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2019 Conference

The 2019 Conference Schedule


Friday, October 25

Morning Sessions

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Registration Open

Continental Breakfast and Networking

9:00 - 9:15 AM

Susan Wheeler and Andrea Hill

Opening and Welcome

9:15 - 10:00 AM

Dax Lovegrove | Global VP of Sustainability, Swarovski

Keynote Dax Lovegrove will present the sustainability challenges facing businesses and jewelry companies, and share the approach to sustainability at Swarovski.

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10:05 - 11:00

Paul Tullis, National Geographic | Brian Cook, Nature's Geometry | Kai Kresek, World Resources Institute | Jen Marraccino, Pure Earth | Moderated by Luis Fernandez, Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation

PAUL TULLIS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | BRIAN COOK, NATURE'S GEOMETRY | KAI KRESEK, WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE | JEN MARRACCINO, PURE EARTH | MODERATED BY LUIS FERNANDEZ, CENTER FOR AMAZONIAN SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION

Global Mining, Deforestation & Animal Extinction: How and Where Mining Contributes to Forest Loss and a Model on Forest Secure Mining Communities.

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11:05 - Noon

Perry Gottesfeld, Occupational Knowledge International

The leading authority in silicosis and tuberculosis across the mining and cutting sectors talks about public health impacts of the jewelry supply chain.

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Brown Bag Lunch & Breakout Sessions

Breakout 1 | 12:15 - 1:15

Christina Miller, Christina Miller Consulting | Jen Marraccino, Pure Earth

Better Without Mercury. Why even small companies can both contribute and benefit from custom projects. A case study exploring the environmental clean up of a small gold mine in Colombia, owned by Rolberto Alvarez.

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Breakout 2 | 12:15 - 1:15

Sara Yood, JVC | Elizabeth Orlando, US State Department

Do you know your Legal Obligations in the Jewelry Industry? Reporting Suspicious Activity, Know your Refinery, Anti Money Laundering. The US Government wants you to be a partner in having a clean global supply chain.

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Afternoon Sessions

1:30 - 2:30 PM

Joanne Lebert, IMPACT | Kesha Frank, FTJ Co.

Just Gold: How conflict free gold, exported from the Democratic Republic of Congo, addresses UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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2:40 - 3:55 PM

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING | US PREMIERE

Shadow of Gold: A Global Investigation of the Ultimate Talisman of Wealth, Beauty, and Power.

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4:00 - 5:00 PM

Moderated by Christina Miller | ALYSSA NEWMAN, GOOGLE RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN PROGRAM MANAGER | MARIANNA SMIRNOVA, RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS ALLIANCE | BETSY ORLANDO, US STATE DEPARTMENT

Risks in the Gold Supply Chain Including Illicit Gold: What and Where are the Issues, How Can We Stop its Flow, and How to Source Responsible Gold. This panel will observe Chatham House Rules

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Moyo Gems Launch Celebration Party!

Champagne, Cake, Networking! This evening's cocktail party will be the grand celebration of the launch of Moyo Gems - a Mine-to-Market initiative that had its beginnings in the networking of the CRJC 2017.

Saturday, October 26

Morning Sessions

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Registration Open

Continental Breakfast and Networking

9:00 - 9:15 AM

Andy Lowrie | Sarah Parker

An introduction of the So Fresh + So Clean competition by Ethical Metalsmiths students.

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9:15 - 10:10 AM

MERI GERALDINE, GARDENS OF THE SUN | DANA BRONFMAN, DANA BRONFMAN JEWELRY | Deborah Spencer, Trios Studio | Mariele Ivy, Young in the Mountains | MODERATED BY BRANDEE DALLOW, RESPONSIBLE JEWELRY COUNCIL

Jewelry Designer Panel. How Responsibility Became a Passion.

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10:15 - 11:00 AM

Enrique Arizmendi, Cortez Pearls

What Makes a Sustainable Pearl Farm? One of the founding partners of Perlas del Mar de Cortez shares their philosophy and core sustainability practices.

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11:05 AM - Noon

JAGDISH PATEL, PEOPLE'S TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER | JO BECKER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Human Responsibilities in the Jewelry Industry. Jo Becker will discuss human rights responsibilities for jewelry industry, and will have a discussion about gem cutters in Khambhat with Jagdish Patel.

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Brown Bag Lunch & Breakout Sessions

Breakout 1 | 12:15 - 1:15

Emily Phillipy, Emily Chelsea Jewelry | Erin Daily, Brooklyn Metalworks | Jay Moncada, Perpetuum Jewels | Jared Holstein, Perpetuum Jewels

Jewelry Glossary Project.

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Breakout 2 | 12:15 - 1:15

Carrie George, Everledger | Monica Gichuhi, AWEIK | Salma Kundi, TAWOMA | Rebecca Villalobos, PACT

Workshop to Design an Online Marketplace for Rough Stones. 

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Afternoon Sessions

1:30 - 2:45 PM

MODERATED BY MONICA STEPHENSON, ANZA GEMS | ERIC BRAUNWART, COLUMBIA GEMHOUSE | CRISTINA VILLEGAS, PACT WORLDWIDE | EUNICE NEGELE, TAWOMA | Monica Gichuci, African Women in Mining Association | ALEXANDER RIASCOS, COODMILLA EXPORTS | Conny Havel, Fairmined

Building Mine to Market Strategies that Work. An essential part of bringing fair trade opportunity to ASMs is creating economic models. This session will focus on mining co-ops, and how single source models are furthering transparency and responsibility in gems and gold.

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2:45 - 3:30

Chie Murakami, Diamonds for Peace

Diamonds for Peace. Building a NGO in Liberia where diamonds are mined, cut and processes with humanitarian and environmental considerations

3:45 - 5:00

CHIEF MIGUEL AND CHIEF LUCAS

Why do two chiefs from the Brazilian Amazon want to speak to the jewelry industry? Why do their land rights matter for the preservation of the Amazon forest? Hear what they have to say in this session.

Cocktail Party Hosted by Steve & Melissa Quick | Steve Quick Jeweler


2019 Speakers

Each year, the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference brings an exciting panel of speakers that represent mines, countries, and industry sectors from around the world.  One of the primary goals of the CRJC is to give all members of the jewelry supply chain a seat at the table. We think you'll agree that the 2019 lineup does just that!

  • Alexander Riascos

    Coodmilla Ltda

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  • Alyssa Newman | Google

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  • Andrea Hill | Hill Management Group

    Hill Management Group

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  • Andy Lowrie

    Ethical Metalsmiths Students

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  • Betsy Orlando | US State Department

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  • Brandee Dallow | RJC

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  • Brian Cook | Nature's Geometry

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  • Carrie George | Everledger

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  • Chie Murakami

    Diamonds for Peace Initiative

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  • Chief Lucas | Tukano, Amazon

  • Chief Miguel | Paiter-Surui, Amazon

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  • Christina Miller

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  • Conny Havel

    Fairmined

  • Cristina Villegas | PACT

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  • Dana Bronfman

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  • Dax Lovegrove | Swarovski

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  • Deborah Spencer

    Trios Studio

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  • Emily Phillippy

    Jewelry Glossary Project

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  • Enrique Arizmendi

    Perlas del Mar de Cortez

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  • Eric Branwaurt

    Columbia Gem House

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  • Eunice Negele | TAWOMA

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  • Jagdish Patel | PTRC

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  • Jared Holstein

    Perpetuum Jewels

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  • Jay Moncada

    Perpetuum Jewels

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  • Jen Marraccino

    Pure Earth

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  • Jo Becker | Human Rights Watch

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  • Joanne Lebert

    Executive Director, IMPACT

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  • John Thurman

    Sunjewels Group

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  • Kai Kresek

    Global Forest Watch

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  • Kesha Frank

    FTJ Co

  • Luis Fernandez

    Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation

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  • Marianna Smirnova | Responsible Business Alliance

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  • Mariele Ivy

    Young in the Mountains

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  • Meri Geraldine | Designer

    Gardens of the Sun

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  • Monica Gichuhe | AWIMA

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  • Monica Stephenson | ANZA Gems

    Moyo Gems

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  • Paul Tullis

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  • Perry Gottesfeld

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  • Rebecca Villalobos

    PACT

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  • Salma Kundi

    Tanzanian Women Miners Association

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  • Sara Yood | JVC

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  • Sarah Parker

    Ethical Metalsmiths Student Programs

  • Susan Wheeler | Conference Founder

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Documentary Premiere

  • Miners at a mining site in China

    Shadow of Gold Film Still

  • Open pit mining site

    Shadow of Gold Film Still 37

  • Mining Impact

    Shadow of Gold Film Still 40

  • Impact of Gold Mining on Amazon

    Shadow of Gold Amazon Impact

  • Gold Miner in Hospital

    Shadow of Gold Sick Miner

  • Miners Walking to Mine at Dawn

    Shadow of Gold Mine Site

  • Gold Miners in Peru

    Shadow of Gold Peruvian Miners

United States Premiere

Shadow of Gold

  • Synopsis

    The Shadow of Gold takes an unflinching look at how the world's favorite heavy metal is extracted from the earth. The film explores both sides of the industry: the big-time mining companies that dig deep and lop off mountaintops to extract gold from low-grade ore, and the small-time miners – an estimated 20 million people in the world's poorest nations – who extract gold by hand, often producing just enough to survive.

    The film reveals that glittering gold has a dark shadow. But it doesn't leave it there. We engage with engineers, scientists, and Fair-Trade advocates who work with miners to tackle gold's worst environmental and social problems. In an industrial-scale mine, we see new technology that replaces cyanide-based processing with a biological process that leaves no toxic waste. We watch small-scale miners benefit from technology that replaces mercury with an environmentally friendly process that actually produces more gold. We meet Fair Trade jewelers who have created their own self-managed, transparent supply chain that ensures consumers know exactly where their gold comes from.

  • Trailer

    View Trailer

  • Credits

    The Shadow of Gold is written by Allen Booth and Denis Delestrac, and produced by Robert Lang,The Shadow of Gold is written by Allen Booth and Denis Delestrac, and produced by Robert Lang,Kensington Communications (Canada) and Sally Blake, Films à Cinq and CAPA (France), in associationwith TVO, Canal D, Knowledge Network (Canada) and ARTE (France and Germany), SVT (Sweden) andNRK (Norway).

Read more …2019 Conference

Keynote by Dax Lovegrove

Swarovski, long an influencer in creating a more responsible fashion industry, will bring information, innovation, and inspiration to the jewelry industry at the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference on October 25, 2019. Dax Lovegrove, Swarovski's Global Vice President of Corporate Sustainability & Social Responsibility at Swarovski, will provide the keynote address at this year's gathering.

Read more …Keynote by Dax Lovegrove

Just Gold: A Comprehensive Breakdown of the Impact of Each Ounce of Gold

Using data from the Just Gold project (see more information about the project, below), Joanne Lebert and Kesha Frank will illustrate the impact of gold mining on social, gender, and environmental issues. How many people can gold educate? How many can it feed? What are the risks of mining gold? What are the demographics of the miners? How can gold mining be used to incentivize positive social and environmental action?

Read more …Just Gold: A Comprehensive Breakdown of the Impact of Each Ounce of Gold