conscious Intent.”

Gary Dawson
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Tags: Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Spin, Transparency, Environment, Change Agents, Ethics by Marc Choyt
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