Birmingham Assay Office receives RJC recertification

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced that the Birmingham Assay Office has achieved re-certification. 

The re-certification was achieved by meeting the “highest ethical, social and environmental standards” established by the RJC.

Stella Layton, chief executive and assay master, who was recently appointed chairman of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, said: “[The Birmingham Assay Office] considers an ethical supply chain to be very important. We pride ourselves on our independent expertise, integrity and innovation and are always looking to improve our own performance and to encourage high standards across the breadth of our industry.

“Maintaining certification to Responsible Jewellery Council Standards is an important goal and we are proud of our achievement. We work in partnership with many brands who are also committed to the principles of the RJC.”

The successful verification assessment was conducted by Peter Warbrick from SGS, one of the independent third-party auditing firms accredited by the RJC.

Ashish Deo, chief executive officer at the RJC, said: “[We] congratulate Assay Office Birmingham on achieving re-certification. [It] was first certified in 2011. After a member has become RJC-certified for the first time, independent verification is required at the end of each certification period to ensure continued conformance and thereby maintain certified member status.”