Ethical Gemstones

[Victoria]

Hi,
I was wondering if people can recommend some suppliers of ethical gemstones, preferably UK based (to reduce postage costs/customs taxes, etc) I appreciate there is no definition or gold standard on ethical stones, but I guess I mean companies that at least have put some thought into it and have an ethical policy and are in some way committed to using mines that don't use slave workforce, etc etc. I'm also interested in reputable suppliers of lab diamonds.
Any general advice in this area also welcomed :-)
Thanks!
Vx

[ps_bond]

The Kimberley process is supposed to provide a baseline on ethics for diamonds, although it seems somewhat discredited now.
On the lab-grown front I may be able to put you in touch with someone, depends what you're after (and I need to check with them - supply isn't their primary focus at the moment).

I'm now interested in what makes for a disreputable supplier of lab-grown diamonds...?

[medusa]

I'm now interested in what makes for a disreputable supplier of lab-grown diamonds...?

ones who flog CZ as lab grown?

I actually like lab grown gems because they feel a bit more 'ethical', but am aware that some people have bought coloured glass.

[ps_bond]

Are they a supplier of lab-grown diamonds then, or merely a scumbag fraudster?

I like lab-growns as they're generally cheaper (not all that much cheaper when it's diamond though); I could do with a dichroscope at the least to have a better idea of what's arrived.
Worrying about keeping CZs and diamonds separate at the moment - it's easy enough until one goes in the catch tray, then...? If I stick with 8/8 for the small ones the different cut should be a giveaway!

[medusa]

I've just heard stories of people thinking they are buying lab grown but actually having glass. I did wonder if I'd been duped with a really early foray into jewellery when I embedded a lab grown emerald into some PMC.

The beautiful cushion cut came out all lumpy and bumpy. Convinced it was glass, I tossed it into the hydrofluoric but over a fortnight later (I was busy and forgot about it) it came out as it went in. So not glass in this case.

I notice cookies are now selling moissonite (sp?). What is the difference between those and other lab grown diamonds?

[ps_bond]

Moissanite isn't diamond - it's silicon carbide. Rarely occurring in that form naturally (IIRC some meteorites have contained some), hardness 9 on Moh's, classed as a diamond simulant (same as CZ is).

Saving some typing -
http://www.lacywest.com/t_mtest.htm

[Victoria]

Thanks guys...I do worry about buying lab diamonds in case I get sold cz's or glass. It also occurred to me that I could be buying lab diamonds from a company that also supplies "un-ethical" (i.e. they don't know or don't care where the stones come from) gemstones and so my money is still going to the bad people...ahem, if you know what I mean! I'm not after anything specific at the moment, just a reliable supplier of lab diamonds, though thanks Peter. I get my white diamonds from cooksons but I quite fancy playing with some coloured diamonds which cooksons don't do.

Medusa - I think I spotted that cooksons mossanite is from Charles and Colvard who, as far as I can make out, are pretty much the biggest in the world of mossanite! they've got some blurb on their website about it - http://www.charlesandcolvard.com/

Any ideas on other ethical gemstones, other than diamonds? I recently found Rubyfair.com but on the whole they're a little out of my price range

V

[Edward Fleming]

Hi,
I was wondering if people can recommend some suppliers of ethical gemstones, preferably UK based (to reduce postage costs/customs taxes, etc) I appreciate there is no definition or gold standard on ethical stones, but I guess I mean companies that at least have put some thought into it and have an ethical policy and are in some way committed to using mines that don't use slave workforce, etc etc. I'm also interested in reputable suppliers of lab diamonds.
Any general advice in this area also welcomed :-)
Thanks!
Vx

As you rightly say there is no definition or standard when it comes to coloured stones so its up to you to decide who is actually making an effort to trace their stones and who is just paying the whole ethics issue lip service. I can personally recommend Nineteen48 http://www.nineteen48.com/ .You can see on the site there is plenty of stuff about ethics and Stuart is very happy to talk about the subject. He is also an important part of an 'ethical jewellers group' who meet quarterly to discuss these issues.

I have some stones left from a buying trip to Namibia, though not an extensive stock by any means, some tourmalines and demantoid garnets mainly. You can read about the trip and my thoughts about ethics and the jewellery trade via these links

http://edwardflemingjewellery.com/20...ng-in-namibia/
http://edwardflemingjewellery.com/20...ticle-feature/

If its an issue you are genuinely interested in then there is pilot project by a swiss group called RESP, that starts soon in Mozambique with rubies. I dont know if the stones from the project will be openly available but if its successful this project will have implications so its good to know about it.

http://resp.ch//iwg/coloured-gemstones

Hope this helps