Gemfields has once again partnered with the Gübelin Gem Lab to embed nanoparticles proving origin into all emeralds for sale at the upcoming auction in Lusaka, Zambia from 15-18 May 2018, to drive greater levels of transparency in the coloured gemstone sector.
Why is this important for coloured gemstones customers?
– Brands and their customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to know the origins of their products, including the raw materials.
– This includes, but is not limited to, where the raw materials come from, how they are processed and manufactured into the final product – brands want to reduce the human and environmental impacts in their supply chains and want certainty over the origins, or provenance of their goods.
– The coloured gemstone sector has no system, globally at scale, that allows gemstones to be confidently traced from mine to market because the sector is ancient, largely artisanal and gemstone trading is still often very secretive. There is a lot of ‘mixing’ of stones from different sources during the production processes. Gemfields aims to bring greater transparency to the sector and is actively seeking solutions.
– Unlike other bulk commodities such as gold, or Fairtrade bananas or responsible palm oil, there aren’t yet the systems for checking where gemstones have come from, and whilst organisations such as the Responsible Jewellery Council are moving in the right direction, the whole industry is looking for a solution to help.
– Gübelin Gem Lab’s solution is set to change that because it allows a brand or consumer to physically check the origins of a gemstone by using a synthetic DNA ‘nanotechnology’.
– The technology is owned by the Gübelin Gem Lab and is part of a service they have termed ‘Provenance...