Shiels Jewellers
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Family-owned Adelaide jewellery chain.
Until Shiels Jewellers 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 1 of 6 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 underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as India and China, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- 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 Shiels Jewellers'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, Watches: Lacks transparency, the same as Shiels Jewellers 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
Shiels Jewellers names some of the countries it makes in: Italy, Hong Kong and Australia. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Hong Kong | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Low |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| SwitzerlandUsual for the industry | 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.
- 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 Shiels does not name the countries that make its jewellery or name its suppliers. Its website says only that suppliers range from Italy to Hong Kong and include some Responsible Jewellery Council members, and a company interview mentions European and some Australian manufacturing with lab-grown diamonds from Asia. It publishes no modern slavery statement, supplier code, origins for its gold or diamonds, audit results or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No modern slavery statement from Shiels Jewellers or its owners appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No Business & Human Rights Resource Centre allegations involving Shiels or its suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Australian Modern Slavery Register - search 'shiels' · search the archive · No statements found for Shiels.
- Retailbiz - Shiels Jewellers celebrates 80 years in business (2025) · search the archive · Adelaide jeweller founded 80 years ago, run by the Bensimon family, with more than 50 stores across Australia.
- Starter Story - How I built one of the top jewelry brands in Australia · search the archive · Jewellery made in Europe with some Australian manufacturing; lab-grown diamonds sourced from Asia; no suppliers named.
Published by Shiels Jewellers or its owner
- Shiels - Sustainability · search the archive · Suppliers range from Italy to Hong Kong and include some RJC members; no countries of manufacture, supplier list or labour detail.
- Shiels Jewellers - Home page · search the archive · Trading; sells natural and lab-grown diamond, gold, silver and gemstone jewellery and watches in SA, QLD and WA and online.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Shiels Jewellers ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/shiels, 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 Shiels Jewellers.