It's Not Too Late
Purchase the Virtual Replay!
Original Conference Dates: Nov. 4-5, 2022
Creating and sustaining responsible jewelry supply chains is extraordinarily complex. The jewelry industry, governments, NGOs, communities, individual employers, and consumers each have a stake, often with conflicting interests.
To reconcile these divergent viewpoints requires transparent communication, deep listening, and collaborative problem-solving.
The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference, took place November 4-5 in downtown Chicago, is where the stakeholders in the jewelry supply chain gathered to participate in the skillful navigation of challenging problems and we livestreamed and recorded the whole thing! For a limited time the complete replay is available for purchase so you can immerse yourself at your convenience.
Scroll Down for Full Schedule
8:45 - 9:00am
9:15 - 10:00AM
2022 Schedule
November 4th
Continental Breakfast & Networking
9:00 - 9:15am
Conference Opening
Welcome to the Conference with Andrea Hill, CEO | Hill Management Group | Werx Brands; and Susan Wheeler, Founder | Responsible Jewelry Transformative | Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference | Susan Wheeler Design
Keynote: Sanctions and the Jewelry Industry
Introduction by Oksana Markarova | Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States
Co-Keynote: Brad Brooks-Rubin, Sr. Advisor | Office of Sanctions, U.S. Department of State.
Join Brad Brooks-Rubin as he shares the important role that gold, diamonds and gemstones play in world peace and human rights. Followed with Q & A with Susan Wheeler.
10:00 - 10:15am
Insight into the Congolese Mining Sector
A video presentation by CEGEMI with Bossissi Nkuba, Professor | CEGEMI; and Sara Geenen, Professor | Institute of Development Policy University of Antwerp.
How to improve livelihoods, the environment and provincial development from the impact from mining.
10:15am - 11:15am
Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Moderated by Professor Christie Klimas | DePaul University-Chicago. Panelists: Patricia Nsimire Ndagano, Consultant | World Bank; Ken Matthysen, Researcher | IPIS; and Mike Loch, President & Founder | Responsible Trade, LLC.
The ramifications of mining gold, diamond and gemstones for the people and wildlife in one of the most important ecosystems in the world.
11:15am - 12:00pm
Marange Women's Alliance
Moderated by Monica Stephenson, Founder |ANZA Gems and President | Ethical Metalsmiths. A conversation with Susan Wheeler and Abigail Sibanda, Gender Focal Person | Marange Women's Alliance, and a video produced by the Marange Woman's Alliance.
How will a billboard campaign targeting sex trafficking change the script.
12:00 - 1:30pm
Lunch Break
Break Out: Mercury Free Mining with Toby Pomeroy, Founder/Executive Director | Mercury Free Mining.
This organization is on a mission to eradicate mercury from gold mining. Hear the strides they are making and join the cause.
1:30 - 2:30pm
The Newest Traceable Small Scale Gold Mining Sources
Moderated by Andrea Hill. Panelists: Cristina Villegas, Director of Sustainable Markets | PACT; Jen Marraccino, Sr. Director of Development | Pure Earth; Andrea Jose Castro, Founder | Andrea Jose and Casa Collab; and Morgane Nzelemona, Head of Sustainable Markets | Alliance for Responsible Mining.
This panel will share the newest gold mining sources available and how you can work with these exciting new sourcing options.
2:30 - 3:15pm
"Complicity in Destruction"
Christian Poirier, Program Director | Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch's campaign around gold mining in the indigenous territories of Brazil. Large scale gold mines and the refineries that supply to the jewelry industry are listed in the Blood Gold report. Here's what you need to know.
3:30 - 4:15pm
Virtu Gem CRAFT Code in Gemstone Mining, Virtuous Partnerships, and National Gem Cut Design Competition
Moderated by Andrea Hill. Panelists: Dr. Adriano Mol | Professor & Specialist in Gem and Jewelry Design; Jessica Hudson, Owner and Designer | VIPĀKA Jewelry and Founder | The Nomad Jeweler; Pauline Mundia, Vice President | Federation of Small Scale Mining Associations of Zambia and the African Women in Mining Association-Southern African Chapter; Percy Maleta, Founder | Maleta Gems & Jewels; and Monica Gichuhi, Extractives Industry Consultant | Virtu Gem and AGEC.
Meet the Virtu Gem Team in from Zambia, Brazil, Malawi and Kenya as they introduce the National Gem Cut Design Competition.
4:15 - 5:00PM
Carbon Zero Impacts and Opportunities for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining
Moderated by Susan Wheeler. Panelists: Mark Hanna, Chief Marketing Officer | Richline Group; Pauline Mundia, Vice President | Federation of Small Scale Mining Associations of Zambia and the African Women in Mining Association-Southern African Chapter; Eric Braunwart, Founder | Columbia Gem House; and Susan Wheeler | Susan Wheeler Design.
As the world moves to carbon zero emissions, this panel will discuss what are the implications for the jewelry industry, and how will we bring equity to our supply chain.
5:00 - 6:00pm
Onsite Cocktails
1:30 p.m.
Go Global with planetGOLD
Mona Avalos, Sr. Knowledge Coordinator, | planetGOLD Global Project; Juliana Posada Lopera, Miner | La Gabriela Mine- Colombia; Juliette Torres | Shaking Up New York (Translator); and Rachel Cernansky, Sr. Sustainability Editor | Vogue Business (Moderator)
Join Mejuri and Regeneration as they discuss how recovering gold from legacy mines is being used in Mejuri’s jewelry collections. Mejuri is a founding partner of Regeneration, a social enterprise focused on reviving legacy and abandoned mining sites through regenerative methods while concurrently restoring surrounding habitats and ecosystems.
Regeneration was created by RESOLVE, starting with Salmon Gold, RESOLVE thought outside of the box to tackle the serious and growing problem of waste at older mine sites. Mejuri is rethinking the jewelry industry, Regeneration is rethinking mining.
1:30 p.m.
What is Fair Pay: HOW COLORED GEMSTONE WORKERS GET PAID
Eric Braunwart, Founder | Columbia Gem House; Percy Maleta, Virtu Gem Associate Malawi; Kyle Livingston, International Relations Officer Team Lead | U.S. Department of Labor; Christina Villegas, Director of Mining | PACT; and Brecken Branstrator, Editor-in-Chief | GemGuide
Join Mejuri and Regeneration as they discuss how recovering gold from legacy mines is being used in Mejuri’s jewelry collections. Mejuri is a founding partner of Regeneration, a social enterprise focused on reviving legacy and abandoned mining sites through regenerative methods while concurrently restoring surrounding habitats and ecosystems.
Regeneration was created by RESOLVE, starting with Salmon Gold, RESOLVE thought outside of the box to tackle the serious and growing problem of waste at older mine sites. Mejuri is rethinking the jewelry industry, Regeneration is rethinking mining.
8:45 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024
Continental Breakfast & Networking
8:45 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 9, 2024
How to Ensure Equity for 41 Million People in the Diamond Market
Stanley Zale, President | Zale Advisors LLC; Klemens Link, Director | Provenance Proof; Berenger Owondo | African Diamond Incorporated; Kyle Livingston, International Relations Officer Team Lead | U.S. Department of Labor; Thabo Lerotholi, President and Founder | Maluti Community Development Forum (MCDF); and Sara Yood, President, CEO & General Counsel | Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) (Moderator)
While large diamond companies dominate discussions, only 10% of the industry falls outside artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The door is open for a short period and presents a crucial opportunity to shape a more transparent and verifiable diamond supply chain, particularly in the wake of sanctions on Russian diamonds.
It's a 'build back better' moment for African diamond producers, many of whom haven't fully benefited from their resources. How can we create a more equitable system? Our panel features experts from a diamond cutting center in Gabon, representatives from Ghana and Lesotho, and innovators exploring alternative blockchain solutions beyond Tracr and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KP Framework).
8:45 a.m.
Big Diamonds, Traditional Communities and Poisoned Water
Thabo Lerotholi, President and Founder | Maluti Community Development Forum (MCDF)
High above a small community in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho some of the largest diamonds in the world are unearthed. This land is home to a community of Basotho people who are herders living without the three things they want; healthcare, education, and electricity. The land is also home to the Gem Diamonds, Letseng mine, which is accused of human rights violations in the form of water pollution.
Join Thabo Lerotholi, a civil rights lawyer, Founder and President of Maluti Community Development Forum (MCDF which is also a Member of Kimberly Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC) for Lesotho ) as he shares his years of work on behalf of the communities in the Maluti Mountains fighting for their rights and justice.
11:00 a.m.
JEWELRY DESIGNER PANEL
With Jacqueline Barbosa, Creative Director | Barbosa New York; Melissa Scoppa, Founder | Melissa Scoppa Fine Jewelry; Erin S. Daily, Co-Founder | Brooklyn Metal Works & Specific Gravity; and Anna Samsonova | Samsonova Consulting (Moderator)
The jewelry designer panel features independent jewelers and a jewelry-shared studio that are moving the industry toward traceable and responsible value chains. Barbosa brand offers Bespoke, Fine, and Fashion jewelry with mercury-free lines and the support of artisans.
Erin S. Daily is a jeweler and co-owner of Brooklyn Metalworks which brings sustainability into their students' curriculum fostering new jewelers from day one to begin at responsible. Melissa Scoppa is a fairmined jewelry brand whose love for jewelry started in a high school silversmith class. Hear the stories that shape these jewelers' commitment to being more responsible and their passion for jewelry.
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch & Breakout Session
Break Out #2, 12:45 p.m.: Action Coalition
1:30 p.m.
“The Ailing Forest", U.S. Movie Premier
Break Out #2, 12:45 p.m.: Action Coalition
Awaydip Tip Mutaxipi / The Ailing Forest portrays the impacts of illegal gold mining within the traditional territory of the Munduruku people, as well as the latter's struggle for their land and for the forest. The Munduruku today number 13000 in over 100 villages along the Tapajós river, situated in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Today, they are at war with a constellation of extractive and infrastructural projects that threaten to transform their territory into a sacrifice zone in the name of gold and timber extraction, soy production, and hydroelectric energy.
In 2023 a group of young warriors from the various Munduruku villages in the state of Pará travelled extensively to interview those impacted by violent invasion, mining and deforestation. The result is a remarkable film showing the effects of mining on the forest and waters that the Munduruku people depend on, and the tireless resistance by the original dwellers of these lands.
*The documentary was produced by Munduruku youth from the Wakoborun Audiovisual Collective in partnership with Coletivo Audiovisual Wuyxaxima* and supported by Coletivo Audiovisual Da’Uk, Associação das Mulheres Munduruku Wakoborun and Movimento Munduruku Ipereg Ayu.
2:45 p.m.
NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT UPDATE
Morgan Burger, Founder | For Seas and Graduate Student Researcher | Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Morgan Burger, a third-generation jewelry retailer and investigative journalist, combined her expertise in the jewelry industry, journalism skills, and passion for the ocean in her role as a graduate researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research culminated in a short documentary chronicling her journey to Greenland, where she investigated offshore diamond mining exploration and shed light on the potential implications for local communities and their livelihoods.
3:15 P.M.
Go Global with planetGOLD
Nora McCarthy, Owner and Director | Gallery 2052; Sarah Holden, Studio Artist and Instructor | The Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center; Ana Brazaitytė, Owner | Truss and Ore; and Barbara Wheat, Executive Director | Ethical Metalsmiths
Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) is an international community jewelry mining and recycling project focused on education and collaboration. It brings together jewelers, working together to examine mining issues while making innovative jewelry from recycled sources.
The mission of The Better Jewelry Project is to empower jewelry buyers to be conscious consumers, through the creation of open-source and consumer-facing educational materials for free use by independent designers, brands, others in our industry, and the press. We shine a light on complex issues in the jewelry industry, and present positive actions available to consumers so they can make educated purchasing choices aligned with their values. Our first resource guide, “The Jewelry Buyer’s Guide: How to Align Your Gold Purchases with Your Values”, will be available this summer.
4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Eric Braunwart, Founder | Columbia Gem House; Percy Maleta, Virtu Gem Associate Malawi; Kyle Livingston, International Relations Officer Team Lead | U.S. Department of Labor; Christina Villegas, Director of Mining | PACT; and Brecken Branstrator, Editor-in-Chief | GemGuide
5:00 - 11:00 P.M.
Networking & Cocktails
Join us for two great events this evening. Learn more here.
Thank You to Our Generous 2024 Sponsors
The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference would not be possible without the financial and operational support of our sponsors. All sponsorships help us secure visas, travel, and accommodations for our speakers and panelists who come from out of the country. We have all levels of sponsorships available, which is an excellent way to contribute to the responsible jewelry cause regardless of business size.
Speakers
-
Abigail Sibanda
-
Andrea Hill
-
Anna Bario
Co-Founder + Designer | Bario Neal
-
Anna Samsonova
-
Brian Cook
Founder | Nature's Geometry
-
Brandee Dallow
Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer | Grandview Klein Diamond
-
Brecken Branstrator
-
Chelsea Rowe
Graduate Student | Virginia Commonwealth University
-
Chikomeni Manda
Partner | Perekezi ASM Consultants
-
Cristina Villegas
-
Douglas Neves
Cruzeiro, Heritage | Mine
-
Eric Braunwart
Founder | Columbia Gem House
-
Hannah Smythe
Founder/Designer | Toast
-
Holly McHugh
VP Sustainability | Mejuri, Inc.
-
Jay Moncada
Owner | Perpetuum Jewels
-
Jessica Hudson
Owner and Designer | VIPĀKA Jewelry, Founder | The Nomad Jeweler
-
Laura Galvis
Market Development Officer | Responsible Mining (ARM) and Fairmined
-
Lisa Levin
Professor Emerita | Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
-
Mark Hanna
Chief Marketing Officer | Richline Group
-
Megan Cochran
Founder/Designer | Megan Cochran Jewelry Design
-
Mkhululi Nkosilamandla Ncube
Programmes Officer | African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC)
-
Natasha Braunwart
Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility Manager | Columbia Gem House
-
Ola Erogbogbo
Owner/Jewelry Designer | Deinte Fine Jewelry
-
Pauline Mundia
Vice President | Federation of Small Scale Mining Associations of Zambia and African Women in Mining Association-Southern African Chapter
-
Roy Maconachie
Professor of Natural Resources and Development | Dept. of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath
-
Saleem Ali
Distinguished Professor of Geography and member of UN International Resource Panel | University of Delaware
-
Sara Yood
Deputy General Counsel | Jewelers Vigilance
-
Sejal Karavadia
Director, Procurement and Vendor Management | Brilliant Earth
-
Shannon Kurzyniec
Graduate Student | Virginia Commonwealth University
-
Stuart Pool
Owner | Nineteen48
-
Susan Wheeler
Founder | Responsible Jewelry Transformative | Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference | Susan Wheeler Design
-
Torry Hoover
President | Hoover & Strong
-
Will Nevins-Alderfer
Owner and Founder | W.R. Metalarts
In 2015, World Leaders Agreed to 17 Global Goals
We have made progress, but there is still work to be done, and the Goals are more important than ever. The climate crisis. Ensuring no one goes hungry. Human rights abuses. Extreme poverty. Problems of this scale can be overwhelming, but the Global Goals (also known as the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs) are the solution to tackling them.
Thank You to Our Generous 2023 Sponsors
The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference would not be possible without the financial and operational support of our sponsors. All sponsorships help us secure visas, travel, and accommodations for our speakers and panelists who come from out of the country. We have all levels of sponsorships available, which is an excellent way to contribute to the responsible jewelry cause regardless of business size.