sustainability

Cimelio Jewelry's stance on sustainability is focused on education, asking questions, and knowing our sources.

At its core, Jewelry shapes the earth's precious materials into a symbol of celebration and personal meaning. As jewelers and the custodians of these materials, it is up to us to take care of our resources as well as one another. We hope this mindset and method will become the baseline common practice in both the retail and wholesale parts of the industry.

Nowadays, we can benefit from blockchain traceability technology, origin reports, and the option for natural or lab grown diamonds. It's important to understand disingenuous marketing such as "greenwashing," and what truly benefits our industry

METALS

Mining is by its very nature a dirty and oftentimes dangerous business. That is the reason why we spare no effort exclusively work with fair mined/fair-trade metals and certified recycled metals. Our goal is to minimize our effect on earth's resources and guarantee that everyone on the supply chain gets fair compensation for their work.

Cimelio considers it our personal responsibility to ensure we positively impact the community and our planet.

DIAMOND SOURCES

Many are unaware that a significant diamonds we see are not newly mined but are recuts from older or poorly cut material. For our in-house designs, we aim to procure reclaimed antique cuts (for both diamonds and gemstones) whenever possible.

Alternatively, we source directly from a small elite group of trusted diamond and colored stone dealers. These are relationships we've developed and cultivated over the past decade, and they have added tremendous value to our brand and reputation through their insight, knowledge, and honesty. These wholesalers are true masters of their craft that have been in the business for decades.

We don't merely hire the best dealers – we hire the best ones for the job. For each project, we hand-select dealers based on their specialty and expertise. We wouldn't necessarily request the same criteria from our favorite round brilliant cut wholesaler as our other trusted source for romantic and antique faceting style. And even if our client's projects are unusual, we've got an out-of-the-box dealer in our network.

THE CURRENT STATE OF CONFLICT STONES

Social responsibility starts with the individual. As consumers, we need to ask questions and demand oversight from the organizations that oversee diamond certifications.

A famous example of this is the Kimberley Process, which is the certification scheme established in 2003 by the United Nations General Assembly that safeguards rough diamonds from financing civil and violent conflicts.

The different names and terms used to market stones to consumers can be misleading and can improperly represent the stone. Existing certifications (such as the Kimberley Process) do not curtail human rights or civil rights abuses. Unfortunately, the industry has not improved this issue and desperately needs to. Diamonds that comply with the "Kimberley Process" aren't necessarily mined diamonds free from conflict or conflict stones.

It also doesn't prevent human rights abuses. Industry expert Martin Rapaport of Rapaport Magazine says: "The definition of 'conflict diamonds' is limited to diamonds that fund civil wars. It does not include diamonds involved in human rights violations such as torture, rape, or slavery. There is no assurance that conflict free or KP-certified diamonds are not blood diamonds."

Any jeweler has to be extremely careful going forward about which diamonds are entering the consumer pipeline. Sometimes, large diamond producers partner with local and regional governments to control and mine mineral resources with little or no benefit to the surrounding communities.
This practice deprives locals of the prosperity they could enjoy if not for the greed that corrupts these large corporations. Against which, individually, it is difficult to fight and make a difference.

Blockchain technology will eventually play a prominent role in the industry regarding traceability and origin. Although it will take time to feel the effect of new best practices across the industry, it is up to us as individuals to do what we can to protect our resources and one another.

What can we do?

Cimelio wants to help mitigate these atrocities. Our goal is to create beautiful jewelry while also making a impactful social difference where we can, while also staying at the forefront of social change. That positive change starts with our partnership with the nonprofit The Gem Legacym a noble organization that helps East African artisanal miners through community development, providing tools and safety kits to educate their children and local orphans.

Of all Cimelio sales, 5% will be donated to this charity. And as Cimelio grows, we hope that our donations grow too. There are no small parts, only small actors.