Linneys
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 3 sources
Family-owned Perth jeweller known for South Sea pearls.
Until Linneys traces its gold and gemstones to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 4 of 7 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually unprotected.
Good requirements 4 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Australia are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: watch movements, cases and dials, and cast or set parts
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Conflict-free: diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough)
Red flags 1
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Linneys's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Rings, Engagement & wedding rings, Necklaces & pendants, Earrings, Bracelets: Lacks transparency, the same as Linneys overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Linneys's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 90% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| SwitzerlandUsual for the industry | 1% | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: gold and gemstone mining are linked to child labour, forced labour and mercury poisoning.
- Owns or runs its own production
- "Made in Australia" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, watch movements, cases and dials, and cast or set parts can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
- Relies on gold and gemstones from artisanal mines where workers face mercury poisoning, silica dust and deadly collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes More than 90% of Linneys jewellery is made by its own jewellers in its solar-powered Subiaco workshop, which employs more than 40 Western Australians; it does not name the country that makes the rest. It uses Australian South Sea and Tahitian pearls and has been an Argyle Pink Diamonds Select Atelier since 1985, but it names no pearl farms, and for other diamonds relies on suppliers that follow the Kimberley Process. It says nothing about where its gold comes from or whether it is recycled, and publishes no supplier audits or modern slavery statement.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 3
Show all 3 sources
- Jewellery World – Linneys enters a new era with next generation at the helm (2025) · search the archive · Subiaco workshop produces over 95% of jewellery in-house; employs more than 40 Western Australians; ownership passed to Justin and Troy Linney.
Published by Linneys or its owner
- Linneys – Sustainability · search the archive · Over 90% of jewellery made in its Subiaco workshop; Kimberley Process diamonds; Australian South Sea and Tahitian pearls; no gold origin; no RJC.
- Linneys – About us · search the archive · Founded 1972 in Perth; Subiaco studio; Argyle Pink Diamonds Select Atelier since 1985; trades as Linney Group Pty Ltd since October 2025.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 40
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Linneys ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/linneys, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded fine jewellery
No fine jewellery brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Linneys.