At Omi Privé, we pride ourselves on not only sourcing the most rare and beautiful gemstones the Earth can provide for us, but also giving back to our amazing industry. Sustainability and education are key components to the livelihood of the jewelry business and the final product adorning people around the world.
Some of the most gorgeous, colorful and rare gemstones are mined in Africa, such as tourmaline, demantoid garnet, and tanzanite. Today, a large majority of the Paraíba tourmaline unearthed is Paraíba-type tourmaline from Africa. In 2018 Omi Privé partnered with Gem Legacy, a nonprofit organization whose vision is to create thriving colored gemstone mining communities in East Africa. They are committed to finding areas of need and forming long-term commitments that find sustainable solutions together. They work alongside mining communities to supply food, water, tools, job references and education.
In recent years we have contributed to several philanthropic initiatives with Gem Legacy such as solar panels for the children’s schools, the development of gemological training, gemstone faceting training, and more.
Most East African colored gemstones are mined by artisanal, small scale miners and 80-90% of them are both farmers and miners. Frequently, they utilize their farming tools to do hard-rock mining, which leaves them ill-equipped for safety and success. We want to equip them with the essential tools for self-protection and quickly and effectively reaching their goal: gemstones! This month we are donating $1,500 to Gem Legacy’s current initiative; Miner’s tool kits. The toolkit was created in partnership with local governments, which surveyed miners to ensure the kit of supplies was tailored to meet the greatest need. Among the supplies provided are shovels, chisels, hammers, pickaxes, hand drills, blasting tools, helmets, head lights, gloves, and sieves. This donation will provide fifteen miners with new tools!
The gemstone and jewelry industry is full of brilliant talent with untapped potential, however, without resources and people who are dedicated to preserving the livelihood of this industry, creating magnificent jewelry may soon become obsolete. We are extremely excited to assist in this cause and continue the education and support of local communities and miners in Africa.
We hope to see many of you at Las Vegas Jewelry Week, August 24th-30th, 2021. Stop by LUXURY to learn more about Gem Legacy and see all of our most stunning pieces created around African gemstones. If you would like to donate to Gem Legacy please visit www.gemlegacy.org.