A few individuals and organizations in the jewellery industry have joined hands to form a fundraising organization ‘Jewelers For Japan,’ to pledge support for the victims of Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami. The group seeks jewelers and consumers around the U.S. to donate scrap gold and silver jewelry, in lieu of cash.

As per the mechanism drawn to collect the donation, Jewelers For Japan has tied up with refiner Rio Grande, of Albuquerque, NM, who will refine the donated scrap gold and silver to be refined and convert it to cash without a refining fee. All proceeds are sent by Rio Grande directly to the American Red Cross, to help in its Japan relief effort.

In addition to donations, the organization's website offers an outreach programme though which consumers can donate unwanted gold and silver jewelry, via local stores and jewelers can arrange donations from their local community.

The effort is co-chaired by Julianne Paulsen CEO of Viaggio Bracelet and retail store "Rocks the Jewelers," Virginia, MN; and online jewelry-industry pioneer Jacques Voorhees, of VeriChannel, LLC in Colorado. Actress Mariel Hemingway along with partner Bobby Williams, have joined the effort as ambassadors. Kevin DeSoto, a social media expert, and Andrew Max Link, an Internet technical specialist, are contributing their services as well.

The group is ambitious, its campaign would cover 80 percent of the retail jewellery stores in the country within two weeks. Its tagline reads: "Mother nature is powerful. But so are we."