Designer Welcome Packet

We believe being active and engaged with the community is vital to foster social justice efforts at large and promote a better jewelry industry. Robert Goodman Jewelers wants to know how you are involved in industry efforts advocating for transparency, traceability and grass-roots projects.

We ask that our partner designers support and participate in on-the-ground initiatives, such as volunteering or civic engagement in our industry and community at large. Charitable giving is also highly encouraged and supporting efforts to raise awareness on issues that create a better world.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support activism:

Getting involved in jewelry industry efforts advocating for transparency and traceability

Giving, supporting, or raising awareness for local and/or international charities

Supporting and participating in on-the-ground initiatives (i.e. volunteer, civil engagement)

Robert Goodman Jewelers prioritizes gold sourced from artisanal & small-scale mining (ASM) operations that are Fairmined Certified. In addition to our commitment to supporting grassroots projects involving ASM, we also encourage you to engage with initiatives that work with responsible mining standards, guaranteeing traceable origin, extracting with sustainable practices, and supporting community development.

At the beginning of the precious metals value chain are people and communities clustered around either large-scale mines or small, artisanal ones.

When it comes to gold, an estimated 75% of the annual supply is newly mined and up to 20% is being mined by artisanal miners. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) employs an estimated 15 million people and supports upwards of 100 million people in over 80 countries. ASGM is not only important for the livelihoods of millions of families but it’s also the pathway out of poverty and the bridge towards alternative forms of income.

At Robert Goodman Jewelers, we promote two global initiatives that connect us directly with the ASGM community—CRAFT and the Fairmined Standard. Both programs require legal mining activities and are engaged in methods to mitigate inherent risks. As these programs continue to improve, they achieve responsible mining expectations of environmental protection and community engagement.

By buying jewelry made of gold or silver sourced from miners participating in these programs, we’re committed to the well-being of these mining communities while championing the use of legitimate operations and responsible practices.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support responsible artisanally mined gold and silver:

Making jewelry from gold and/or silver mined by Fairmined-certified mines

Purchasing gold and silver from artisanal miners working toward more formal practices (e.g. following the CRAFT Standard)

Participating in specialty grass-root projects involving artisanal mining initiatives

When designers opt to produce pieces using recycled gold, we encourage recycled precious metals sourced from suppliers that meet reliable standards, are verified by third-party organizations, and that, ideally, declare the composition of pre and/or post-consumer content.

Robert Goodman Jewelers recognizes SCS “Recycled Content” Certification and Hoover & Strong Harmony metals as suitable recycled gold suppliers.

Robert Goodman Jewelers believes that the jewelry industry has not arrived at an acceptable definition of "recycled" given the unique properties and value of precious metals, and there is still work to be done to fully understand the nuances of working sustainably with a precious metal.

Precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum are not thrown out as waste. As their name implies, the precious nature and value of these elements have always resulted in jewelers melting and reusing them since antiquity.

The public understands recycling in the broadest sense as the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. However, “eco-friendly" practices and materials have led to "recycled" precious metals claims that don't actually reduce new mining activity. Because precious metals, at least in the jewelry industry, have never been thrown away, the hope that buying recycled gold will achieve a greener world does actually add up to the desired result.

The real greening opportunity is the recovery of precious metals from e-waste, dental scraps, and x-ray film. Robert Goodman Jewelers is dedicated to transparently disclosing the use of pre- and post-consumer gold, silver, and platinum. In some cases certifications verifying the recycled content are available, but these are not perfect. Definitions for recycled precious metals are actively changing as more information continues to come to light. At this time, recycling is not reducing new mining activity.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support certified recycled precious metals:

Providing the percentage of pre- and post-consumer content

Looking for SCS “Recycled Content” Certification

Avoiding promoting the use of “recycled” precious metals until more is known

Robert Goodman Jewelers promotes using responsible colored gemstones with proven country of origin and traceable to the mine. We prefer sources from artisanal & small-scale mining initiatives, with transparent mine-to-market efforts and community investments.

Antique, estate or upcycled colored gemstones are welcome, with assurances. Robert Goodman Jewelers does not source colored gemstones that do not disclose, at a minimum, the country of origin.

Similar to precious metals mining, 80% of colored gemstones are mined extensively in the Global South by artisanal miners in over 47 countries, a global industry valued between $10 and $15 billion.

The nuances of responsibly sourcing colored gemstones differ a little from gold. These differences range from mining methods to gender roles and include how the materials are traded.

Robert Goodman Jewelers has pledged to support local, community-driven initiatives that empower regional miners with mineral and gemstone education, access to fair market spaces and prices, and further technical assistance to educate them with lapidary and other high-value skills.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support responsible artisanally mined gemstones:

Knowing the country of origin

Working with mine-to-market initiatives incorporating community investments

Using gemstones that are traceable to the mine

Robert Goodman Jewelers partners with natural diamond suppliers who prioritize transparency, traceability, protection of human rights, and practices of environmental protection and community engagement. Antique, estate or upcycled diamonds are welcome, with assurances.

Robert Goodman Jewelers does not source diamonds from Russia or diamonds linked to the current conflict with Ukraine.

Lab-grown diamonds, if requested by customers, should disclose provenance, carbon footprint, and energy use and avoid unsubstantiated eco-claims. Center stones must be SCS 007 Sustainably Rated Diamonds.

Natural diamonds are primarily mined in large, industrial operations that employ nearly 10 million people. Less visible is the artisanal diamond mining sector which is responsible for 20% of annual production.

An estimated $16 billion worth of rough diamonds are produced per year, of which approximately 37% are produced in Africa. Diamonds have been in the news for years due to numerous reports of human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and corruption present in the sector.

Robert Goodman Jewelers is adamant about pursuing legitimate, transparent diamond sources that also uphold US sanctions aimed at preventing the trade of Russian diamonds amidst the conflict with Ukraine.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support responsible diamond sourcing:

Using traceable, artisanally mined diamonds

Providing the source country of origin

Responsibility and sustainability is a practice. We understand it as a way you go about making your jewelry with care, but it also means the practices with which you manage your business and operate. We encourage you to pursue as much transparency about your business as possible in terms of prioritizing ethical practices and avoiding compromise.

Let us know what you are doing to manage your business’s environmental impacts, for example: waste (i.e. plastic bags), energy (i.e. electricity source), toxic materials and substances (i.e. use + disposal), and transportation (i.e. public transit). By doing this you will in turn influence your providers of such materials and substances.

Your business’s social impacts matter too. This has to do with how you manage your team, hiring practices, contracting arrangements, and community involvement.

You might be willing to pursue certifications for your efforts, such as a local or state-level “green business” certification or B-Corp Certification - we’d love to celebrate your accomplishments.

Ways jewelers, designers, and vendors can support ethical business and manufacturing practices:

Focusing on personal impacts

• Waste (i.e. Plastic)
• Energy (i.e. Electricity source)
• Toxic Materials (i.e. Use + Disposal)
• Transportation (i.e. Public transit)

Setting expectations for supplier practices (activities not in your direct control, but which you can influence)

• Waste (i.e. Plastic)
• Energy (i.e. Electricity source)
• Toxic Materials (i.e. Use + Disposal)
• Transportation (i.e. Public transit)