What Certification Means for Our Ethical Jewelry Brand
"Ethical" is a word that's easy to put on a website. Independent certification is harder — it means an auditor physically present at the facility, reviewing documentation, interviewing workers, checking the numbers. That's what our casting partner does. Every year.
Here's what that actually covers.
Ethical jewelry certifications: what each one verifies
Our casting partner holds four internationally recognized certifications. Not self-reported. Each one requires outside reviewers — not brand employees — to confirm the claims.
SMETA 4-Pillar, audited by Intertek
The Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit is the most comprehensive labor and ethics audit available to manufacturing facilities. It covers four pillars: labor standards, health and safety, environment, and business ethics. Our partner is audited on-site annually by Intertek, one of the world's leading testing and certification bodies.
The 2025 audit confirmed: 523 workers on site. 61.6% of the workforce are women; 73.1% of supervisors are women. 85.46% earn above the legal minimum wage. 99.4% hold permanent contracts. Zero workers exceeded 48 hours per week. Five grievances were raised during the audit period; all five were resolved. The auditor's assessment of worker attitude: Favorable.
Those aren't marketing claims. They're audit findings.
ISO 9001 — Quality management
This standard covers operational quality and consistency across the production process. It's the basis for the precision our pieces require — the same detail that makes our casting partner's work remarkable is what this certification verifies and maintains.
ISO 14001 — Environmental management
This standard covers how a facility manages its environmental impact: air quality, water treatment, waste. Our casting partner casts in sustainable silver and brass casting grain — recycled metal that's already been refined, reducing new mining demand. The facility generates 476,223 kWh of energy from onsite solar annually. Wastewater is treated and recycled on-site — 2,504 cubic meters in 2024. A Carbon Offset Certification is in place, with a 10% CO₂ reduction target year on year.
ISO 45001 — Occupational health and safety
This standard verifies worker safety systems and protocols. It's the certification that makes the labor statistics meaningful — zero serious injuries, low turnover, a 2.01% annual turnover rate in 2024.
How to know if ethical jewelry is real
Most brands that use the word "ethical" can't point to a third-party audit that backs it up. These certifications exist specifically to prevent that gap. Choosing eco friendly jewelry materials and a verified supply chain isn't a marketing decision — it's a structural one. Each certification requires our casting partner to open their books, their floor, and their environmental data to outside reviewers. That's the difference between claiming to be ethical and proving it.
Karen Hartman, Founder, Astor & Orion. Updated April 2026.