Iris Van der Veken, head of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) resigned on Tuesday, citing her dissatisfaction with the RJC's attitude towards the continuing membership of Russian diamond miner ALROSA, according to reports in the media.
ALROSA remains a member of the RJC, although the company voluntarily withdrew from its board of directors on March 3. Van der Veken and some other members of the RJC considered this insufficient, arguing that the steps taken by the board were not enough to address current issues in connection with their impact on the Code of Practices and other standards of the organization.
Van der Veken has served as the head of the RJC since April 2019. RJC positions itself as "the world’s leading standard-setting organisation for the jewellery and watch industry." It was founded in 2005 by 14 member organizations: ABN AMRO, BHP Billiton Diamonds, Cartier, World Jewellery Confederation, Diamond Trading Company (part of De Beers), Diarough, Jewelers of America, National Association of Goldsmiths (UK), Newmont Mining, Rio Tinto, Rosy Blue, Signet Group, Tiffany & Co., and Zale Corporation. Currently, RJC has 1,500 members spanning the entire jewelry supply chain from mines to retail stores.
Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished
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