An Interview with Mike Angenent By Tim Ingle Of Ingle & Rhode
In this interview, Tim Ingle, of Ingle & Rhode, a leading UK ethical jeweler, discusses issues related to ethical jewelery with Mike Angenent. Mike is based in Belgium and is very active in the ethical gemstone world, as founder of Open Source Minerals www.opensourceminerals.com and Jewelrytree Foundation www.jeweltreefoundation.org. Mike frequently contributes to FJA with both articles and in an advisory capacity as a stakeholder.
~Marc Choyt, FJA USA.
***
Tim: You started Open Source Minerals at about the same time we launched Ingle & Rhode. What prompted you to make this move? Was there a specific event?
Mike: When I started OSM I was also working with Nenoir, the Canadian diamond brand.
Together with the marketing manager I started sourcing small traceable melee because I thought it would make the story on the jewellery complete. I liked the idea of disclosing mine/polishing/manufacturing etc for all the materials used in the jewellery. Because we realized that there was a growing demand for ethically sourced diamonds, OSM came into life.
Enron was part of my study program on business ethics at the University of Maastricht. It was (before the crash) believed to be the best example of CSR. Professors of Harvard and other high ranked officials helped establish Enron’s CoC.
For me it was more of an eye-opener that you can have a decent verifiable supply chain on paper but that it is only as strong as the weakest link. This, and other experiences, helped in shaping my desire for creating a new model.
To quote Buckminster Fuller (no idea who the guy is btw):
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing models obsolete.”
Tim: People who don’t work in the jewellery business are often surprised at how little transparency there is in the industry. What are the challenges that you faced in establishing an ethical supply chain?
Mike: Well, in the industry goods pass a lot of hands before they end up with the customer. Rough crystals are divided into several categories according to quality and make of the rough, desires of the polisher (high quality/colour), speciality of the polisher (round/ fancy). They are then sawn and the top part might be suitable to polish by polisher A while the bottom part ends up being bought by a trader who then mixes it with another lot and sells it again to another polisher specialized in this.
To keep track and trace in place you need to develop a system, and it obviously involves a lot of extra paperwork.
Tim: What reaction does your ethical stance get from people in the wider jewellery industry?
Mike: Ten years ago, all you would get would be a meagre smile, a pat on the back, and some “encouragement” to keep on dreaming. Nowadays an ethical stance is welcomed much better. I think you can see more and more people open to the idea of fair trade and or traceability, either for profit or wellbeing. To do it for profit is cool, but it’s also a weak link.
Tim: You have pioneered the production of ethical-made smaller diamonds (which is why at Ingle & Rhode we source our smaller stones exclusively from you). With larger diamonds, traceability can be achieved by laser-inscribing a unique tracking number on each stone. With smaller goods (melee), the cost would be prohibitive. How do you offer ethically sourced smaller stones?
Mike: OSM gets a guarantee from the polisher, and this guarantee is further backed up by their position in the market as sightholder and a visit to their factory where they explained how they work and why and how their rough is treated separately.
The working conditions in the factory where also audited by the Jeweltree Foundation in cooperation with IPIS, the list with criteria is available on the Jeweltree website.
The polished bought by OSM is sifted out into mm sizes and sorted into various qualities (collection/commercial etc). The inventory mutations are carefully monitored by a developed database and audited by the Jeweltree Foundation.
I have recently resigned from the foundation and the new chairman, John Courtens, has a senior background in supply chain management. This opens the way for truly independent third party verification.
Tim: You recently resigned from the Responsible Jewellery Council. Presumably that wasn’t a decision you took lightly?
Mike: No. I believe they could and should have done a lot more in their stance towards Marange. I do not think that they are adding much to the existing supply chain, they are verifying and certifying what is already in place. What is needed is an industry body that offers stewardship and focuses on capacity-building projects. I believe that with the last developments we had within the Jeweltree Foundation we can safely say that we do what we preach.
Tim: These are challenging times economically. How well has the demand for ethical jewellery held up?
Mike: Demand is rising from both individual goldsmiths and bigger companies that are showing interest. Most have never even asked themselves these questions but the more exposure it gets the more people find it not only interesting from a business point of view but also logical.
Tim: In the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation is launching Fairtade gold this year. You do business in the UK, is it ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of the market for ethical jewellery?
Mike: Yes, pretty much, although Germany has it’s own well developed fair trade initiatives.
The reason we hear so little is mostly because of language I believe. There are some really good initiatives there, especially on gemstone sourcing, and we work with some of the polishers in Idar Oberstein.
Tim: With the launch of Fairtade gold we will see a universally recognised, third-party standard for ethical gold. What are the chances that we’ll see something similar for diamonds and other gemstones in the foreseeable future?
Mike: Open your eyes, its already there. The Jeweltree Foundation has already set up a verifiable and traceable system. We are working on it to make it ISO9001 proof. And besides it being verifiable and traceable it offers capacity building and stewardship. The difference is perhaps that we are helping existing communities in getting the best possible market price (through tenders) and not so much focus on paying a premium.
Tim: At Ingle & Rhode we’re hopeful that in the future ethical and transparent sourcing will account for more than a niche part of the jewellery industry. Do you agree?
Mike: It already is becoming an integral part of the industry. With growing customer awareness there is no way around it. People want to know where there jewellery comes from. And even if they do not, the businesses will not leave it to chance.
Tim: What developments should we expect to see within the jewellery business over the next few years?
Mike: I believe we will see a lot more of these smaller cooperatives and miners getting streetwise and finding there way to the consumer more directly and with better prices for their goods. You can expect OSM and JTF to be a part of that movement.
Ingle & Rhode is a leading UK bespoke jeweller. Specialising in bespoke engagement rings, we are committed to ethical sourcing, offering certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold and platinum, and diamonds and gems that can be traced back to source.
www.ingleandrhode.com
enquiries@ingleandrhode.com
***
Please Note:
FJA is a forum open to a diversity of opinions in support of its mission. Any editorial expressed in this article represents the opinion of the author, and not necessarily the views of Fair Jewelry Action members.
