Jewelers, designers, miners, NGOs, and industry professionals from small to large companies gathered in Chicago’s south loop for the third annual Responsible Jewelry Conference on 25th and 26th October 2019. The weekend was filled with one of a kind speaker presentations and lively panel discussions. People’s diverse backgrounds made for an incredibly interesting and educational event. We heard stories from a women’s mining cooperative in Tanzania, a responsible gold mining company in Columbia, a silicosis health professional in India, and two Amazonian chiefs.
Diamonds for Peace (DFP) founder Chie Murakami delivered a speaker presentation on DFP’s work in Liberia and our hopes for the future of diamond mining. Since DFP is the only NGO working to create a fair and transparent supply chain for diamonds, the audience was captivated by the project. The audience raised the questions, “How do we purchase these diamonds to help your project,” and “How much volume by carats have you been able to extract through this project?” Chie explained that the cooperative has not exported their diamonds yet, and DFP is working with the pre-cooperative to obtain the full-fledged status to be given by Liberian government. She also said the best way to support the project at this time is by monetary contributions and volunteering. Once the project has more funding, DFP can collect more data to project the amount of diamonds to be exported, develop a series of training for responsible mining, and to develop the traceable supply chain of diamonds.
The gathering and collaboration of passionate and sustainably focused individuals was inspirational. Leaving the conference, there was a sense of hope for the future, coupled with the reality that there is a great deal of work to be done. To learn more about the conference and how to get involved in the responsible jewelry movement, visit the conference’s website and reach out to Susan Wheeler the conference founder. https://www.responsiblejewelryconference.com/
Diamonds for Peace is already looking forward to next year’s conference!
If you are interested in supporting Diamonds for Peace, please check the following pages.
Supporter https://eng.diamondsforpeace.org/supporter/
Corporate Membership https://eng.diamondsforpeace.org/corporate-membership/
Front photo: Chie discussing the simplified diamond supply chain. (Photo by Diamonds for Peace)