Lisa Koenigsberg, PhD, President and Founder of Initiatives in Art and Culture, moderated a panel discussion on ethically-sourced gold jewelry/gold jewelry made in keeping with environmentally and socially sustainable practices during ECRM's Gold EPPS last month in San Diego.

The panel featured four industry leaders in the ethical-sourcing space: Marla M. Hedworth, Global Business Lead for the Jewelry and Watch Industry - Consumer & Retail Services - UL Verification Services, Inc.; Toby Pomeroy, who has been a U.S. jewelry designer since 1967 and has been recognized by Jeweler’s Circular Keystone Magazine’s as one of the 7 most influential designers in 2008; Patricia Syvrud; the executive director of the World Diamond Council, the organization charged with representing the diamond pipeline at the UN-mandated Kimberley Process forum; and Sara Yood, Senior Counsel at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC).

Among the topics discussed were:

• Overview of ethically sourced gold 
• Traceability and chain of custody 
• Gold made with conflict-free gold mined in a socially responsible manner, such as "Fairmined" gold 
• Gold jewelry made with reclaimed metal 
• Government standards, compliance and regulations 

• The OECD’s Gold Industry/Sector Initiatives Guide
• OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains for Minerals from Conflict-Affected areas
• Gold supplement to the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains for Minerals from Conflict-Affected areas
• OECD 5-Step Framework for Upstream and Downstream Supply Chains