HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY?
Responsible jewellery is a proposal that allows us to use our craft to contribute to building a fairer and more sustainable world, counteracting the often-negative impacts associated with the source of the materials we work with.
The source and traceability of the materials we use to create our jewellery is an essential aspect of how we think about responsible jewellery. This drives us to first ask ourselves what is the story behind each precious metal and gemstone we use, and then to seek out responsible sourcing options resulting from artisanal and small-scale mining initiatives that apply criteria based on fair trade, community development and environmental friendliness.
This way of making jewellery encompasses the entire economic activity, up to the final phase of sales and connecting with customers. In this sense, other sustainable and social impact practices that we can mainstream into the way our workshops and businesses operate are also important, as well as our active role within the sector and towards the public to raise awareness for change.
FAQs
Fairmined is currently the only certification for gold and silver that is officially licensed for jewellers in Spain. First, you have to obtain a licence and you can find all the information on this link. Then you can buy gold from several Fairmined suppliers, listed here. Some of them will send to any part of the world and others are restricted to certain countries. In some cases, a minimum quantity order is required whereas in others it is not. Majoral is one of these suppliers and it is the only one located in Spain, specifically in Barcelona.
To sell certified metals you need a licence, tax information and proof that you are registered to carry out an economic activity that allows you to issued invoices with VAT exemption. This document can be the 036 issued by the Spanish tax office (Hacienda) or a recent receipt of payment of freelance taxes (autónomos). Majoral does not increase prices with quantity. Payments are made in advance of the despatch or collection. Charges for sending and insuring any goods within Spain but outside Barcelona are currently €10 (VAT included). The company offers 24-carat pure gold and silver too.
You can also buy 22, 18 or 14-carat gold from other suppliers such as Fairever (Germany) and Gold by Gold (France), two more of the trusted companies for some of the brands of our group. For more information, see our directory of suppliers.
You can use any supplier who is offering responsibly extracted silver mined on an artisanal and small scale. Just like gold in Spain, the Majoral brand based in Barcelona is a distributor for Fairmined silver. They offer fine silver from the Iquira cooperative in Colombia.
In Europe, there are other suppliers that can provide you with Fairmined certified silver (also Fairtrade, if available): Gold by Gold (France), Fairever (Germany), Altro Carato (Italy) and Vipa Designs (UK). In North America you will find Malleable Jewellers (Canada) and Hoover & Strong (USA). In South America there is Alloy (Colombia).
Another good option is the Fair ASM Silver sold by Fairever, sourced from small-scale mining organisations such as SOTRAMI (Peru) which, although not currently certified, follow the highest standards and have a recognised place in responsible ASM. For more information, see our directory of suppliers.
Of course! A gradual change towards responsible jewellery is one of the options. You can start by introducing ethical materials little by little. For example, in a collection or a part of your jewellery production. Many brands find that to start off with making 100% of their pieces with certified metals and precious stones of responsible origin is difficult. You need to adapt your prices and change your stock of silver, gold and gemstones that you have been producing with other materials and that takes time. That is why many jewellers progressively increase their use of responsible materials over time.
Starting to work with ethical materials gradually is completely legitimate as long as the origin of the materials is clearly communicated for each product.
In Barcelona, the Majoral workshop undertakes casting exclusively of Fairmined metals, separating them from metals with other or no certification as demanded by the Fairmined Standard. There is an established calendar with three basic prices depending on the volume and whether it is gold or silver. No shrinkage is charged. The metal is paid for in advance of delivery and there are options for establishing a personal account. Clients must have a Fairmined licence and be registered to carry out economic activities. The Majoral workshop also offers a laser cutting service.
Fairmined metal casting services in other countries: Gold by Gold (France), Altro Carato (Italy), Ögussa (Austria), Vipa Designs (UK), Malleable Jewellers (Canada), Daniel Jewelry Casting (USA), Hoover & Strong (USA), RIVA Precision (USA), Alloy (Colombia) & Darewala (India).
In the case of gold, the price can be up to 15% higher. In any case, the price does vary since it is established according to certain conditioning elements. One is the cost of an additional 4USD per gram, which is awarded to the certified mines and is called “Premium” or “Prima”. This is a fixed cost but paying in dollars means that it can still vary according to exchange rates. Most metal distributors also apply a sliding scale according to quantity. The basic reference points for establishing a price is the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). Remember that although the cost is approximately 15% higher the pieces of gold normally only weigh between one and 5 grams and so the extra cost is minimal.
The story for silver is different since silver jewellery has a different range of prices and any increase is more relevant. The price of silver can be up to two or four times greater depending on whether the responsible mine has Fairmined/Fairtrade certification or not.
The price of a gemstone depends on a number of factors that can be grouped into two main categories:
1) Price component derived from the stone characteristics: type of gem and gem variety, weight, colour (hue, saturation & tone), type of cut and its quality, clarity, country of origin and cost of treatments (if applicable).
2) Price component derived from its commerciality. This includes many factors (some listed here): cost to purchase the rough gem, cost to cut and polish the stone, fees from traders / intermediaries, cost to export the stones from their country of origin to the cutting facilities (not available in every country of origin) and cost to export the stone to the country where the stone is sold from. In addition there is the mark-up that the seller would apply. Wholesale prices are always smaller than retail prices. There is also a price component due to fashion / demand of the moment.
In our experience, it is possible to find both ethical gems with a similar price to conventional ones, and gems that are considerably more expensive. It is difficult to say exactly how much more expensive a responsibly sourced gemstone is because its cost depends on a large number of factors, as we have seen. But it is essential to be aware of the fair conditions guaranteed to miners and lapidaries. We recommend requesting prices directly from suppliers and finding out about the origin of the gemstone and the supply chain to the market. You can find a list in our directory of suppliers.
Yes, some distributors of ethical metals also carry out-processing. In the case of Fairmined certification you can get 930 or 925 sterling silver processed in square and round wires of different diameters. You can also order personalised forms such as sheets and ovaloid, rectangular or half cane wire from Fairever located in Germany (a minimum order of 150 grams per product is required). Gold can also be bought in 18 and 14-carat alloys in different colours (yellow, white, pink, red) in the same forms and varieties as silver. Also the distributor Betts Metals in the UK sells Fairmined gold chains, as well as RIVA Precision in the USA and Alloy in Colombia.
For ethical metals with Fairtrade certification there is a greater variety of semi-processed metals. Wire and sheets in different shapes and thicknesses can be bought along with pre-defined chains and rings.
Other distributors that we know of are Altro Carato (Italy), Hoover & Strong (USA), Bijoumoderne (Netherlands) and Gold by Gold (France).