HOW CAN JEWELRY CREATE POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT?

One way is choosing jewelry with responsibly sourced jewelry “ingredients”.

Responsible sourcing means gemstones or precious metals are traceable and mined in a way that supports and respects people, and their skills, as well as protects the environment - be it land or sea!

Purchasing jewelry from designers that practice responsible sourcing as much as possible is a beautiful way to “wear your values”.

Designers, like Debra Navarro, even know the individual men and WOMEN who mined her gemstones!

Many artisanal mining communities are primarily farmers who depend on part-time gemstone mining to sustain their families - and the local economy. This activity is critical in remote places where gemstones may be the only other natural resource available.

You can learn more about artisanal mining communities in East Africa in my blog post here where Adrianne Sanogo and I discuss what these communities look like. Roger Dery, a celebrated colored gemstone cutter, along with his family, Ginger and Rachel, created Gem Legacy.

Gem Legacy is a 501(C)3 that provides vocational training, equipment, and support to entrepreneurs in mining communities, enabling them to thrive.

Some of these are women entrepreneurs, such as the Precious Women Mine!