从矿源到珠宝：彩色宝石供应链负责任采购替代方案的批判性审视

GEMSTONESRESPONSIBLE From mine to jewel: a critical examinationof the coloured gemstone supply chain ORIGEN – Gold for Future and Medicus Mundi MediterràniaBarcelona, 2024 With the support of: TABLE OF CONTENTS N Gems are minerals prized for their exceptional beauty, durability, and rarity. They connect us tothe planet’s uniqueness, serving as a reminder of both its magnificence and delicate balance. Formillennia, humans have revered and traded gems. These precious stones have been intertwined Sapphire, for instance, has held a significant place in history. The term ‘sapphire’ originatesfrom the Greek wordsappheiros, which itself was borrowed from the Hebrew wordsapires, meaning‘neatness.’ Sapphires have been imbued with various meanings by different civilisations. Buddhistsassociate them with peace, serenity, and happiness, while in the Middle Ages, they symbolised love. But what do we know about the origin of gems and their journey into our hands? As we explainin our latest work,Responsible jewellery. A guide to understanding the impacts of jewellery making, learningabout responsible sourcing alternatives and delving into other sustainable practices in workshops and in companies, the supply chains for most of the raw materials we use are associated with severe environmentaldamage, armed conflict, corruption, child labour, and various human rights violations in numerous This dark reality particularly affects precious metals, diamonds, and, as we explore in this paper,coloured gems. These gems traverse a highly opaque and largely unregulated market with numer-ous actors and intermediaries. Approximately ninety percent of gems originate from countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where artisanal mining often serves as a subsistence economicactivity driven by poverty and limited opportunities. Throughout the extraction phase and subse-quent processing, we encounter a series of challenges that professionals and jewellery enthusiasts for diamonds versus coloured gems. Approximately 80% of diamond production originates fromlarge-scale mining enterprises, with only 20% coming from small and medium-scale operations. When we think of a gem, we often expect it to be a shiny, cut mineral. However, a rough stoneas found in nature (such as a pebble or a crystal) can also be classified as a gem. Biogenic materialsare also gems; for example, coral, pearls, ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, horn, mother-of-pearl, amber,copal, and tagua nut. The trade in some of these materials is tightly regulated. The time has come to confront the injustices inherent in the materials we use and take action topromote change. We must support transparent, sustainable, and equitable sourcing practices thatbenefit all stakeholders. Our first step is to make conscious purchasing choices, followed by raising In the upcoming pages, we will exclusively explore the realm of coloured gemstones, aiming tooffer valuable insights that lead us toward more responsible jewellery practices. This booklet catersto a broad audience, with a special focus on jewellers seeking deeper understanding of how gem From this conviction, we propose responsible jewellery – a new approach rooted in materialorigin and traceability. It encourages us to seek materials from artisanal and small-scale mininginitiatives that adhere to fair trade principles, environmental respect, and community development This booklet is a collaborative effort between geologist and gemmologist Carmen García-Carbal-lido, founder of Ethical Gemstones of the World, and the ORIGEN – Gold for Future collective.Its purpose is to enhance understanding of coloured gemstones and promote their responsibleconsumption. It is a review of the state of the coloured gem trade, focusing specifically on theenvironmental and social impacts of mining operations, cutting and polishing processes, treat-ments applied to stones and gem dealing activities. It not only discusses lessons learned but, more The activities of a handful of ethical gem suppliers operating within a ‘mine-to-market’ model,strive to give back to mining communities by running beneficial social projects. Their approachprioritises fair compensation for miners and lapidaries while safeguarding both people and theplanet. Gemstones distributed through ethical gem trading come with a clear traceable path fromthe mine to your hands, firstly because they have a short supply chain, but also because ethical The gem trade commonly uses the term ‘coloured gemstones’ to refer to all gems except dia-monds. However, it is worth noting that coloured diamonds also exist, as do colourless gemstonesother than diamonds. This booklet focuses on gemstones that naturally occur in a coloured state. ets’ where their distribution is patchy and challenging to predict. As a result, large-scale mechanisedoperations for extracting coloured gemstones may not be feasible. However, in such circumstances,individual miners or small groups can still find profit