Responsible Jewellery Council appoints new standards committee co-chairs

The Responsible Jewellery Council has appointed Sara Yood and Eduard Stefanescu as co-chairs of its standards committee, as the organisation continues work on updating its global responsible business standards.

Yood is president and chief executive of the Jewellers Vigilance Committee, while Stefanescu is sustainability manager at precious metals firm C.HAFNER. Both will serve as co-chairs in a personal capacity.

The standards committee is responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of the council’s Codes of Practice, Chain of Custody and Laboratory Grown Materials standards, which underpin its certification programmes across the jewellery and watch industry.

Yood has more than three decades’ experience in jewellery industry regulation, consumer protection and compliance. At the Jewellers Vigilance Committee, she leads work on legal guidance and integrity in the US market.

She said: “I am looking forward to continuing the complicated but rewarding work of updating and maintaining the various RJC standards. The nuance of the text is vitally important to the businesses that rely on it, and serving as one of the layers of review is a challenging yet gratifying exercise.”

Stefanescu oversees refining, recycling and supply-chain integrity at C.HAFNER and has a background in geoscience. He also chairs the sustainability platform of the European Precious Metals Federation and the sustainability working committee of the German Precious Metals Federation.

He said the council had “both a responsibility and an opportunity to address global challenges through standards that promote human and labour rights, environmental protection, and transparency in supply chains”.

Alongside the new co-chairs, the Responsible Jewellery Council has appointed a number of new members to the standards committee, drawn from industry, civil society and consumer representation.

Industry representatives joining the committee include Ben Ronca of Leach Garner; Donald Bray of Fura Gems; Melanie Mater of De Beers; Valerie Michel of Rosy Blue; Wafa Jaffery of DMCC; Alethea Inns of Gemological Science International; and Raluca Angel of the Natural Diamond Council.

Non-industry members include consumer representative Antonino Serra Cambaceres; Chris Vandome, a senior research fellow at Chatham House; and Abbi Buxton, a specialist in human rights, gender and inequality with experience in artisanal and large-scale mining.

The council has also named several guest members to the committee, including Laure Williams of Richemont; Francesco Giunta of Heraeus; and Kesah Trowell of Watches of Switzerland.

The Responsible Jewellery Council is a global standards-setting body for the jewellery and watch industry, with members spanning the supply chain from mining to retail.