Discover Moyo Gems: Responsible Collaboration from Mine to Market in East Africa
At CAPUCINE H, we're always on the lookout for the most beautiful and ethical gems for our unique creations. That's why we're proud to introduce Moyo Gems, a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2019 that redefines jewelry industry standards.
Moyo Gems
Based in East Africa, Moyo Gems embodies the very essence of responsible craftsmanship, from mine to market. We work with artisanal women miners in Tanzania and Kenya to source rubies, sapphires, tourmalines, garnets, citrines, amethysts, spinels, aquamarines and zircons. We work to empower miners to work safely, improve their mining methods, increase their financial security and create stable, equitable markets for fair trade. Around 60% of all Moyo Gems miners are women!
Moyo Gems is managed by the non-profit development organization Pact, which works in close collaboration with the Tanzanian Women Miners Association, the Association of Women in Extractive Industries in Kenya, East African exporters and responsible international trading companies ANZA Gems, Nineteen48 and Maison Piat. Together, we bring together, engage, train and encourage responsible artisanal miners at community level, then buy, export and market fully traced gems to mining-conscious customers.
What makes Moyo Gems different:
Moyo Gems focuses on artisanal and small-scale miners, an often hidden workforce. They are almost always completely unknown to the consumer. Moyo Gems aims to change this by offering radical, blockchain-backed traceability that connects the consumer to East African communities.
Moyo Gems was co-designed by miners and therefore offers unique advantages:
Miners receive an average of 95% of the export value of their gems. This is unprecedented anywhere else. Anecdotally, miners report that this represents 3 to 10 times more than they are paid elsewhere.
Miners benefit from free health and safety training, free gemology training and, where possible, the opportunity to join free literacy and economic empowerment groups in their area.
The miners have local advocates, TAWOMA (Tanzania) and AWEIK (Kenya). Miners' associations are full partners of Moyo Gems.
Moyo Gems is completely voluntary. Registered miners are not obliged to sell to Moyo, but they are generally eager to do so, as the program is designed to offer them the best prices.
Anna - Moyo Gems miner
Key figures:
Around 400 artisanal miners are part of Moyo Gems in the Tanga region of Tanzania, 60% of whom are women.
Moyo Gems in Kenya employs some 250 artisanal miners, 61% of whom are women.
Since 2019, more than 10,000 gemstones have been sold. A large proportion of these gems are traced on a blockchain traceability platform called Provenance Proof. Each gemstone is traced back to the individual miner: a world first!
Miners receive 95% of the export value of their gems. Pact estimates that this is the highest percentage in the world. Overall, miners say that with Moyo Gems, they earn between 3 and 9 times what they would earn elsewhere for their gems.
At CAPUCINE H, we're proud to support Moyo Gems and offer our customers gems of exceptional beauty, while helping to empower local mining communities. Join us in this initiative that transforms lives while offering you unique and ethical pieces of jewelry.
If you would like to create a unique piece of jewelry with one or more MOYO GEMS gemstones, send me an email at design@capucineh.com or fill in this form!
