PROGRESS in East Africa!

We just returned from a week in Kenya and Tanzania and we’re excited to report on exponential progress in many areas! We began our gem buying, mine visiting, Gem Legacy initiative trip with a train ride from Nairobi to Voi on the NEW! “express” train. Typically this drive takes 6-8 hours and we did it in 4 on the train!

We spent a day buying rough gemstones from our dealer’s office in Voi, the central city of the Southern Kenya gem region. Our dealer has expanded their office to include a gem faceter – a sign of truly forward thinking in East Africa!

Gem Mining

East Africa has entered their winter season when there are heavy rains. Since the rains started late this year there was a great variety of gem rough available and dealers were anxious to show the fruits of their efforts! Roger is excited to get back to the studio and facet the Tsavorite Garnet, Kenyan Kiwi Garnet, Amethyst, Green and Pink Tourmaline, and Rhodolite Garnet we purchased!

During the rainy winter season it is difficult for mines to operate at full capacity, but this gave us more time to build relationship with the mine owners and miners. We heard stories of their greatest victories and their hardest defeats in their mining career, where they’re at today, and what they need for tomorrow to continue their progress.

Mining Communities

We visited the Baraka Mine, the oldest female owned mine in Kenya, owned by Gladwell. She shared that when the first big Tsavorite find came for the Baraka mine under her mom’s ownership, her mom felt so blessed she built a church on her property. Their commitment to caring for their workers is one of the reasons we have always supported Gladwell. Today one of the Baraka miners is the pastor to a congregation that draws from a 25 kilometer distance.

Gemological Training

There are huge signs of progress in Kenya! The Voi Gemstone and Value Addition Centre is newly opened and Roger delivered a Gem Identification Training, the first of its kind in Kenya. Over 60 dealers, miners, and faceters took part in three sessions covering mineral classifications, gemological identification techniques, gem grading and valuing, and value addition (gem faceting!).

Gem Faceting Training

Gem Legacy is making progress tangible and quantifiable in Tanzania! We delivered a new Facetron, a US precision faceting machine, to Peter Salla’s Arusha Faceting Center, courtesy of Gem Legacy. Roger trained the students on best practices of using the machine and expects to continue training in August. The machines and training are part of Gem Legacy’s BIG 2019 Goal to provide nine new precision machines and instruction to modernize the school, equip the students, and impact their lives. Currently the students learn on very old machines that don’t effectively prepare them for employment.

We’re excited about the progress we’re seeing in East Africa and touched by the ever humbling fact that a little to us goes so very far in impacting their lives!