Social Responsibility

Beyond Beauty

Day’s Jewelers is committed to the highest level of social, ethical, and environmental responsibility in every aspect of our business. Our buyers search the world to find the most beautiful jewelry and gemstones. Though selling beautiful, quality jewelry is the core of our business, we are especially attentive to sourcing jewelry and gems that did not cause harm to people or the environment. Furthermore, Day’s is committed to many programs that support good things in our local communities, nationally and internationally. We believe that jewelry should go “Beyond Beauty” and help to make our world a better place to live.

We are committed to the respect of human rights, to avoiding contributions to the finance of conflict and complying with all relevant UN sanctions, resolutions and laws. We are a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) as proven through an independent third-party verification.  As such we commit to and comply with:

• Respecting human rights according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Labour Organization Fundamental Rights at Work;
• Refusing to engage in or tolerate bribery, corruption, money laundering or finance of terrorism;
• Supporting transparency of government payments and rights-compatible security forces in the extractives industry;
• Refusing to provide direct or indirect support to illegal armed groups
• Enabling stakeholders to voice concerns about the jewellery supply chain.
• Implementing a management process for risk based due diligence for responsible supply chains of minerals, diamonds and gemstones from conflict-affected and high-risk areas as identified by OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) documentation and notification.

View our Supply Chain Policy

We also commit to using our influence to prevent abuses by others. In doing so, we will conduct no less than annually, a risk assessment of suppliers we source our precious metals including gold, platinum and silver, colored gemstones and diamonds from, in accordance to OECD guidance and risks.

View Our Risk Assessment Management System

Day's Jewelers is committed to upholding professionalism & social, ethical, and environmental standards. We proudly support the Diamonds Do Good® Initiative.

Diamonds for Peace

In 2003, Day’s created our Diamonds for Peace fund designed to help those in need in our local communities, in the nation and internationally where our products are sourced. To achieve this goal Day’s pledges $10 for every diamond that we sell to fund this program. Day’s Diamonds for Peace continually contributes to organizations that make the world healthier, stronger, more accepting, smarter, and safer. 

Among these organizations to have received donations from the Diamonds for Peace fund have been the Make-A-Wish foundation, who we work with frequently, and Camp Sunshine. In 2016, as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the community, Day’s Jewelers sent a few employees to Camp Sunshine in order to present them with a $10,000 check. During this wonderful day at the camp, employees were able to spend some time engaging in activities and projects with the kids, touring the facilities, and sitting down to talk with staff and counselors of Camp Sunshine.

When asked about his experience, Leo Gerrior, South Portland store manager, said that the staff who attended were able to begin to feel a connection and understanding of how important these donations really are. Since then, some of these employees have even gone back on their own time to volunteer for the Camp Sunshine organization and become involved on their own! Day’s continues our commitment to the community through regular donations to various organizations like Camp Sunshine through the Diamonds for Peace fund.

Responsible Sourcing

When sourcing Colored Gemstones, it is important to remember that the information that we’re given is only as reliable as the person we’re speaking with. This is why Day’s Jewelers is committed to partnering exclusively with vendors that are trustworthy in their track record, sourcing transparency, and reliability when choosing our gemstone vendors. Many of our vendors are part of associations like the American Gem Trade Association who hold vendors accountable for responsible mining and cutting of colored gemstones. Additionally, all of our vendors are held to the Day’s Jewelers rigorous responsible sourcing standards and are required to supply signed certifications that prove the ethical sourcing of their gemstones.

As part of the commitment to responsible sourcing of materials, Day’s is a long-time member of the American Gem Trade Association, an organization who carefully monitors responsible mining and cutting of colored gemstones. The trade shows and educational opportunities offered by the AGTA gives Day’s the important ability to source gemstones from reputable, mine to retailer sources, strengthening the trust that has been built around the Day’s promise and eliminating the confusion and possible miscommunication of sourcing that comes with a third party buying experience.

Much like the process for ethically sourcing gemstones, precious metals that are sourced for Day’s Jewelers are subject to a rigorous responsible sourcing standard. Each vendor worked with is required to sign certifications that prove the ethical and responsible sourcing of their metals. Additionally, each of these vendors are subject to removal from Day’s partnership at any time if these requirements are not met or certification is not signed in its entirety.

In 2003, Day’s Jewelers helped lead efforts that resulted in the passage of the Kimberley Process, an international effort that helps prevent conflict diamonds from entering the diamond pipeline.

De Beers Forevermark & Days

Since 2011 Day’s Jewelers has been a committed Forevermark Authorized Jeweler in both Maine and New Hampshire. For De Beers Forevermark and its partners, responsible diamond sourcing lies at the very heart of business. It means that throughout a diamond's journey from rough to polished, particular care has been taken to ensure responsible business practices, to support the advancement of women and to protect the natural world.

Recently, De Beers Forevermark has put out a new set of goals that lead the industry in responsible mining efforts. Among these “De Beers Building Forever” goals is a plan to become carbon neutral by the year 2030, using renewable energy sources to replace all fossil fuel usage by the company. In an innovative, groundbreaking project goal, they have also begun efforts to capture carbon from the atmosphere and lock and store it into kimberlite rock. 

In addition to these environmental sustainability goals, they have also outlined goals to give back to the communities within and nearby their diamond mining operations even further than they already do. They will work over the next few years to better understand local context, eliminate any remaining negative impact, and continue to work with and for the communities indefinitely in order to identify long-term development opportunities further the education, health, and livelihoods of the people living in these areas.

Caring for Community

Day’s sponsors local fund raising efforts, supports local schools, scouting, clubs, and organizations, as well as donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of certain items to support special charitable initiatives. Day’s actively encourages our employees to become involved.

It is important to Day's that women are uplifted and encouraged in professional leadership positions. So, in addition to employing women in many of our leadership and historically male dominated positions, we have collaborated with local Girl Scouts troops in order to offer a Jewelry Merit badge opportunity. Young scouts come into a Day’s location to learn about tools of the trade and how jewelry is crafted. They will be able to gain an understanding of the jewelry business and, who knows, maybe they’ll grow up to be our next generation of sales associates, goldsmiths, or web developers!

Jewelers for Children is an organization established by the jewelry industry in 1999 to benefit many children’s charities including Make-a-Wish® and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2014 Day’s Jewelers raised over $100,000 for Jewelers for Children to celebrate our 100th year in business. In January 2015, our company owner, Jeff Corey, presented a check for $102,300 to Jewelers for Children.

The Diamond Development Initiative works directly with artisanal miners to help protect their human rights and help them become an appreciated and respected part of the diamond mining chain. Day’s is an ardent supporter of DDI.

Day’s is a proud supporter of Diamonds Do Good, an international non-profit organization dedicated to educational initiatives in diamond producing nations. In addition to the partnership between Day’s and Diamonds Do Good, our very own Kathy Corey, Vice President of Merchandising and HR, serves as the Vice President on the board of the Diamonds Do Good organization. We are very excited to have her voice be a representation of the Day’s Jewelers company within such an important and change making organization.

Commitment to Professionalism

Jeff Corey and his mom, Enid accepting the Retailer of the Year Award (2016)

Day’s Jewelers is consistently selected among the Best Places to Work in Maine by the Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management. It is awarded to Maine companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments.

Day’s Jewelers was among the first retail jewelers in America to achieve certification by the Responsible Jewellery Council. RJC is a non-profit organization that has established a set of best practice business standards for the global jewelry industry across all channels including mining, manufacturing, wholesale, and retail. It is the only organization in the jewelry industry that requires a third-party audit to achieve certification.

Day's Jewelers was named the 2016 Retailer of the Year by the Retail Association of Maine. The Retailer of the Year Award has three main criteria: continued growth in employees or sales; commitment of company resources to community projects; and creation of a positive work environment for all employees. 

Day's Jewelers is a member of the American Gem Society (AGS), a nonprofit trade association for fine jewelry professionals dedicated to setting, maintaining, and promoting the highest standards of ethical conduct and professional behavior through education, accreditation, recertification of its membership, gemological standards, and gemological research.

Day’s Jewelers is a member of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee. JVC members are required to operate under the highest standards of business practices and pledge to comply with all laws applicable to the jewelry industry. The organization monitors the jewelry business to ensure accurate representation of products and the ethics and integrity of business operations.

Day's is a Gemological Institute of America-designated jeweler, with GIA trained staff and GIA graded diamonds on hand.

Day’s Jewelers is a long-standing member of Diamond Council of America, an organization committed to enhancing expertise, integrity, and professionalism in the jewelry industry through education. All Day’s associates are asked to acquire DCA certification in Diamonds, Colored Gemstones, and Sales Professionalism.

Grievance Mechanism

External stakeholders may raise Human Rights and Supply Chain risk concerns by notifying Day’s Jewelers. We will ensure anonymity of the person raising the grievance and protect that person from retaliation. We provide the following methods of communication:

• Email your concerns to HR@daysjewelers.com
• Call our VP of Human Resources at 207-680-1620
• We’re using an independent online service called Suggestion Ox for anonymous incident reporting and whistleblowing. You can submit a private report at any time by visiting https://app.suggestionox.com/r/z13Wc5.
• You may also notify us in writing through US Postal service, by mailing correspondence to VP of Human Resources, 88 Main St., Waterville, Me. 04901. 

All grievances will be investigated and proof of investigation, communication to the relevant business partner and remediation recommendations will be documented and retained within our company documents. Outcomes of grievance investigation will be communicated as quickly as possible and directly to the relevant business partner or those affected, with an explanation of how we identified and are addressing this risk, while providing them with all safety and welfare information they may need to remediate the risk. Remediation of the risk concern can take the form of acknowledgment or apology, compensation for the harm, or other means.  We will ensure anonymity of the person raising the grievance and protect that person from retaliation.