Couture attendees should stop by booth 410 to see Francesca Villa’s rendition of antique “lover’s eye” jewelry.
T.I.A., Part 3: East Africa’s Changing Gemstone Market
As Tanzania and Kenya move to have the export of all rough banned, both will need to focus on growing their cutting industries. Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator talks to a few people who are playing a part in that.
Both Tanzania and Kenya have made announcements that within the next few years (they’re aiming for 2018), both will ban the export of gem-quality rough. Rather, the gemstones will be cut before leaving the country in an effort to add value to the stones and boost the economy.
This is only one part of the change and development that many are trying to bring to the gemstone market in East Africa, but since it also played a part in our trip, I want to focus on this for now.
It’ll be interesting to see if both Tanzania and Kenya are able to meet the deadlines they’ve set for themselves.
Tanzania already has a law in place that no tanzanite rough larger than 1 gram (5 carats) can be exported from the country, so the country’s infrastructure is more equipped to handle such a change over a period of a few years--Tanzania has roughly 600 gem cutters, as well as a number of lapidary schools already established.
We visited one of these while we were there--the Arusha Gemmological & Jewelry Vocational Training Centre. It’s a small, independent vocational school run by Peter Salla, who was once a full-time trainer for TanzaniteOne. The school has graduated more than 800 students since its founding in 2000, nearly a third of which are women. While many of them pay tuition, Peter also looks for scholarship candidates, many times finding students who have come from very humble and difficult beginnings and wouldn’t have had the opportunity for such learning otherwise.
The center has two rooms, one of which is used as a classroom to teach students about grading and evaluating gems, and the other is set up for hands-on faceting work. When we went into the school, a handful of students were at work, dopping the stones with wax to the machines and practicing cutting marbles on various machines.
It’s clear that Peter works very hard to bring this skilled training to his students and is doing the kind of work that is needed if East Africa’s gemstone trade is going to grow and develop.
Kenya’s a little further behind its neighbor in establishing its cutting sector.
Roger told me that he estimates the country has somewhere in the range of 50 to 75 cutters. There also aren’t any lapidary schools operating yet, though the Kenyan government said last summer that it was investing some 30 million shillings (about $293,000) to set up a gemstone cutting center in Voi meant to create employment as well as adding value to the country’s stones.
While I was in East Africa, I also learned about a project that gemstone dealer and broker Gichuchu Okeno and Roger are establishing, along with jewelry blogger Monica Stephenson of iDazzle--a private lapidary center in Kenya designed to help provide training for the people there.
During our drive from the airport to the hotel on the first night we landed at Mt. Kilimanjaro, I had the chance to talk to Okeno about the challenges he’s seeing in the market and what he wants for the future. What continued to strike me about him then, and throughout the trip, was his sincerity in wanting to help others--not only wanting to elevate the gemstone market in East Africa into something sustainable, respected and valued for its quality stones but also wanting to create something that can provide opportunity for the population.
Roger and Monica obviously share the same hopes as they help build the gem community in a way that allows the people involved to flourish and then contribute on their own. This center will definitely play a part in that, and though the conversation about the center was years in the making before the country made its intentions known, it is well-timed to take part in the movement.
It tentatively will be called the Voi Lapidary Centre, but that could change if they decide to add more skills than just gem cutting, Roger told me. Rather than being designed to be a profit center, the school will be meant to help train young people, who, after graduation, will be encouraged to either seek employment by firms or to take in their own work from various mining operations.
The skilled training that it, and places like Peter Salla’s school, offer will be necessary for East Africa’s gem trade to develop, and I’m happy to have met a few of the players who will have a hand in that.
The Latest
National Jeweler rounded up five ways to spend the evening or treat your team.
The company attributed the decline to a “challenging” retail environment.
As the demand for lab-grown diamond jewelry may still be increasing, the most notable change we are likely to see is price stabilization.
From social media strategy to colored gemstone updates, these are a few of the sessions JCK Las Vegas goers should attend.
This year’s honorees include two multi-store independents and the CEO of the world’s largest diamond jewelry retailer.
Sponsored by Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd.
GIA®’s most advanced microscope has new features to optimize greater precision and comfort.
A springboard for more nascent jewelry designers and brands, the Design Atelier features 21 new faces this year.
A recent jewelry trends report sheds light on what likely will be hot when the industry descends on the desert.
The programming topics include gemology, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and more.
Shiona Turini will receive the “Diamond Influence Award.”
Emmanuel Raheb outlines six ways retailers can make brand relationships smoother and more beneficial for both parties.
The Black in Jewelry Coalition will showcase four designers at JCK Las Vegas and JCK Luxury.
Appointments can be made ahead of time for access to exclusive events.
The two industry giants are working together on a new marketing campaign.
The company sold $380 million in rough diamonds, compared with $479 million in the same period last year.
Color, storytelling, and the use of nonconventional materials are the signatures of today’s most innovative and influential designers.
A tie necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels and a pinkish purple diamond are highlights of the upcoming New York jewelry auction.
Inoveo Platinum will be distributed exclusively by Stuller in the U.S.
He is stepping down in August after eight years as CEO.
As prices of “The Big Three” skyrocket, supply dwindles, and focus on sustainability grows, an age of open-mindedness is dawning.
The fancy intense pink “The Eden Rose” is estimated to sell for up to $12 million at the New York “Magnificent Jewels” sale next month.
The “Pandora Essence” collection brings a contemporary and sculptural feel to staples like gold hoops and pearl necklaces.
The limited-seating learning event precedes its second annual trade show, which starts Aug. 11.
From lighter color palettes to the integration of AR, experts offer inspiration for jewelers in need of an aesthetic refresh.
Sotheby’s will auction jewelry belonging to the “Diamonds Are Forever” singer in Paris this October.