RJC Certification for the Diamond Industry - A Complete Guide

RJC certification - issued by the Responsible Jewellery Council - is the global standard for responsible business practices in the jewellery supply chain. With over 1,400 member companies and mandatory requirements from major retailers including Tiffany, Signet, and Pandora, Indian diamond companies that lack RJC certification are increasingly shut out of Western supply chains. This guide covers everything you need to know about the RJC Code of Practices, the certification process, costs, timeline, and how RJC maps to ESG frameworks.

India processes approximately 90% of the world's rough diamonds by volume. Surat alone cuts and polishes more diamonds than any other city on earth. Yet as global buyers tighten their responsible sourcing requirements, RJC certification is moving from a competitive differentiator to a prerequisite for doing business. If your diamond company exports to EU, US, or UK markets - or aspires to - RJC certification is no longer optional.

What Is the Responsible Jewellery Council?

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is an international not-for-profit standards and certification organisation founded in 2005 by a coalition of leading jewellery industry companies. Its mission is to advance responsible ethical, human rights, social, and environmental practices throughout the jewellery supply chain - from mine to retail.

RJC membership covers every link in the diamond and precious metals supply chain:

• Diamond and coloured gemstone miners
• Diamond cutters and polishers
• Diamond and gem traders and dealers
• Precious metals refiners and fabricators
• Jewellery manufacturers
• Jewellery retailers
• Branded jewellery companies

As of 2024, RJC has over 1,400 member companies in more than 70 countries. Indian companies - particularly from Surat and Mumbai - represent a significant and growing share of the membership, reflecting India's central role in global diamond processing.

RJC Code of Practices - The Four Pillars

The RJC Code of Practices (COP) is the core standard against which all member companies are audited. The COP is structured around four pillars, each covering specific requirements that a company must demonstrate compliance with:

Pillar 1 - Human Rights

RJC requires member companies to respect internationally recognised human rights as defined by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This includes conducting human rights due diligence, identifying and addressing adverse human rights impacts in operations and supply chains, and providing grievance mechanisms for affected communities. For diamond companies, this extends to sourcing due diligence - ensuring your rough diamond supply does not originate from conflict-affected or high-risk areas.

Pillar 2 - Labour Practices

The labour standards pillar covers working conditions, wages, working hours, freedom of association, collective bargaining rights, and the prohibition of child labour, forced labour, and discrimination. For Indian diamond cutting and polishing units - where workforce conditions vary widely - this pillar typically requires the most pre-audit preparation. Key requirements include:

• Written employment contracts for all workers
• Minimum wage compliance and timely wage payment
• Working hours limits (typically 48 hours per week, 60 with overtime)
• No child labour (minimum age 15, or higher where local law requires)
• Functional grievance mechanism accessible to all workers
• Safe and hygienic working conditions compliant with local health and safety law

Pillar 3 - Environment

The environmental pillar requires companies to identify, manage, and reduce their environmental impacts. This includes energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste management, and hazardous substance handling. While the environmental requirements are less prescriptive than the social pillars for most cutting and polishing companies, the COP requires a documented environmental management approach and evidence of continuous improvement. Companies operating under ISO 14001 find this section significantly easier to satisfy. See our page on the diamond industry's ESG challenges for sector-specific context.

Pillar 4 - Product Integrity

Product integrity covers accurate disclosure and documentation along the supply chain - including diamond grading, disclosure of treatments (laser drilling, fracture filling, HPHT), disclosure of laboratory-grown diamonds, and accurate precious metal hallmarking. For the diamond trade specifically, this pillar reinforces the importance of the Kimberley Process warranty system and requires additional chain-of-custody documentation beyond what the Kimberley Process alone mandates.

"RJC certification tells buyers and consumers that a company's business practices have been independently verified against a comprehensive set of responsible sourcing standards - not just on paper, but on the ground." - Responsible Jewellery Council

Who Needs RJC Certification?

Any company that is part of the diamond or jewellery supply chain and wishes to supply to RJC-certified retailers or brands needs certification. In practice, the following categories of Indian companies face the strongest buyer pressure:

Why Indian Diamond Companies Need RJC Now

The commercial case for RJC certification has intensified dramatically since 2022. Three converging pressures are making it non-negotiable for export-oriented Indian diamond businesses:

Major Retailer Mandates

Tiffany and Co. (owned by LVMH), Signet Jewelers (Kay, Zales, Jared), and Pandora have all adopted policies requiring direct diamond suppliers to hold current RJC certification. Signet - the world's largest retailer of diamond jewellery - has gone further by requiring RJC certification from its second-tier suppliers as well. For Indian cutting and polishing units that supply these chains directly or indirectly, the message is clear: certify or lose the business.

EU Due Diligence Regulations

The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (Regulation 2017/821) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) together create legal obligations for EU importers to conduct supply chain due diligence. RJC certification provides a recognised framework that EU buyers can point to as evidence of supply chain due diligence. Indian exporters supplying EU jewellery brands will increasingly find that RJC certification - or equivalent documented due diligence - is required by their EU customers to satisfy these regulatory obligations. For more on EU regulations affecting Indian exporters, see our guide on EU CSRD and Indian exporters.

ESG-Driven Investor and Consumer Pressure

Jewellery brands listed on European or US stock exchanges face investor ESG requirements that cascade to their supply chains. Consumers - particularly in the millennial and Gen Z demographics that drive fine jewellery growth - are increasingly demanding provenance and responsibility certification. RJC certification is the most widely recognised signal of responsible sourcing in the jewellery sector.

The RJC Certification Process

Achieving RJC certification follows a defined three-stage process. Understanding each stage helps you plan your timeline and resource requirements accurately.

Stage 1 - Join RJC and Complete Self-Assessment

The first step is to join RJC as a member company and pay the annual membership fee. Membership fees are tiered by company revenue and range from approximately USD 500 per year for small companies (revenue under USD 5 million) to USD 10,000+ per year for large companies. Once a member, you gain access to the RJC self-assessment tool, which guides you through all COP requirements and asks you to rate your current level of compliance for each standard.

The self-assessment is not the audit - it is your internal gap analysis. It identifies which standards you currently meet, which need improvement, and which require significant corrective action before you will be audit-ready. Budget 4 to 8 weeks for a thorough self-assessment, involving your HR, operations, procurement, and finance teams.

Stage 2 - Gap Closure and Corrective Actions

Once you have your self-assessment results, you implement corrective actions to close the gaps. Common corrective actions for Indian diamond companies include:

• Formalising employment contracts for all workers (including piece-rate workers)
• Implementing a documented grievance mechanism
• Conducting a health and safety risk assessment and addressing findings
• Establishing a written environmental policy and basic tracking of energy and water use
• Creating a supplier due diligence procedure for rough diamond sourcing
• Documenting anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies and training records

This stage typically takes 3 to 6 months, depending on how far your current practices are from COP requirements. Companies with existing compliance management systems or ISO certifications complete this stage faster.

Stage 3 - Third-Party Audit and Certification

Once you believe you are ready, you commission an audit from an RJC-approved Certification Body (CB). RJC maintains a list of approved CBs globally, including several that have India-based auditors experienced with the diamond industry. The audit involves document review, worker interviews, facility inspection, and assessment of your management systems. After the audit, the CB issues a report. If there are no major non-conformances, RJC issues your certificate - valid for three years.

RJC and ESG Frameworks - How They Map

RJC certification does not exist in isolation. It maps closely to broader ESG frameworks, which means achieving RJC certification simultaneously advances your ESG reporting and ratings performance. The table below shows how RJC COP pillars align with major frameworks:

For Indian companies already reporting under BRSR, the overlap is significant. BRSR Principle 5 (human rights), Principle 3 (employee wellbeing), and Principle 6 (environment) map directly to RJC COP pillars. Companies preparing for RJC certification can use their BRSR data collection as a starting point for the self-assessment, avoiding duplication of effort. Visit our ESG glossary for definitions of key terms across these frameworks.

RJC vs Other Certifications

Indian diamond companies often ask how RJC relates to other certifications they may already hold or be considering. The key distinctions are:

RJC vs Kimberley Process

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is an intergovernmental mechanism that certifies rough diamonds are not used to finance rebel movements against recognised governments. It is a conflict-diamond specific mechanism, administered by governments, and covers only rough diamonds. RJC is far broader - it covers the entire supply chain from mining through retail, addresses all major ESG dimensions, and applies to polished diamonds, jewellery, and precious metals in addition to rough diamonds. A company can be fully Kimberley Process compliant and still fail RJC standards on labour practices or environmental management. The Kimberley Process is the floor; RJC is the comprehensive standard.

RJC vs SCS Global Services (SCS-007)

SCS Global Services offers the Sustainable Gemstones Initiative (SCS-007) certification, which includes a Sustainability Rated Diamonds standard. SCS-007 is more focused on environmental sustainability performance and carbon neutrality claims, while RJC COP is broader across all ESG dimensions. RJC has significantly higher market recognition among major Western jewellery retailers. Most buyers who specify responsible sourcing requirements name RJC - not SCS - as their accepted standard.

RJC vs ISO 14001

ISO 14001 is an environmental management system standard that covers the E in ESG but does not address human rights, labour, or product integrity. ISO 14001 certification is a useful complement to RJC - companies with ISO 14001 in place find the environmental pillar of the RJC COP straightforward to satisfy - but it does not substitute for RJC certification in the eyes of jewellery industry buyers.

Cost and Timeline for RJC Certification

One of the most common questions from Indian diamond companies is: what does RJC certification actually cost? The total investment has three components:

For a mid-sized Surat cutting and polishing company with 50 to 200 workers, total first-certification costs typically fall in the USD 15,000 to 40,000 range (approximately INR 12 to 33 lakhs). Renewal audits every three years are less expensive because your management systems are already in place.

Frequently Asked Questions