The gemstones we trade are transparently and responsibly sourced from our carefully selected partners. We are able to guarantee the origin of every gem, as we buy raw stones directly from the mines. We only work with reliable mining partners.
Montana Sapphires
Sapphire is a hard and durable gemstone, and there are multiple colors available. The hardness of a sapphire is 9 on the Mohs scale and therefore sapphires are well suited to be used in jewelry.
Rock Creek sapphires are found in Montana, USA. Sapphires are separated by modern equipment in accordance with high nature conservation standards. The mine uses state-of-the-art equipment and, for example, its own water treatment plant, which recycles the same water several times. The stones are available without treatment, as well as with heat treatment. The heat treatment is also done in Montana, and no additional substances are used in the treatment, just heat. The heat treatment strengthens the colors, as well as melts any rutile inclusions, making the stones cleaner.
LucYen Spinels
Spinel is a beautiful gemstone. The hardness of spinel is 8 on a Mohs scale, making it very suitable for jewelry use.
The spinels we trade come around Luc Yen in Vietnam. Spinel is commonly found in the Luc Yen area, in which case gems may be excavated even from people’s own backyards. The people we buy rough from are typically rice growers who earn extra income by selling the gems they find. As mining is small-scale and takes place in close vicinities, nature is also better taken care of. The spinels we deal are all unaltered and natural.
Faceting
The stones are faceted in Sri Lanka in a family owned lapidary. Our representative has visited the facility to verify the working conditions at the factory and we keep in touch on a regular basis. The factory employs about twenty gem cutters, most of whom are women. In addition to salary, grinders receive health care and accrue a pension. Working hours are reasonable as the factory always closes at five and the workers have holidays off. The salary is good compared to the local standard of living, and the grinders also have the opportunity to move from a raw grinder to polisher, which naturally also increases the salary. Emissions from flight kilometers have been offset to carbon neutrality. We plant trees through the One Tree Planted organization to protect biodiversity.
