Responsible Jewellery Council

What Responsible Jewellery Council does

Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is a London-based, membership-driven standards-setting organisation founded in 2005 by 14 industry actors including De Beers, Tiffany & Co., and Cartier. It develops and maintains three certification standards — the Code of Practices (COP), Chain of Custody (COC), and Laboratory Grown Material Standard (LGMS) — covering human rights, labour rights, health and safety, product integrity, and responsible sourcing across the global watch and jewellery supply chain. RJC is an ISEAL member and aligns its standards with the UN 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

RJC's commercial model is a recurring subscription and audit-fee model: companies apply for membership, undergo third-party audits against one or more of the three standards, and gain access to a Member Portal and the public "Find a Member" directory, which functions as a supply-chain trust signal. As of 2025 the organisation unites over 2,000 members across 50+ countries, of which 1,653 are certified (1,168 COP and 485 COC). The technology footprint consists of two web portals (Member and Auditor) and public-facing resources (toolkits, research, Annual Progress Report); there is no proprietary AI or software product. Distribution is sales-led, with direct enterprise membership applications and a global self-serve member directory; marketing emphasises thought leadership via press, newsletters, interviews, podcasts, and industry events.

The organisation is governed by its members through a board and officer structure, most recently refreshed at the 2026 AGM. In November 2025, Purvi Shah, a former De Beers Group ESG manager, was appointed Executive Director with a mandate to reposition RJC as a value driver for the industry. In April 2026 RJC served as a supporting industry body for the inaugural World Diamond Day, a consumer-facing, social-first campaign spanning 50+ countries, signalling a strategic broadening from B2B certification toward consumer brand-building.

Name

Responsible Jewellery Council

Legal name

Responsible Jewellery Council

Website

https://responsiblejewellery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is a London-based, member-driven standards-setting organisation founded in 2005 that certifies jewellery and watch supply-chain companies against its Code of Practices, Chain of Custody, and Laboratory Grown Material standards, serving over 2,000 members across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewellery and Watch Industry Certification

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Witness Audits, Office Assessments & Certification Governance Services (AFALACAG), Supplier Approval & Second-Party Audit Programs (Retailer/Brand/Manufacturer) (AFALACAF), Pre-Assessment, Gap Assessment & Certification Readiness Services (AFALACAE), Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD)

Keywords

• Jewellery certification standards
• Responsible sourcing audit
• Chain of custody
• Ethical jewellery compliance
• Sustainability standards body

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: RJC generates revenue through membership fees from companies across the jewellery and watch supply chain. Membership provides access to certification standards, auditing services, and the organization's network of over 2,000 member companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is a membership-based standards-setting organization that develops and maintains three certification standards for the global jewellery and watch supply chain: the Code of Practices (COP), Chain of Custody (COC), and Laboratory Grown Material Standard (LGMS). Members implement these standards and are verified through independent third-party audits to demonstrate responsible practices across human rights, labour rights, health and safety, product integrity, and environmental responsibility.

Product overview

The Responsible Jewellery Council is the world's leading standard-setting organisation for the jewellery and watch industry, founded in 2005. RJC offers a unified platform of standards and certification services rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings consist of three standards: Code of Practices (COP) for responsible business practices, Chain of Custody (COC) for tracking materials from mine to retail, and Laboratory Grown Material Standard (LGMS) for laboratory-grown materials. These are supported by third-party auditing services, and accessed through Member and Auditor portals. RJC members follow one or more of these standards to demonstrate ethical sourcing and responsible practices across the global jewellery and watch supply chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Code of Practices (COP) The core RJC standard covering responsible business practices across human rights, labour rights, health and safety, and product integrity for members across the global jewellery and watch supply chain.
• Chain of Custody (COC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 companies united across the global jewellery and watch supply chain
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• GIA (Gemological Institute of America)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026GIA is listed as an industry body supporting World Diamond Day initiative alongside RJC. GIA provides gemological expertise and supports responsible diamond practices.
• World Diamond CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026World Diamond Council is an industry body supporting World Diamond Day alongside RJC, working on responsible diamond sourcing and industry standards.
• Natural Diamond CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Natural Diamond Council launched the inaugural World Diamond Day with RJC as a supporting industry body, spanning over 50 countries with participation from major jewellery houses and retailers.
• Diamond exchanges (Antwerp, Dubai, Shanghai)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Major diamond exchanges in Antwerp, Dubai, and Shanghai are supporting the World Diamond Day initiative, representing key trading hubs for the global diamond industry.
• Signet (parent of Blue Nile, Ernest Jones, Jared)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 April 2026Signet is a major jewellery retailer participating in World Diamond Day, bringing旗下品牌 Blue Nile, Ernest Jones, and Jared to the initiative.
• Chow Tai FookmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 April 2026Chow Tai Fook is a major global jewellery retailer participating in the World Diamond Day initiative, representing one of the largest jewellery retail networks.
• RepossicoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 April 2026Repossi is a luxury jewellery house participating in World Diamond Day, representing the high-end luxury segment of the jewellery industry.
• BuccellaticoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 April 2026Buccellati is a prestigious jewellery house participating in World Diamond Day, representing Italian luxury jewellery craftsmanship.
• ISEALmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021RJC is a member of ISEAL, the global association for sustainability standards. ISEAL membership requires adherence to best practices for standards-setting, including measuring member impacts and assurance practices.
• De BeerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005De Beers was one of 14 founding organisations that established RJC in 2005. The company continues as a member and has contributed to ESG and responsible business practices leadership within the organisation.
• Tiffany & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Tiffany & Co. was one of the 14 founding organisations of RJC in 2005, helping establish the organisation as the leading standard-setting body for the jewellery and watch industry.
• CartiercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Cartier was one of the 14 founding organisations that established RJC in 2005, contributing to the development of responsible practices standards in the jewellery industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA): Provides third-party independent assessment and certification for industrial-scale mining sites. Overlaps with RJC's mine-level standards and competes for the same upstream mining members seeking responsible-sourcing credentials.
• Kimberley Process Certification Scheme: Intergovernmental certification scheme governing the trade in conflict diamonds. Directly comparable to RJC's diamond Chain of Custody standard, with overlapping scope on rough-diamond trade compliance.
• Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI): Industry initiative offering assessment and certification tools for responsible mineral supply chains (3TG and increasingly other minerals). Operates a similar conformance and audit model and overlaps with RJC's Chain of Custody standard for precious materials.
• Fairtrade International / Fair Trade USA: Operates a globally recognised ethical-sourcing certification scheme covering mining and precious materials, with a similar membership-based, standard-setting model and consumer-facing trust mark. Most directly comparable to RJC in mission, governance and assurance approach.

Broad incumbents

• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): Global non-profit setting standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability, with chain-of-custody certification. Comparable structure and consumer-facing sustainability label model, though in a different sector.
• Better Cotton Initiative: Mass-membership sustainability standard with chain-of-custody principles applied to cotton. Functionally analogous governance, fee and assurance model, useful comparable for understanding RJC's member-based revenue dynamics at scale.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Long-established global NGO that sets standards and provides certification for sustainable forestry with chain-of-custody tracking. Analogous operating model (standards, third-party audits, member-based governance) applied to a different commodity class; useful benchmark for RJC's governance and certification economics.

Regional players

• Natural Diamond Council: Industry body promoting natural diamonds and partnering with RJC on consumer campaigns such as World Diamond Day. Adjacent rather than directly competing; overlaps in advocacy and standards dialogue but does not offer certification.

Others

• Gemological Institute of America (GIA): Independent gemological body providing diamond and gemstone grading and education. Supports RJC initiatives and is adjacent to its chain-of-custody work, but is primarily a grading and research organisation rather than a sustainability standard-setter.

Emerging players

• World Diamond Council: Industry body focused on conflict-diamond prevention and responsible diamond sourcing. Closely allied with RJC through co-branded initiatives (World Diamond Day) but operates its own complementary assurance and advocacy function.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/0GQxe9T9oDBq7Xfd7pG5DE
• Xx.com/RJCJewellery
• Facebookfacebook.com/responsiblejewellery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/responsiblejewellerycouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Responsible Jewellery Council