Since jewelry ethics is virtually an integral part of the jewelry industry in the West, no major undertaking will make do without flaunting some steps along this line. Thus, the declared collaboration with Jewelers for Children was one component of the “May is Gold Month” action. There was launched a fund-raising lottery at Jewelry.com.
Celebrated jewelry designer John Hardy living and working in Bali joined the green movement, National Jeweler reports citing The Plain Dealer.

Hardy started planting bamboo trees on the deforested island of Nusa Penida, off the coast of Indonesia. Besides, a portion of proceeds from his limited-edition sterling silver collection will benefit the reforestation project.
To commemorate Earth Day, April 22, the International Gemological Institute (IGI) announced its plans to offer diamond grading reports printed on recycled and/or biodegradable paper using soy-based ink.
The IGI Eco Report series will be officially launched at JCK Las Vegas, scheduled for May 30-June 3 in Las Vegas.
According to a release from the IGI, these eco-friendly reports will be setting a “green” precedent in the jewelry industry, as IGI gemologists issue thousands of reports daily for diamonds and colored gemstones.
“IGI is committed to reducing its environmental impact by offering reports in an environmentally friendly format,” Jerry Ehrenwald said in a media release.

Whereas Jacob Arabo’s attempt to patch its blotted prestige by going into charity was disrupted due to the vigilant journalists of the New York Daily News, which relished the story reporting it to its readers.

Arabo’s flashy diamond designs for Bono, Elton John and a host of hip-hoppers earned him the title “the King of Bling.” However, his companionship with the hip-hop world played a foul trick on Jacob the Jeweler. Last year Jacob Arabo was accused of laundering money for a Detroit-based cocaine ring. Last November, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of giving false statements to federal investigators and now is awaiting sentencing on the main charge.
In May the jeweler offered to throw a charitable cocktail party for Hale House at his New York boutique. But the journalists who got wind of it, called Hale House for explanations as to possible problems the foundation might have in view of unwelcome association with Jacob Arabo. The event was consequently cancelled. However, according to the jeweler’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, Arabo is seeking “to donate to every major charity in the country, and he will continue to do so.”

The Burmese gems ban remains to be the most painful problem of jewelry ethics. According to National Jeweler, the prospect that a crackdown in the streets of ruby-rich Myanmar could soon be impacting jewelers on Main Streets in the United States had industry members taking sides at the already mentioned Tucson gem show.
Human rights violations by Myanmar’s ruling military junta prompted the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation to ban all imported stones from the country, closing a U.S. Customs loophole that allows imports of Myanmar gemstones processed elsewhere.

The Burma Democracy Promotion Act is backed by industry groups including Jewelers of America and the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA). As of May, the act was still pending in a Congressional committee and hadn’t been signed into law.
But gemstone dealers at the Tucson gem show were calling the efforts well-meaning but misguided, predicting a ban would end up hurting small miners in Myanmar, as well as cutters in Thailand. There are mixed feelings even among AGTA staffers judging by the ensued discussion.
“I don’t think an embargo is a good idea for the people of Burma,” said Richard Hughes of the AGTA Gemological Testing Center. “I once believed that embargoes would bring the Burma junta to its knees. Now I am sure this is going to hurt ordinary people.”
Many U.S. ruby dealers contend that their objections go beyond any harm that would befall their own businesses. They stress the ban would hurt rank-and-file miners and cutters in Thailand.

Harry Hubschman of Gems of Naples says the ban would force ruby prices up. While William Hakimi of Hakimi and Sons, a major U.S. ruby dealer, said that ruby prices were already up 20%-30% over the last year.
Any further development of this situation will depend not only on the attitude of American and European government authorities and that of the jewelry community, but on the situation in Myanmar after the disastrous hurricane. The Nargiz typhoon, which hit Myanmar in early May, took away the lives of 78,000 people, according to the latest data. In the UN evaluation, 2.5 million people have suffered from this disaster and now are in emergency.