RJC Certification — Independent Verification of Supply-Chain Practice
RJC Certification — Independent Verification of Supply-Chain Practice
Third-party audit against the Responsible Jewellery Council's Code of Practices, valid for three years with annual surveillance
RJC certification is the formal outcome of an independent third-party audit verifying that a jewellery business complies with the Responsible Jewellery Council's Code of Practices. The audit covers ethical sourcing, human rights, labour standards, health and safety, environmental management, product disclosure, and anti-corruption controls. A successful audit results in a certificate valid for three years, with an annual surveillance check between full re-audits. Certification has moved from a voluntary differentiator to a near-mandatory requirement for engaging with luxury groups, listed retailers, and ESG-aware financial counterparties.
Scope of the audit
An RJC certification audit examines documentation, on-site practice, and management systems against each provision of the current Code of Practices. The auditor reviews policies, procedures, training records, supplier-due-diligence files, environmental permits, labour agreements, and complaint mechanisms. On-site work includes worker interviews, walk-throughs of production and storage areas, and review of physical controls such as security, fire safety, and material segregation. The depth of audit scales with the size and complexity of the business — a single-location bench jeweller faces a materially shorter process than a multi-site manufacturer.
The auditor pool
RJC accredits a small group of audit firms — including SGS, Bureau Veritas, DNV, and TÜV — to conduct certification audits. Members select an auditor from this pool, contract directly with the firm, and bear the audit cost. RJC itself does not conduct audits; the separation between standard-setter and auditor is integral to the credibility of the scheme. Audit reports are submitted to RJC for review, and certificates are issued by the Council.
Three-year cycle and surveillance
A successful RJC certification audit issues a certificate valid for three years. Between full re-audits, members undergo an annual surveillance review — a lighter check focused on continued compliance and on any changes in operations or regulatory context. Material changes — acquisitions, new sites, significant changes in product mix or supplier base — may trigger an interim audit. Loss of certification, while rare, is a possibility for members that fail to remediate findings within the timelines set by the audit report.
Distinction from Chain of Custody
RJC certification under the Code of Practices is distinct from RJC Chain of Custody certification. The CoP audit verifies how a member operates — its policies, controls, and management systems — across the full scope of social, environmental, and ethical practice. The CoC audit verifies the provenance and traceability of specific precious-metal flows through the member's operations. A member may hold CoP certification without CoC certification, and CoC certification is voluntary even for CoP-certified members.
In the trade
RJC certification is now a procurement prerequisite for most luxury groups and listed jewellery retailers. Independent businesses considering certification should weigh the audit cost (typically several thousand to several tens of thousands of dollars depending on scope) and the internal documentation burden against the commercial access certification provides. For businesses without institutional clients, the practical benefit is more limited, though the discipline of preparing for audit often improves internal controls regardless of certification outcome.