The war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine is also upsetting the world of diamonds. After the measures against Alrosa (a Russian mining company) decided by the United States, it is the Responsible Jewelery Council that split. And Iris Van der Veken, executive director of the Rjc, an association with about 1,500 members that sets the standards of the diamond supply chain, has resigned. In fact, the association has so far avoided suspending Alrosa.
The only change noted, in fact, is the resignation from the position of vice president of the RJC of the CEO of Alrosa, Sergey Ivanov. But the company, controlled by the Russian government, remained among the partners. The lack of a suspension has displeased many. Starting with Pandora, which is also the largest jewelry company in the world, which announced its decision to leave the organization due to RJC’s failure to suspend Russian companies (not just Alrosa) and urged its members to interrupt business with the country: “Pandora cannot , in good faith, be a member of an association that does not share our values, “said the CEO of the Danish group, Alexander Lacik.
A few hours later, the communication from the Richemont group (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Buccellati) also arrived, which specified that they did not wish to be members of “a sector organization that includes companies that contribute to the financing of conflicts and wars “. Two exits of weight, in short. Will others follow?
