Tiffany and Co.'s New Years Resolution? Be More Transparent

Photo credit: Smith Collection/Gado - Getty Images
Photo credit: Smith Collection/Gado - Getty Images

From ELLE

The demand for transparency in the fashion industry has resulted in brands like Burberry and DVF vowing to go fur-free, and most recently, Chanel forgoing the use of exotic skins and fur in their future collections.

To kick off the new year, Tiffany & Co. joins this fold, announcing plans to share the provenance (the origin) of its newly sourced, individually registered diamonds.

Aptly dubbed the Diamond Source Initiative, Tiffany & Co will be tracing the origin of diamonds 0.18 carats and larger, all of which will have a “T&Co” serial number etched in the diamond so customers can also trace it themselves.

“Diamonds, formed up to 3 billion years ago and brought to the earth’s surface by a miracle of nature, are symbols of the most important moments in our lives. There should be nothing opaque about Tiffany diamonds,” Alessandro Bogliolo, chief executive officer, Tiffany & Co, said in a press release. “Our clients want and deserve to know where their most valuable, most cherished diamond jewelry is from, and how it came to be.”

As part of Tiffany & Co.'s diamond transparency, by 2020 the brand will also give customers more insight into its craftsmanship journey by sharing its polishing and workshop location.

“Tiffany & Co. has long been committed to diamond traceability and going above and beyond industry norms to promote the protection of the environment and human rights,” Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer, Tiffany & Co, added. “A transparent journey of responsible sourcing reflects the many positive and far reaching benefits along every step of the diamond supply chain.”