8:45 AM

9:10 AM

2025 Schedule

Friday, October 17, 2025

Continental Breakfast & Networking

9:00 AM

Conference Welcome

8:45 AM

Susan Wheeler, Founder | Responsible Jewelry Transformative | Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference | Susan Wheeler Design

Welcome everyone! We will start the day by sharing the progress of various initiatives that have been discussed during previous conferences, update attendees about the impact of their conference participation and philanthropy.

KeyNote

To Be Announced

The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference(CRJC) will announce the KeyNote of the 2025 conference.

10:00 AM

PeaceGold™: A Game Changer

Greg Valerio, Founding Director | PeaceGold™

Rachel Cernansky, Sr. Sustainability Editor | Vogue Business (Moderator)

The Democratic Republic of Congo is estimated to have 750 tonnes of proven gold reserves worth around $24 trillion. The gold resources have been exploited in the DRC since 1400 and the brutal colonization by King Leopold that fleeced the country.

Many communities in DRC are living on vast gold deposits. In the past three decades, the conflict in the DRC has left 5.4 million people dead, and over 1.5 million displaced. We have an opportunity to work together to envision and deliver a generational change rooted in peace, justice and prosperity for Congolese communities.

8:45 AM

Rethinking Retired Mines and Waste: Regenerative Solutions with Mejuri and Regeneration

Holly McHugh, VP Sustainability & Social Impact |Mejuri Inc.

Stephen D'Esposito, President & CEO | Regeneration and RESOLVE

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.

Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch Break

1:30 p.m.

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT UPDATE

Kyle Livingston, International Relations Officer Team Lead | U.S. Department of Labor

Q & A with Sara Yood, President, CEO & General Counsel | Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC)

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.

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)

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

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.

Saturday, October 18, 2025

8:45 AM

Continental Breakfast & Networking

8:45 AM

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)

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).

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.

8:45 AM

JEWELRY DESIGNER PANEL

Jacqueline Barbosa, Creative Director | Barbosa New York

Melissa Scoppa, Founder | Melissa Scoppa Fine Jewelry

Erin S. Daily, Co-Founder | Brooklyn Metal Works & Specific Gravity

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

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

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.

Speakers

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.