What Are Ethical Gemstones?

Ethical Gemstone Sourcing

 

In the 20th century, we witnessed the rise of large diamond companies & the commercialisation of diamonds. Along with that came the term “blood diamond” which refers to gemstones mined in war zones to fuel armed conflict by rebel groups against government organisations. This awareness served as a push towards ethical sourcing & transparency in the gemstone trade. 

What are ethical gemstones? 

While there is no set definition, one way of looking at it is that an ethical gemstone is one that has been mined and produced in the most socially & environmentally responsible way. 

Socially responsible: 

Fair labour practises, safe working conditions, fair pay & ethical treatment of miners & workers all along the supply chain. 

Environmentally responsible: 

Such as a responsible mining system that restores the land back to its previous condition once mining has been completed. Often includes reduced water usage as well as reforestation efforts and habitat restoration following gemstone extraction. 

What are sustainable mining practices? 

When “sustainable” is used to describe mining practices it refers to a variety of sustainable concepts including the implementation of renewable energy sources into mining practices. Additionally, water management & recycling enables mining facilities to greatly reduce fresh water consumption. Also, the conversion of mining waste into construction materials and the general minimising of waste are examples of sustainable mining practices. 

“Sustainable” mining of gemstones does not mean that the gemstones extracted are sustainable. Gemstones often take millions of years to be formed within the earth's crust and once extracted they will not be replenished any time soon. 

How to know if gemstones are ethically sourced? 

1. Traceability - An ethical gemstone should have a transparent supply chain, where it was mined, who cut it & all the hands it passed through before getting to you. 

2. Truly ethical stones should have an origin stated. You can not understand the ethics of a gemstone unless you know where it came from and the practices of that mine. 

Which gemstone is the most ethical? 

While there isn’t one coloured gemstone that’s more ethical than others - what’s important is the particular mines' social & environmental policies and practices. 

Which countries supply ethical gemstones? 

The US & Australia are well known to produce ethical gemstones because of the high labour standards & strict environmental laws in those countries. 

Although these countries certainly have stricter laws, in other countries there are still mines that hold themselves to high ethical standards. 

What ethical gemstone certification is available? 

Fair Trade Gems - are gemstones that are mined following strict standards related to environmental protection & fair labour practices in both pay & safe working conditions. Another element of Fair Trade Gems is that they benefit the local communities through investment in infrastructure, education & healthcare.

 

Photo reference: Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash