Doamabijoux is committed to adhering to the most ethical value chain possible: from the selection of its raw material suppliers to the artisan service providers with whom it collaborates, respecting transparency and traceability, from the creative process to manufacturing and delivery.
This article is important to raise awareness and to provide information and clarity on the vision of the profession in the coming years.
Conventional Gold Mining
Gold mining - photo credit © WWF-Canon / Zig KOCH
To extract 20 grams of gold, 50,000 liters of water, 150 liters of gasoline, 18 kg of sulfur oxide, and 415kg of CO2 are required.
The working conditions of miners are deplorable.
Between corruption, exposure to health-hazardous products, and extremely precarious living conditions, it is a true social and environmental nightmare.
Today, only 10% of gold is produced in human-scale artisanal mines.
However, nearly 60% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for ethical gold. It's simple, demand exceeds supply.
Alternatives to Conventional Gold
The Responsible Jewellery Council, RJC, guarantees that gold does not come from any conflict zone ("conflict-free") and that it is extracted, transported, and traded according to practices that respect people, the environment, and social law.
- Recycled gold: this is simply gold that has already been used (in jewelry or certain industries) and is re-shaped to create a brand new piece of jewelry. Although chemicals are necessary in the process, the environmental and social impact of recycled gold is much less than that of newly extracted gold.
- Fairmined or fair trade certified gold: this certification label is awarded by the AMR (Alliance for Responsible Minings) to autonomous and artisanal mining communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This extremely demanding label guarantees gold extracted in compliance with working conditions and ecological standards. To learn more, visit the ARM website
The CoC, implemented by the RJC, certifies the good practices of actors across the entire supply chain and value chain.
CoC: Chain of Custody Standard
Some video links on
Ethical gold
https://www.veracash.fr/blog/or-propre-et-ethique-est-ce-possible/#label-fairmined-fairtrade
Gold extraction
https://youtu.be/x9tujSY_QHk?si=kwTFc4G4mhLdwM7J
The consequences of gold mining
Gold mining is one of the most polluting activities and requires large quantities of ore for low yields. Extracting 1 gram of gold generates more than two tons of mining waste and requires chemicals to separate the gold from other minerals.
The largest gold mines discharge up to 1,900 tons of cyanide per year into the environment. These practices lead to river pollution and the destruction of entire ecosystems, sparking anger among indigenous populations who depend on them, in blatant disregard of their rights.
Knowing that there is currently enough gold already extracted to cover the demand of the entire jewelry industry for the next 50 years, OR DU MONDE chooses to recycle gold by refining it again to restore its original purity, regardless of its color.
To learn more about recycled gold
The traceability of precious metals, gemstones, and diamonds is a major concern for ethical and environmental reasons.
For the purchase of precious metals, Doamabijoux sources from SAAMP, a French refiner whose industrial facilities are still located in France.
The traceability of its processes and compliance with all environmental, ethical, and social requirements have enabled it to obtain several certifications, such as ISO 14001, which relates to the environment, as well as the "Chain of Custody" grade from the "Responsible Jewellery Council," an international organization, a mandatory passport for supplying precious metals to French High Jewelry.
“Origine France Garantie” is SAAMP's most important label, as it certifies that the ingots produced are entirely made in France, according to precise specifications and with totally recycled and refined gold in France.
Certifications and accreditations
https://saamp.eu/saamp-groupe-la-certification-origine-france-garantie
RJC-COC N°0173
RJC N°1128
OFG AFNOR Cert. 83234
The ethical charter
https://saamp.eu/documents_telechargables/Charte%20%C3%A9thique%20partenariale%20SAAMP.pdf
Appendices
www.originefrancegarantie.fr
ISO 9001 : 2015 N°2010/38301.3
ISO 14001 : 2015 N°2013/57085.4
ISO 17025 : COFRAC accredited laboratory N°1-6407,
scope available on www.cofrac.fr
A conflict diamond
To judge the quality of a diamond, its color, cut, clarity, and carat have always been used as the four cornerstones of evaluation (the four "Cs": color, cut, clarity, and carat), but in recent decades, another "C": conflict.
Conflict diamonds, also known as blood or war diamonds, are diamonds originating from war zones and traded illegally to finance rebel fighters and insurrections. The name "conflict diamond" is used to indicate that the trade of these diamonds finances - and ultimately prolongs - conflicts in war-torn countries.
Conflict diamonds are primarily associated with Africa, as insurgent groups in countries such as Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d'Ivoire have all sold diamonds in the past to pay for their weapons and continue fighting.
Not only do war diamonds perpetuate war and violence, but the treatment of workers in the conflict diamond industry is often described as inhumane, and they suffer from illness, violence, and starvation.
For these reasons, the purchase and sale of conflict diamonds are illegal.
In 2000, the diamond industry implemented a process to prevent the circulation of conflict diamonds.
This initiative, called the Kimberley Process, aims to trace each diamond from where it was extracted to where it was sold, thereby preventing illegal conflict diamonds from being sold on the gemstone market.
The Kimberley Process (KP) brings together administrations, civil society, and industries with the aim of reducing the existence of conflict diamonds (rough diamonds used to finance wars waged by rebels seeking to destabilize governments) worldwide.
https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/fr/kimberley-process-kp