Our commitment

NOS ENGAGEMENTS

Ethics is a priority for our company and we are constantly striving to review our ethical standards in order to provide our market with stones of guaranteed origin.

With the aim of transparency and standardisation of practices throughout the industry, Maison VERNAIN SA is committed to several points in order to promote high values of social, ethical and environmental responsibility.

TREATY OF KIMBERLEY

The Kimberley Process is an international rough diamond certification scheme established in 2003 to combat the illicit trade in conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process requires exporters of rough diamonds to obtain a Kimberley Certificate to prove that the diamonds were mined, exported and imported legally and without involvement in armed conflict. Governments, industry and civil society work together to ensure that the Kimberley Process works effectively to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the global market. The Kimberley Process is an important initiative to improve human rights, peace and security in conflict zones where diamonds are exploited. By ensuring the traceability and legitimacy of rough diamonds, the Kimberley Process helps to prevent illegal mining, conflict financing and human rights abuses associated with the diamond industry. The agreement is the result of discussions that began in May 2000 in Kimberley, South Africa. Signed on 1 January 2003 by Canada, the United States and the European Union, the Kimberley Process now has 59 members representing 85 countries. In 2003, Maison VERNAIN SA signed the Kimberley Agreement on a national level.

ETHICAL CODE AND CONTROL OF SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS

In our desire for transparency with our customers, our suppliers and ourselves, we control the batches of natural diamonds to exclude the presence of synthetic diamonds, HPHT or CVD. Diamond batch control is carried out using two types of automated machines, one from De Beers' AMS II brand and the other from Yehuda's Sherlock Holmes brand. We therefore guarantee the natural origin of the diamonds on all our invoices. As far as ethics within Maison VERNAIN SA are concerned, the company committed itself in 2006 to a code of ethics within the framework of the Swiss Association of Precious Stone Dealers (ASNP/VSE). This has been updated in 2020 to include transparency on the origin and processing of gemstones, human rights, labour and environmental issues. The ethical charter updated in 2020 can be viewed below.

RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL

The Responsible Jewelery Council (RJC) is a non-profit organization established in 2005 that strives to promote ethical, responsible and sustainable business practices in the jewelry and gemstone industry, from mining to retail stores.

RJC members must adhere to a rigorous Code of Conduct which covers issues such as human rights, business ethics, health and safety, environmental protection and responsible supply chain. The RJC also evaluates member companies to ensure they meet these high standards.

The RJC plays an important role in promoting responsible practices in the jewelry and watch industry, working with businesses to improve industry practices and providing consumers with assurance of the ethical responsibility of products they buy.

In June 2021, Maison VERNAIN SA joined the Responsible Jewelery Council (RJC) certification process.

Between 2021 and 2023, Maison VERNAIN SA has taken the necessary steps to comply with the standards required by the Responsible Jewelery Council. An audit was carried out on May 30, 2023 by an external auditor. Thanks to the efforts made and the company's compliance with all the criteria of the RJC specifications, Maison VERNAIN was awarded certification for the maximum possible period of 3 years, renewable.

As part of our certification, we have implemented a responsible sourcing policy & a code of conduct.

You can consult the two documents below related to our ethical, sustainable and environmental policies.

The annual report available below sets out the due diligence carried out in relation to our certification. This report is reviewed and updated on an annual basis.