FAIRTRADE SMALL JEWELLER SCHEME OPENS FOR BUSINESS

The Fairtrade Foundation has today launched a unique new scheme for small jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths to use ethically sourced Fairtrade gold and silver in their jewellery and play a vital role in the ethical transformation of the jewellery sector.

The Goldsmiths Registration Scheme is devised to support the many thousands of ethical goldsmiths, silversmiths, small jewellers and ethical metalsmiths and artists to access the benefits that Fairtrade gold, silver are creating for the artisanal and small-scale of our world.

Fairtrade’s simple on-line registration system will allow you as a small jeweller to purchase certified Fairtrade Gold and precious metals from a master licensee in a semi-finished form, such as sheet, wire, tube casting grain and use it in your work.

The benefits of the scheme for the goldsmith are that the annual registration is free, very little administration on the part of the goldsmith, a dedicated list of ‘master licensee’s’ who source from certified small-scale gold miners.

Small Jewellers or goldsmiths who join the scheme agree to abide by certain terms and conditions that include, not being able to stamp your jewellery with the Fairtrade Stamp, only using certain pre-determined marketing materials and agreeing to the annual limits of 500 grams of gold or platinum or 2kg’s of silver.

Reena Agarwal, Commercial Account Manager for Fairtrade gold said: “Naturally we want all small jewellers and goldsmiths to become full license holders, allowing them to stamp their jewellery pieces, but in the interim, the small jewellers and goldsmiths scheme is a great way to enjoy creating jewellery using Fairtrade certified metals and directly benefit the artisanal and small-scale miners and their impoverished communities.”

For more information on participating in the goldsmiths scheme, please contact: goldsmith@fairtrade.net

For more information about Fairtrade gold, visit http://www.fairgold.org/

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Notes to Editors

The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products to show that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal from trade. Today, more than 1.3 million people – farmers and workers – across more than 70 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool, olive oil, gold, silver and platinum.
Awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark continues to be high in 2013, at a level of 77%.
Estimated retail sales of Fairtrade products in 2013 reached £1.78 billion, a 14% increase on sales of £1.53 billion in 2012.