RJC Certification Audit: What Gets Checked and Why

An RJC certification audit assesses responsible business practices and, where applicable, the traceability of precious metals. The Code of Practices evaluates how a member operates across its jewellery supply-chain activities, while Chain of Custody certification focuses on the provenance and traceability of specific material flows. Members can hold Code of Practices certification without Chain of Custody certification.

An RJC certification audit is more than a review of written policies. Auditors examine records and facilities, speak with workers and management, and assess how systems work in practice, including how the business addresses human rights and responsible-sourcing risks. The findings inform a report and recommendation, which the Responsible Jewellery Council reviews when making its certification decision.

This guide explains what auditors assess, how the two standards differ, and what Commercial Members must meet. It also covers how findings are reported, how non-conformances affect the outcome, and where independent certification assessment fits into the process, helping you understand both the evidence examined and what follows.

What Gets Audited in RJC Certification?

An audit examines the business practices and material flows relevant to a company’s jewellery supply-chain operations. Its scope includes facilities the company owns or controls that contribute to those operations.

For a jewellery business, this means assessing evidence across its operations and supply chain. The applicable standard determines whether the focus is business practices, material traceability, or both.

Traceability and Supplier Screening

Traceability means following precious materials through a company’s supply chain using records and business systems. Auditors review documentation and records, visit facilities, interview workers and management, and trace materials through those systems.

Supplier screening and due diligence show how a business identifies and responds to supply-chain risks. Supplier risk assessments should follow OECD guidance, and an audit can assess whether the process is supported by records and applied in practice. For example, a company should be able to explain how it assesses supplier risks, not just present a written policy.

These checks matter because responsible sourcing concerns how material is obtained and handled. The Responsible Jewellery Council defines responsibly sourced material as conflict-free at a minimum and responsibly produced at every step of the supply chain.

Code of Practices and Chain of Custody

The Code of Practices assesses how a member conducts its business, while Chain of Custody assesses the provenance and traceability of specific precious-metal flows. This distinction helps a company identify whether it needs certification for its operating practices, its material flows, or both.

The Code of Practices addresses business ethics, human rights, and social and environmental performance across the jewellery supply chain. Chain-of-Custody certification applies to gold and platinum group metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium. The standards also address responsible business practices and traceability involving gold and silver.

A member can hold Code of Practices certification without Chain-of-Custody certification, which is voluntary for Code of Practices-certified members. The Chain-of-Custody Standard can also recognize comparable approaches, including gold refiner due diligence audits and the artisanal mining sector. This matters when a business handles defined metal flows and needs to demonstrate their provenance, rather than relying only on evidence about its general operations.

The overall certification process typically takes 6-12 months. The audit’s duration depends on the business’s size and complexity, including the facilities and supply-chain activities within scope.

In the United States, an organization must be an RJC member before beginning certification. Members select an auditor from the Council’s accredited audit-firm pool and contract directly with that firm. The audit boundary can also inform wider regulatory compliance planning, especially where several supply-chain obligations intersect.

RJC standards and responsible jewellery practices

For a jewellery organization, COP 24 is the Code of Practices standard, while Chain-of-Custody certification applies to defined material flows. An independent third-party audit reviews the self-assessment workbook, documentation, facilities and interviews, with findings informing the Council’s certification decision.

The Responsible Jewellery Council Code of Practice

The Responsible Jewellery Council Code of Practices sets expectations for responsible business conduct across the jewellery supply chain. It addresses business ethics, human rights, and social and environmental performance. These areas matter because responsible practices must be reflected in business operations, not just in policy statements.

The Code of Practices contains 45 provisions organized into six major areas. Its relationship to the United Nations 2030 agenda connects the standard with wider sustainability objectives, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For an organization, this structure provides a basis for identifying which operational processes and records auditors may examine.

The standard also develops over time. The 2024 RJC standard added explicit requirements concerning diversity, equity and inclusion. The Code of Practices therefore gives members a framework for assessing practices across their operations and identifying where procedures, responsibilities or evidence need attention.

Code of Practices Certification and Scope

RJC Code of Practices certification confirms that an organization has been independently assessed against the applicable Code requirements. COP 24 is the Code of Practices standard used for certification, and it became mandatory for all RJC audits on January 1, 2026. This makes the applicable standard version central to audit preparation.

The audit scope varies with the organization’s size and complexity. It covers facilities the company owns or controls that contribute to its jewellery supply-chain operations. A business with several operating sites should consider how each contributes to the activities being assessed, rather than treating one office as the entire scope.

Environmental provisions include greenhouse gas emissions reporting for Scope 1 and Scope 2. Scope 3 reporting applies to mining and mineral processing operations. These requirements make the organization’s activities relevant to determining which emissions information and supporting documentation auditors assess.

Site Visits and Interviews

Site visits and interviews help auditors test whether documented practices align with activity at the organization’s facilities. Auditors review the self-assessment workbook and supporting documentation, inspect relevant facilities, examine records, and interview workers and management.

Each method offers a different view of implementation. Records show how a process is documented; interviews clarify how responsibilities are understood; and facility visits provide direct context for operations. Auditors use these forms of evidence to assess practices against the Code, rather than relying only on written procedures.

The audit report records findings and may identify non-conformances or areas for improvement. Evidence from documents, records, interviews and visited facilities helps establish how responsible jewellery practices operate in practice. This review connects the Code’s provisions to conditions and processes within the audit scope.

Certification requirements for RJC Commercial Members

RJC Commercial Members must obtain Code of Practices certification within two years of joining the Responsible Jewellery Council. An organization must become an RJC member before starting certification, and certification is valid for three years. These milestones shape the compliance timeline, from joining through the initial audit and eventual recertification.

Company size does not remove the membership requirement. Audit scope varies with the organization’s size and complexity, so a smaller business’s assessment reflects its relevant operations rather than an assumed large-company structure. Suppliers may be assessed through a member’s supply-chain due diligence, while certification requirements apply to the member organization.

For a company deciding whether certification supports its commercial objectives, its practical value lies in an independent assessment of conduct against a recognized jewellery-industry standard. Certification can provide stakeholders with evidence of responsible business practices. It does not replace supplier diligence: risk assessments and documented controls remain important to the company’s supply-chain approach.

Preparation follows a clear sequence:

1. Establish RJC membership, which must precede the certification process.
2. Map the organization’s relevant activities and facilities to define the audit scope.
3. Complete the self-assessment workbook and assemble supporting documentation for review.
4. Select an auditor from the Council’s accredited audit-firm pool and contract directly with that firm.
5. Plan for ongoing reviews and recertification before the certificate expires.

These steps help small businesses and suppliers understand where their responsibilities lie. A supplier’s practices may inform a member’s due diligence, but the member’s certification audit assesses the member’s own applicable operations and controls. The scope reflects the organization’s complexity, including facilities it owns or controls that contribute to jewellery supply-chain activities.

Records remain part of the compliance picture beyond the initial assessment. Companies are required to maintain proper records for a minimum of five years under the described audit requirements. During the three-year certification period, members must undergo mid-term reviews and surveillance audits to support ongoing compliance. Recertification is required before the certificate expires to maintain certified status.

Commercial planning should account for both the initial deadline and the renewal cycle. The two-year membership window sets the first milestone; the three-year certificate period defines the subsequent maintenance period. For organizations with environmental, social or supplier-related processes, assigning record ownership and keeping documentation accessible can help demonstrate how controls work during assessment.

Ethical sourcing and human rights

Ethical sourcing is assessed through the controls a jewellery business applies to its supply relationships, not simply through a sourcing statement. The Responsible Jewellery Council Code of Practices addresses business ethics and human rights across the jewellery supply chain. For a global company, the assessment connects supplier risk information with decisions, records and actions taken when concerns arise.

Business Ethics and Human Rights

Auditors assess whether the organization’s conduct aligns with its stated commitments. Relevant evidence includes assigned responsibilities, documented procedures, supplier assessments and records showing how concerns are handled. A policy has limited value if workers and managers cannot explain how it is applied or records do not support it.

Human rights risks may arise at different points in a supply chain, from material sourcing to manufacturing and retail. The company’s assessment should explain which business relationships it considers, how it identifies risks, and what actions follow. For example, a supplier risk review should connect a flagged concern to a decision, follow-up or recorded rationale.

This review looks beyond whether a policy exists. It considers whether the organization has a working process for recognizing risks, assigning responsibility and recording its response. Worker and management interviews help auditors understand whether the process is understood in practice. For organizations seeking broader engagement with human rights and social welfare outside commercial audits, community-led initiatives such as rohingyaassociation.uk demonstrate how grassroots charitable efforts support vulnerable and displaced populations.

Human Rights Due Diligence

Supplier risk assessments for supply-chain due diligence should follow OECD guidance. This gives companies a reference point for assessing supplier-related risks, while the audit examines how the organization applies its process and documents the results.

A practical due-diligence record links the supplier or business relationship to the assessment, the identified concern and the response. If a review identifies a human rights concern, for instance, the company’s records should show how it evaluated the issue, who considered the response, and what follow-up was recorded. This makes the reasoning traceable.

Useful preparation includes mapping the supplier relationships covered by the company’s process, locating relevant risk assessments, and organizing records of decisions and follow-up. This helps the organization explain how its due diligence works, rather than presenting disconnected documents. The audit evaluates the process within the company’s operations and supply-chain scope.

Evidence and Verification

Independent verification compares documented controls with evidence from the organization’s operations. Auditors review records and interview workers and management to assess whether the stated process is reflected in practice. A mismatch, such as a procedure with no corresponding assessment record, may need explanation and follow-up.

For a jewellery company, this means connecting sourcing commitments to supplier screening and human rights due diligence. A clear trail from assessment to action helps show how the organization addresses risks across its supply chain. It also gives management a practical way to identify gaps before they become audit findings.

Audit reporting and certification decision

The audit report links the evidence gathered during an assessment to the certification decision. The auditor records findings, including non-conformances and areas for improvement, then sends the report to the member for approval before submission to the Responsible Jewellery Council. This approval stage concerns the report, not the certification outcome. The Council reviews the submitted findings and auditor’s recommendations before deciding whether to certify the member.

That distinction matters: an auditor makes a recommendation, but the Responsible Jewellery Council issues the certificate. RJC itself does not conduct certification audits. Independent auditors assess compliance, document results and make a recommendation; the Council makes the certification decision based on that record. The report formally links evidence from company operations to the Council’s decision.

Findings are classified as minor, major or critical. Their classification determines the response needed and whether certification can proceed. Critical issues must be corrected before a certificate can be issued. Major non-conformances require immediate corrections and preventive measures, while minor gaps are addressed through documented improvement plans and timelines.

For management, the priority is to understand each finding’s classification, evidence and required response. A report about metals handling, for example, should clearly identify the relevant process and records. A finding involving platinum provenance may require a different correction from a gap in a general management system. In each case, the classification guides the response, while the evidence shows what needs attention.

• Review the evidence: compare each finding with the records, interviews or facility observations cited in the report.
• Confirm the classification: distinguish critical, major and minor findings before assigning corrective actions.
• Document the response: record immediate corrections and preventive measures for major issues, or improvement plans and timelines for minor gaps.
• Track completion: keep evidence of corrective action available for subsequent review.

Certification is not the end of oversight. RJC-certified members undergo an annual surveillance review between full re-audits, supporting continued assessment of compliance. A response plan should assign responsibility, retain supporting records and link each action to its finding. For mining or metals operations, relevant operational evidence should remain traceable to the process under review.

Clear reporting helps members move from findings to accountable action, while the Council retains responsibility for the certification decision. For related workplace assessment needs, explore independent social accountability audits.

International Associates Limited: Social Accountability Audits

International Associates Limited provides Social Accountability Audits for organizations assessing workplace practices and social responsibility. If your RJC audit highlights areas involving worker welfare or social performance, a social accountability audit can provide a focused assessment of those workplace practices. It complements RJC preparation but does not replace RJC certification or determine the Responsible Jewellery Council’s certification decision.

This service may be relevant when a business wants an independent review of its social accountability controls and evidence. International Associates Limited also provides ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification and ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety for organizations addressing related management-system priorities.

To discuss Social Accountability Audits, contact International Associates Limited or visit the Social Accountability Audits page.

Make your next compliance decision with clarity

Use the findings from an RJC certification audit to set clear priorities for your organization. Assign ownership, define how you will monitor progress, and align follow-up with your wider compliance objectives.

If additional independent assessment would support your organization’s priorities, consider the relevant scope and evidence before choosing the next step.

To discuss your requirements, contact International Associates Limited. A focused plan can help turn audit outcomes into practical action.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Questions Should You Ask?

Clarify which certification standard applies, what business activities it covers, and which locations are included. Establish how the assessment timeline will be coordinated with site operations and who will be the organization’s main audit contact. Internally, identify who can retrieve key evidence and approve corrective actions. These decisions help prevent delays caused by unclear responsibilities or unavailable personnel.

What is an RJC certification audit?

An RJC certification audit is an independent assessment of an organization against the applicable Responsible Jewellery Council standard. It evaluates evidence of conformity and supports a certification recommendation. The audit itself is not the certificate: distinguish the assessment and its report from the Council’s certification decision. This helps teams communicate accurately with customers and other stakeholders about audit status.

Who is required to undergo an RJC audit?

RJC Commercial Members are required to obtain Code of Practices certification. A business considering membership can use this requirement to assess whether it is prepared to maintain documented practices and support independent assessment. Suppliers may be relevant to a member’s due diligence, but a commercial relationship alone does not make a supplier an RJC Commercial Member. Confirm internally which entity is seeking certification and who is responsible for it.

What documents and records do RJC auditors review?

Auditors review evidence relevant to the applicable standard and the organization’s activities. Instead of assembling an undifferentiated document collection, create an index that connects each item to the process it supports, its responsible owner, and its current status. This makes evidence easier to retrieve and helps management identify gaps or conflicting versions before assessment. Keep explanations concise and ensure records are understandable to someone outside the process.

What happens if an RJC audit finds nonconformities?

Non-conformities are recorded in the audit report and classified by severity, which determines the response needed before certification can proceed. Management can make the process more controlled by assigning an owner to each finding, recording the decision and supporting evidence, and tracking completion through review. If a finding’s wording is unclear, resolve that through the report-approval process rather than assuming its meaning.

How long is RJC certification valid, and when is recertification required?

RJC certification is valid for three years, and recertification is required before the certificate expires to maintain certified status. Treat the expiry date as a planning milestone, not an administrative afterthought. Assign responsibility for tracking it, account for operational changes that may affect the assessment, and allow time to coordinate the next audit. This helps prevent a lapse caused by unclear ownership or late internal planning.