Nanna Schou's Sourcing Standards: How We Verify Every Material
Sourcing standards at a fine-jewelry atelier rest on documented provenance, laboratory verification, and a willingness to refuse material that cannot be traced to its origin.
Table of Contents
- What "Sourcing Standard" Actually Means in a Workshop
- The Three Material Categories We Source
- Gold: Recycled-First, Fairmined Second, Conventional Last
- Diamonds: Beyond the Kimberley Process
- Coloured Stones: The Hardest Chain to Verify
- What Happens When Documentation Falls Short
- Frequently Asked Questions
A sourcing standard is only as serious as what the goldsmith does when a shipment of gold arrives without a refinery certificate, or when a parcel of diamonds is offered with a price that doesn't square with its claimed provenance. The standard isn't the policy document — it's the refusal that follows. At Nanna Schou's atelier in Copenhagen, the sourcing chain has been built over years of saying no to material that couldn't be traced and yes to suppliers willing to put their documentation on the table before any money changed hands.
This article describes the working sourcing standards we operate to. It covers the gold supply chain, the diamond and coloured-stone chain, the recycled-only chain that increasingly carries our daily work, and the verification steps that turn paper documentation into a goldsmith's actual confidence in a piece. None of it is glamorous; all of it is necessary.
What "Sourcing Standard" Actually Means in a Workshop
A sourcing standard in a fine-jewelry context is a set of rules that determine which material is allowed to enter the workshop and which is turned away. The rules cover provenance documentation, third-party certification, supplier audits, and the testing the goldsmith performs in the workshop itself before any material is melted, cut, or set.
"Responsible sourcing is the foundation of trust in the jewelry industry. Every gemstone and every gram of precious metal has a story, and that story must be verifiable." — Responsible Jewellery Council, 2024
The Responsible Jewellery Council framing maps cleanly onto how our Copenhagen workshop operates. A sourcing standard isn't a marketing statement; it's a series of decisions made supplier by supplier and parcel by parcel. The decisions accumulate over years into a working chain the goldsmith trusts. Clients see the finished pieces; the chain that supports those pieces is what makes the workshop credible.
The Three Material Categories We Source
Three categories of material flow through the atelier. Each category has its own verification protocol, its own documentation requirements, and its own list of suppliers we work with regularly.
| Material category | Primary source type | Documentation required | Workshop verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18K gold | Recycled or Fairmined certified | Refinery certificate + chain-of-custody | Acid + electronic testing |
| Diamonds | Kimberley Process certified | Grading report (GIA/HRD) + Kimberley docs | Loupe inspection + UV check |
| Coloured stones | Named-mine traceability | Provenance letter + lab certificate when graded | Hardness + inclusion mapping |
| Heirloom material | Client-supplied | Family provenance + condition photographs | Karatage test + stone audit |
The fourth row — heirloom material — sits alongside the three commercial categories because most of our redesign work involves reusing material the client already owns. Inherited gold and stones have their own provenance story, often more meaningful than any commercial chain. Verifying that material is part of the same sourcing standard, just with a different documentation source.
Gold: Recycled-First, Fairmined Second, Conventional Last
The 18K gold that goes into a Nanna Schou piece comes from one of three chains, in order of preference.
The first preference is recycled gold. Gold reclaimed from previous jewelry and refined back to 18K specifications has the lowest environmental footprint and the cleanest ethical record. We work with Danish and German refineries that document the chain back to verified collection sources. For most workshop pieces in 2026, recycled gold is the default material.
The second preference is Fairmined certified gold from artisanal small-scale mines that meet specific labor, environmental, and community standards, verified by third-party audit. The certification adds a modest premium but provides traceability to a named mine. We use Fairmined when a client requests artisanal provenance or when a piece benefits from a single-mine story.
The third preference, used sparingly, is conventional refined gold from named refineries with documented supply chains. Conventional gold is still more transparent than uncertified material, but it sits at the back of the preference order. We aim to keep conventional below twenty percent of annual intake.
For the broader workshop philosophy that anchors these preferences, the Copenhagen workshop overview describes how sourcing decisions sit inside the daily craft.
Diamonds: Beyond the Kimberley Process
Kimberley Process certification is the minimum entry requirement for any diamond we set. It's not the standard; it's the floor. Above that floor, we add three layers of verification.
- Laboratory grading report. Every diamond above 0.30 carats arrives with a
grading report from GIA, HRD, or another reputable lab. The report documents the four Cs and provides a unique identifier we can verify against the issuing lab's database.
- Provenance letter from the supplier. The provenance letter describes the
country of origin, the cutting house, and any intermediaries the stone passed through. Letters that can't trace the chain past a vague "African origin" framing are turned back to the supplier.
- Workshop loupe inspection. Before any diamond is set, the goldsmith
inspects it with a 10x loupe for inclusions, surface damage, and any indicators that don't match the grading report. Discrepancies between report and physical stone are resolved before work continues.
- UV fluorescence check. A UV lamp surfaces synthetic diamonds and treated
stones that might not match the supplier's documentation. Combined with the lab report and provenance letter, the UV check completes the verification chain.
- Documentation retention. All four documents — Kimberley certificate,
grading report, provenance letter, workshop inspection notes — are retained in the client file for the life of the piece. The wearer can request copies at any point.
These five steps add roughly one to two hours per diamond to the workshop's pre-setting workflow. The time is the cost of the standard. Clients who want full documentation receive it; clients who don't ask still benefit from the verification because the workshop won't proceed without it.
Coloured Stones: The Hardest Chain to Verify
Sapphires, tourmalines, and other coloured stones are the most challenging material to source ethically. The supply chains are fragmented across small artisanal operations in source countries, the documentation standards vary widely between traders, and the laboratory grading infrastructure is less developed than the diamond equivalent.
Our approach is to work with a small number of trusted suppliers who can document a named-mine origin and provide condition photographs from the mine through the cutting house. The named-mine requirement narrows the available material — we can't always source the exact stone a client imagined — but it keeps the chain verifiable.
For sapphires specifically, our primary chain runs through Sri Lankan artisanal mines with documented labor practices. For tourmalines, we work with Brazilian and Namibian suppliers who provide single-mine certificates. The jewelry collection at the atelier shows finished pieces that use stones from these chains; the documentation behind each piece sits in the workshop file.
What Happens When Documentation Falls Short
A sourcing standard is tested by the cases where the documentation doesn't arrive cleanly. Three responses cover most of those cases.
The first response is suspension. If a supplier's documentation arrives incomplete or doesn't match the parcel content, the material is set aside pending clarification. Work doesn't begin until the chain is verified. Sometimes the clarification arrives in days; sometimes it never arrives, and the parcel goes back to the supplier.
The second response is renegotiation. Some chains are partially documented and can be strengthened with additional supplier work — a missing refinery certificate can sometimes be produced retroactively, a vague provenance letter can be replaced with a more detailed one. We work with suppliers to strengthen the chain when the underlying material is sound.
The third response is refusal. Material that can't be verified after reasonable supplier engagement is refused. The refusal is final; we don't proceed on partial documentation because the goldsmith's confidence in the finished piece depends on the chain behind it. The goldsmith's profile page describes the underlying philosophy of treating sourcing as part of the craft.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a client verify the sourcing of a finished piece? Every piece made at the atelier comes with a documentation file that includes the gold chain certificate, any diamond grading reports, and provenance letters for coloured stones. The file travels with the piece at delivery, and copies can be requested at any point afterward. The documentation is part of what the client pays for; it isn't optional or extra.
What about old supply-chain documents — do they expire? Documentation doesn't expire formally, but the practical value of older certificates depends on the issuing party's continued operation. Refinery certificates from active named refineries remain verifiable for decades. We retain originals to keep the chain accessible.
Does the sourcing standard apply to client-supplied heirloom material? Yes, with a different documentation source. Heirloom material comes with family provenance rather than commercial chain documentation. We verify the karatage, audit the stones, and document the condition before work begins. The result is a finished piece with traceable material inputs.
Why do you prefer recycled gold over Fairmined? Both are responsible choices, but recycled gold has a lower marginal environmental impact because it doesn't require any new mining. Fairmined remains essential for clients who want artisanal provenance with a verifiable single-mine story.
Does sourcing affect the price of the finished piece? Modestly. The verification work adds workshop time, and certified chains carry a premium over conventional alternatives. The premium typically adds five to fifteen percent to the material portion of the piece cost.
The right way to learn how these standards apply to a specific commission is usually a conversation about what the client wants and what the supply chain can responsibly deliver. You can explore the contact form and we'll walk through the sourcing conversation as part of the initial discussion.