Commercial Member

To be eligible for commercial membership of the Council, the applicant must:

be actively involved for commercial reasons in the diamond and/or gold jewellery supply chain [including jewellery watches for their diamond and/or gold components]; and
commit to the prevailing Principles and Code of Practices on business ethics, social performance human rights and environmental performance adopted by the Responsible Jewellery Council; and
pay an annual Council commercial membership fee; and
submit a complete and accurate application form to the Council’s office in London, UK.

Note: The Certification Scope of the RJC System includes Gold and Diamonds and Laboratory-grown diamonds.

Member Commitments

support the Mission of the Council: "To advance responsible ethical, social and environmental practices, which respect human rights, throughout the diamond and gold jewellery supply chain, from mine to retail."
promote responsible business practices in the diamond and/or gold jewellery supply chain;
operate their business in accordance with the prevailing Principles and Code of Practices on business ethics, social, human rights and environmental practices adopted by the Council;
implement Continuous Improvement processes to achieve increased performance and higher standards;
comply with the Anti-trust Policy and Rules adopted by the Council in its dealings with the Council and other members;
comply with the rules laid down by the Council as to the use of its logo and intellectual property; and
seek to achieve certification under the Council’s certification system within two years of joining the Council.

Member Role

Members will have the opportunity to be elected to the Board of the Council and the Board committees.

Member Benefits

The benefits of membership in the RJC include:

The ability to become certified under a recognised, transparent certification system using third party verification.
The RJC System will allow companies now operating their own social responsibility auditing programs to avoid duplication and expense, streamline work and reduce costs.
A valuable forum for discussion and interaction with industry peers who share a commitment to advancing responsible business practices in the gold and diamond jewellery supply chain.
Access to information on emerging business responsibility issues and challenges the industry is facing.
Use of the Council logo and intellectual property (including implementation and assessment tools) offering a means to demonstrate:
- your company's proactive approach to responsible business practices
- your company's commitment to implementing the Council's standards in a robust and credible manner.
A means to provide confidence to your supply chain partners (or customers) in respect of your business practices.
A transparent and practical mechanism for helping your local operations and contractors develop the capacity to meet higher standards of ethical, social and environmental performance.

Application Process

To become a Commercial Member please download an application form. Organisations wishing to obtain a MSword version of the application form should contact: info@responsiblejewellery.com

On receipt of the completed application form, the Council Secretariat will contact you in writing to confirm the steps to complete Council Membership. Once this process is complete, your company will be listed on the Council's website as such.