The President's Message

The Importance of Ethical Standards

The ICA sets very high standards of ethical practices for its members who are required to abide by a strict set of rules set down in the Association’s Code of Ethics.

These rules cover areas such as ethical sourcing, business practices, advertising, financial transactions, insurance, product descriptions, and, importantly, the disclosure of any enhancements and treatments.

These measures enable buyers to source from an ICA member with great confidence. In our industry, confidence and trust are the essential pillars for lasting relationships.

Many ICA Members have taken the additional steps to become Accredited Ethical Members. It consists of a series of steps containing key ICA and industry objectives outlining the elements of responsible sourcing. It is designed to be a self-assessment and a voluntary pledge on responsible sourcing and should become a stimulus for continuous improvement.

ICA itself is also looking to continue the improvements by introducing new levels of accreditation to provide further recognition for companies taking greater steps in being responsible, ethical, and transparent with their practices along the supply chain.

In addition, ICA Members are required to fully disclose any gemstone enhancements or treatments on all sales and approval dockets. ICA has adopted a set of disclosure codes which we are asking all members to display on their documentation. Visit www.gemstone.org to find out more.

Building and maintaining trust requires dedication throughout an organization. It requires good role models setting the example and solid processes in place to help stay on course.

As industry giant Warren Buffett once said, “Trust is like the air we breathe – when it’s present, nobody really notices; when it’s absent, everybody notices.”

Damien Cody
ICA President