Social Responsibility

Hamilton works together with various industry, governmental, and trade organizations to influence and encourage safe and responsible mining practices. In 2012, Hamilton was the first family-owned, independent jeweler to be certified by the Council for Responsible Jewelry Practices (website), an international non-profit organization representing over 60 member companies across the gold and diamond supply chain. Hamilton is one of 415 exclusive retail members to be internationally recognized and admitted into this prestigious group.

The Responsible Jewellery Council is an international not-for-profit standards and certification organization. It has more than 500 Member companies that span the jewelry supply chain from mine to retail. RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices, an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The Code of Practices addresses human rights, labor rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure, and many more important topics in the jewelry supply chain. RJC also works with multi-stakeholder initiatives on responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence. The RJC's Chain-of-Custody Certification for precious metals supports these initiatives and can be used as a tool to deliver broader member and stakeholder benefit. The RJC is a Full Member of the ISEAL Alliance – the global association for sustainability standards.

Hamilton Jewelers is committed to procuring gemstones, diamonds, and precious metals that are obtained through socially and environmentally responsible means. We implement and enforce efforts that assure integrity of our sources and social standards of manufacturing.

Suppliers to Hamilton must represent and warrant that the diamonds and gemstones sold to Hamilton, whether set in jewelry or unset, have not been treated in any manner (other than that disclosed in writing on an invoice or memorandum and purchase order) that is not permanent, or that creates special care requirements, such as use of nuclear bombardment, laser drilling, application of colored oil or epoxy-like resins, wax, plastic or glass, surface diffusion, or dyeing. It is Hamilton Jewelers' mandatory policy to never purchase loose gemstones or jewelry containing gemstones which come from regions of the world where trading in such stones funds governments which engage in human rights violations, ("conflict stones").  All suppliers are asked to provide a warranty, verifying the same (as required by the Kimberly Process).

Hamilton Jewelers requires our suppliers and their agents to adhere to the Jewelers of America Code of Ethics, obliging all transactions to be conducted in an ethical and professional manner. We expect our suppliers to comply with their national labor and environmental laws and regulations and to respect the fundamental International Labor Organization conventions, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   Where the Code or applicable laws address the same issue, the higher of the two standards should apply. This includes: Health & Safety, Remuneration, Working Hours, Discrimination, Harassment and Abuse, Forced Labor, Child Labor and young workers, Freedom of Association, Environment, Ethics, and Integrity. Further, we recognize the significance of our company's supply chain and we require that any gold used to manufacture merchandise produced for Hamilton should be extracted and processed in a manner that respects people and the earth. We believe that a commitment to responsible gold must include our suppliers, to ensure that best practices can be assured consistently throughout the supply chain.

The council's mission statement reads: "To promote responsible ethical, social and environmental practices throughout the diamond and gold jewelry supply chain, from mine to retail." Members work to promote awareness and understanding of key ethical, social, and environmental business responsibility issues by working with members of the fine jewelry industry - including trade organizations, governments, and civil society representatives. Members are committed to seeking economic, social, and environmental benefits from business activities to achieve sustainable development.

Hamilton Jewelers takes our commitment to the environment seriously, and carefully monitors our carbon footprint.  Through such measures as:  energy efficient lighting and power in our stores, printing our media and collateral materials on FSC recycled paper, utilizing digital and electronic communication and media whenever possible, OSHA compliant waste disposal, and more.  We recognize our obligation to our planet and we will continue to improve our environmental policies.

Lastly, Hamilton is a member in good standing of The Fair Labor Association, (FLA).  We support the organization's mission to protect workers' rights and improve working conditions worldwide.

Conflict Diamonds

Hamilton Jewelers supports the United Nations' efforts to stop the sales of diamonds from any country where rebel forces use diamonds to finance acts of war and terror. While it is impossible to verify the country of origin of any polished diamond once it is separated from its source, we are working with all of our suppliers to ensure they do not knowingly sell us diamonds from any "conflict" areas. You should be aware that these diamonds now represent less than 1 percent of the world's diamond supply, and that the DTC has certified that the stones they mine are not from conflict areas. As Hamilton Jewelers deals directly with DTC sightholders for its diamonds, we can confidently assure you that the diamonds we sell are not from conflict regions.

It is not possible for any one entity to tackle the problem alone but through our continuing partnership with the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), Jewelers of America (JA), American Gem Society (AGS), and agreement with the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) sightholders, we continue to work toward educating the industry on this important issue.

Hamilton Jewelers will continue to assist our industry in every way we can when it comes to dealing with this issue. We recognize the importance of stopping the flow of conflict diamonds and fully pledge our support to those working towards that end.

We strive to incorporate social responsibility into every aspect of our business conduct, including printing our catalog and other collateral on recycled paper, using energy efficient lighting in our stores, and much more.

We continue to be committed to this critical issue for the future.