Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Gemstones-related  

What gemstones are available? How do I buy them as a jeweler or as a jewelry customer? 

A colorful range of sapphires (pinks, purples, greens, yellows), garnets (pinks, purples, greens/tsavorite), citrine, amethyst, and green/yellow tourmalines are frequently mined in Tanzania's Umba Valley and Kenya's Taita Taveta and Kwale Counties, where the Moyo Gems program is active. 

• If you are a designer/maker or jeweler, please visit our Buying page to learn more! 
• If you are a jewelry-lover wanting to know where to buy jewelry featuring these stones, we now have this information on the Buying page too! We will update as new designers/jewelers sign up! 

Do you sell lower-value stones?  Yes, yes yes! please use the Contact Us form if you are interested in ordering in bulk. We can maximize the incomes for the women miners by buying ALL their gems, whether for their gem quality stones for high-end or mid-tier jewelry. 

Mining and miner-related 

Are these responsibly sourced gemstones? How? 

Moyo Gems epitomizes an inclusive model of responsible sourcing by: 1) focusing on the needs of women miners and ensuring the program remains inclusive for them  (this is explained below!);  2) maximizing miner incomes (paying miners incredibly well for their products!) ; 3) committing to transparency and taxes; and 4) transferring leadership of Moyo market operations to Pact's national women mining association partners themselves. 

Women miners: These beautiful gems are mined by independent local women and men miners (larger scale gem mining companies don't really exist in this part of Tanzania. In Kenya, they do.) The membership composition of women to men ranges between 50-60% women, with 60% women being the overall target. Women miners typically spend their profits locally, in ways that they choose, and all community give-back priorities have been chosen by the women miners themselves. The women miners were the original co-designers of the Moyo Gems program itself, telling us how they wanted it to operate, how they wanted to be paid, and what they hoped to accomplish. Seeing your wishes and direct requests come true? What is more empowering than that? The program requirements have been kept at low-levels deliberately to ensure that the average woman gem miner is able to participate if she desires. When program entry standards are set too high, women miners are routinely left behind because of their customary duties at home, institutional barriers (such as formal financing), and the realities of who is educated (and who is not) in some rural contexts.  

Paying miners well:  In both Kenya and Tanzania, the Moyo miners report making 3-7 TIMES what they would normally expect for their gemstones. Of course, this makes our hearts full. Moyo Gems miners make 95% of the export value of their gemstones compared to the estimated 10-30% that they were getting before the program began. This has been achieved because we have shorted the typical supply chain. Only one broker is involved in a typical Moyo Gems transaction, instead of a long chain of 5-7 brokers, where at each exchange, the price doubles. 

Transparency: Moyo Gems is an official "Gem House" of Tanzania, which means it is regulated by the Government of Tanzania and pays all royalties and export taxes. This is also highly unusual within the gem trade, which has a major, largely-unaddressed, smuggling problem. Moyo Gems is proud to be in excellent standing with both the Governments of Tanzania and Kenya because it encourages formalization of miners and alignment to local laws, it pays royalties on behalf of ASM who sell to the program, it channels investments back into mining communities, it maximizes miners' incomes, it invites government authorities to its events and to oversee its operations, and operates with full transparency. 

Elevating women leaders:  "Market Days", where gemstones are sold, are operated almost entirely by Pact's national partners in each country respectively: the Tanzanian Women Miners Association (TAWOMA) and the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK). Moyo also attracts grants for these partners, actively builds capacity of these groups over time, co-designs new programs with them and their members, and actively seeks out opportunities to highlight their expertise and voice. 

Why hasn't this kind of ASM-focused program been done before??! 

Until recently, traceability in "ASM" produced gemstones was widely considered impossible (see below for an explainer on ASM). There were some limited examples with small, easily accessible groups, but nothing at scale. (If you know of an early example that includes more than one ASM site or ASM cooperative that we're not aware of, please let us know!)  There were some important colored gemstone trailblazers who continue to innovate and who we continue to admire, such as Columbia Gemhouse and the Dery family. 

Moyo Gems began because the women miners of Tanga Region asked for a consistent market for their gemstones. Those miners' requests came at the same time that the jewelry sector's reform movement was earnestly seeking to learn more about the source conditions and the people behind the gems. The international nonprofit organization Pact, which co-founded the program and that continues to operate Moyo Gems at a global level, has established traceability credentials in ASM-materials in other remote parts of Africa and applied its knowledge to gemstones. The initial pilot project of 91 miners in May 2019 worked. As of October 2024, the Moyo Gems program has approximately 900 miners enrolled. 

Other programs (both commercial and charitable, or a mix of both!) have directly adopted our traceability practices. Bottom line: it's now proven that you can source ASM diamonds and ASM gemstones from traceable, stable sources and in remote contexts. How will the rest of the jewelry industry change to make sure all of its products are truly beautiful? 

What is ASM? 

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) describes mining done by individuals or small-groups of people who use limited technology to mine the earth. It is not a small phenomena: approximately 90% of all mining labor in the world is done by ASM workers. It takes place in 80 countries worldwide, and on all continents except for Antarctica. They produce up to 20% of all gold mined globally each year, 20% of all diamonds, and between 70-90% of colored gemstones (precious and semi-precious). While it can be unfairly maligned as 'dirty' and 'chaotic', ASM can be some of the hardest working people that you meet. When you meet the miners, one quickly changes any preconceptions. An estimated 30% of ASM are women. Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Madagascar, and Ghana have particularly high numbers of women miners. 

Are there labor unions or trade associations involved in Moyo Gems? 

Yes! All Tanzanian miners are members of the Tanzanian Women Miners Association (TAWOMA). TAWOMA is a trade group founded, led, and comprised of women miners across Tanzania. With 3,000 members across Tanzania, it is a formidable group of passionate women who fight discrimination, advocate for better laws and services, and help us reach the most remote miners with the fewest resources. TAWOMA is a co-founder of Moyo Gems and a true program partner in every sense. They tell Pact and international trading partners about any new issues to be aware of, and inspire all of us to constantly improve. Pact is also deepening its partnership with the TAWOMA Youth, a new branch of the TAWOMA organization focused on value addition and youth employment for Tanzanians aged 18 and older (youth is defined as between 18-35, which is more than 70% of Tanzania's population). 

In Kenya, our partners are the Association of Women in Extractive Industries in Kenya (AWEIK) and GemFund. Moyo Gems is operational in Taita Taveta and Kwale Counties. AWEIK leads Market Day activities and ensures direct alignment with Oxfam's market access initiatives. GemFund focuses on teaching precision faceting skills to women gem miners and area youth in Mwatate and surrounds. 

Why do women choose to mine? I've never heard of women miners! 

An estimated 1/3 of all artisanal and small-scale miners worldwide are women, yet the world knows little about them. This is largely due to research bias. Fortunately this is changing. A growing amount of research is now revealing the dynamic stories of women in mining. In the Umba Valley, there are a mix of stories. Some miners noticed other women mining, so they decided to join the group. Others learned from their fathers. Others traded gemstones part time and then decided to get a claim and mine it. And others were once farmers, suffered the effects of climate change and unpredictable rains, and tried mining and liked it. Read some of their stories here. 

What are the miners paid? What is a living wage in Tanzania?

About 1 million people work as artisanal and small-scale miners across all districts in Tanzania. Less than 9,000 people work at Tanzania's larger-scale mines (those mines mostly produce gold in Geita Region). About half of Tanzania's population (typically those who live in rural areas) lives on less than US$2 per day, and 90% live on less than US$6 per day. In this context, one might begin to understand why ASM is such a popular part time or sometimes full-time livelihood. It is common for women and men to combine side activities (to 'mix livelihoods') from their farms, local mines, and other income sources.  

Moyo Gems miners are all pre-enrolled (following the rules, outlined below) and they can voluntarily sell into the Moyo Gems program or they can choose not to do so (the prices are so good that almost everyone sells as much as they can!). Because these are individuals or small groups, Moyo Gems miners are paid based on the gemstones that they sell. The type of gem (sapphire vs. a garnet), the color and clarity, all factor into the negotiated price. The miners negotiate with the assistance of an experienced broker (who they choose, and which are required by Tanzanian law), and all miners make 95% of the export price of their materials. The broker makes 5%. The miners report that Moyo Gems is paying them between 3-7 times what they would normally expect to make per stone if they were to sell it in the village or even a regional city. Plus the miners receive program benefits like free workshops in their village, savings groups, safety initiatives, and so on. So for the miners -- with whom Moyo was co-designed-- the program is a win-win-win. 

In late 2024, Pact, a Dutch social enterprise, and the Dutch Government signed an agreement to begin working towards "A Living Income" in the Moyo Gems footprint for miners and gem faceters in Tanzania. This will be a 'global first' if achieved and a major sustainability triumph for the jewelry sector if it is achieved. We will publish more on this topic soon. 

Sources: International Peace Information Service/ Delve (2020) 

Why aren’t miners paid salaries?

In Tanzania, outside of the large cities, it is extremely uncommon to have salaried positions with benefits, time off, family leave in any sector. Artisanal miners are self-employed with their own mining claims that they work themselves or have others work for them. They normally sell the gems they mine to local brokers who give them a small amount of money, then those brokers flip and sell those gems a number of times until export. Moyo Gems provides gemstone education so that the women know what they are finding, free occupational health and safety training, financial literacy training, and access to a market where they have the opportunity to sell their gems directly, netting about 95% of the export price instead of 10-30% that they would normally receive.  

Do the miners know that you are using their photos? 

Yes they do, and they love it. For any photo that we used, we have received the signed permission of that person to use their image. These consent forms explain the purpose of the photos, how they will be used, and the forms are provided in Kiswahili and English. For those miners who cannot read or write, our Tanzanian staff will read it to them in Kiswahili and then they will indicate their express consent via a thumb-print from an ink pad. We've shown the miners their images on Instagram and our website, and 100% of the feedback has been pride. If miners do not want their photos taken, they tell us, and we do not even attempt to take it without their clear consent. Respect is at the heart of our values.

Are there consequences for the women with this system? 

We have spent alot of time on this issue. So far, women are thriving. This is because we have intentionally been as inclusive as possible. We felt it was important to NOT cut out the brokers out of Market Days because of unintended consequences for the women (an aside: The brokers have been delighted to work the Market Days because they make in a few days what would normally take them months). We have also allowed men to join the system under clear parameters. Because whole villages are benefiting, we have not seen retaliation. 

Lastly, there are lots of trades happening in this region, mostly with the male miners. The women’s business is a very small part of the normal trades happening in this gem-rich area of Tanga. There has been plenty of gem business to fuel the normal (untraced) chain of gems. This just helps to 'even' the system for these normally-marginalized women miners. 

Who is behind Moyo Gems? 

Moyo was created by the international nonprofit organization Pact, international social businesses ANZA Gems and Nineteen48, traceability company Everledger, and in close partnership and collaboration with the Tanzanian Women Miners Association (TAWOMA) and the women miners of Tanzania's Umba Valley, who were directly involved in every part of the program's design. While men are now allowed to participate, women continue to comprise the majority of participating miners and serving them well remains our clear focus. In 2021-2022, thanks to World Bank and Brilliant Earth Foundation funding, we were able to expand to Kenya. In Kenya, too, we followed the same process: we focused on women miners first, co-created rules with them, and launched our program with them at the forefront. 

Are these Fairtrade stones? 

No, these have not been certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organization nor the World Fair Trade Organization (to our knowledge, a FLO or WFTO certified gemstone does not exist). However, we deliberately align with all 10 Principles of Fair Trade, such as providing opportunities for disadvantaged producers (remote, female artisanal gem miners), improving working conditions, capacity building, fair payment, gender equity, and more. 

What is CRAFT? How does it relate to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance (OECD DDG)? 

The Code of Risk-mitigation for ASM engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT) is a code of progressive compliance for ASM producers. It is also a tool for buyers to apply due diligence in the sector, with a focus on continuous development and improvement. CRAFT is an open-source code released under the Creative Commons and may be used by any stakeholder in the ASM supply chain, as well as by development organizations, among others. CRAFT is closely aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, and specifically modules (components) 3 and 4 are directly linked to the risks described the OECD DDG “Annex II.” More information at www.craftmines.org 

In 2021, Pact and the Moyo Gems program experimented with CRAFT on sample sites and decided against making it mandatory. This is because we believe that CRAFT is overly complex and not suitable for truly artisanal mining environments, particularly with its requirements in Modules 4 and 5 and with annual reporting. (Most miners in Tanzania were able to satisfy Modules 1-3 only). Pact is watching developments in CRAFT 2.0 to determine whether it will apply it wholly to the Moyo Gems program or adopt a modified standard. 

What are the major due diligence issues in these areas? Are there any OECD 'red flag' issues? 

Moyo Gems operates in Tanzania's Tanga Region and Kenya's Taita Taveta and Kwale Counties. These areas are stable locations, not suffering from major conflicts, nor appear on any conflict lists, nor do they suffer unsually high rates of any form of abuse. They are not known to have ongoing issues with child labor on gemstone sites, nor major corruption issues. For these reasons, none of the OECD's Annex 2 'red flag' risks apply. If you have information to the contrary, please contact us immediately via the 'contact us' feature on this website or independently via this email info (at) pactworld.org 

There are minor to moderate safety issues similar to those of shallow open pit environments. Underground tunneling is occurring in some Tanzanian mines but most are open-cast workings in dry savannah environments with little to no mechanization. In Kenya, mines are a mix of mechanized and non-mechanized environments, with many underground workings and blasting taking place. 

The international nonprofit organization Pact does not maintain staff presence on these mines. However, Pact does visit the participating mining districts at least quarterly. In both Kenya and Tanzania, Pact works with local authorities and directly women's mining associations to check for conflict issues and to monitor the overall welfare of program participants. Tanga Region, Tanzania is a peaceful place with no reports of civil conflict. Taita Taveta County has previously had challenges with regard to miner insecurity, but the County Government has taken strong steps to improve the security environment for both men and women miners. We work closely with the Tanzanian Women Miners' Association (TAWOMA) and their Kenyan equivalent, the Association of Women in Energy & Extractive Industries in Kenya (AWEIK). 

Moyo program related 

What are the program rules? 

The program was co-created directly with the women of the Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA) via participatory workshops in June 2018 and March 2019. The initial rules have been largely adopted as-is by the Kenyan miners as well. 

To be a Moyo Gems miner, you must fulfill the following requirements: 

1. Live in the participating villages (within Tanga and Morogoro regions, Tanzania or -- in Kenya -- Taita Taveta and Kwale Counties)
2. Have attended the free GIA Educational Program, which provides participants an understanding of value factors of their gemstones and how to clean, examine, and pre-sort gemstones.  
3. Attend a free mining health and safety training (held in or near the participating villages) 
4. Become a member of TAWOMA or AWEIK. 
5. Prove that you are mining on a current legal license and with the written permission of the license owner. Miners typically work on an individual mining license or a group license; these cost the same and are based on hectare size, encouraging miners to form organized groups and to focus their energies. In Kenya, the mining license moratorium was finally lifted in late 2023. Moyo Gems will be aligning its entry requirements with the newly announced Kenyan legal requirements in 2024. In Tanzania, Moyo Gems helps miners begin their formalization journey by facilitating written agreements where needed and liaising with local authorities.   

I am a gemstone mining group outside of Tanzania and Kenya. How can I be a part of this? 

Moyo was born in Tanzania but we have Pan-African dreams. We are currently prioritizing expanding within Tanzania and Kenya. After that, we hope to expand to other locations where women miners are active. Please keep in touch with us on Instagram @MoyoGems or through the 'Contact Us' link. 

What are the specific benefits for participating miners? 

The Moyo miners each follow the five steps above in order to participate at Market Day. Miners receive free introductory gemology training, free health and safety training, and sell directly to the international market. Anecdotally, this is between 3-7 times what they would normally receive in a more rural location. Needless to say, the miners are usually very happy when they emerge from Market Days. 

Miners are not obliged to sell their gemstones. We do not buy all gems from all miners. Gemstones must be of top quality, and we educate the miners on why we buy certain gems and not others. This feedback also aids in their ongoing education and negotiation skills. We are exploring ways to serve other types of jewelry and crystal markets so that we can buy all qualities of gems from these miners. 

Are all the miners women?  

The majority of miners are women, but not all. Men represent 40-50 percent of enrolled miners. The target balance is 60% women and 40% men. Men are allowed to participate for several reasons. First, some men in the region have been longtime members and allies of TAWOMA or AWEIK, and we think that's terrific. Women and men have mined together in these areas for many years, and this is one of the reasons so many women mine: because they have been allowed to. Pact Tanzania made an early decision to reward and thank early male allies because they will continue to be needed to support more women. Excluding men from a program actually isolates women in village dynamics. The Moyo Gems program has widely been supported in the village environments because wide cross-sections of the village are benefitting: not just a few. 

This said, women's participation is closely monitored to ensured the program continues to serve them well. They are given priority queue entry to reflect this status, and they are prioritized for leadership roles. Grant investments prioritize their input first before wider consultation. This is a balance in rural settings, and so far, it is one that has worked. 

How does blockchain work? Is your traceability airtight? 

Moyo Gems has been using blockchain traceability since 2019 thanks to the technology of Provenance Proof, a cooperation between Gubelin Labs and Everledger. The tech was first implemented by a Kenyan consultant and then transitioned to our national partners: TAWOMA and AWEIK, respectively. Blockchain begins with transactions at Market Day, where the gems that are purchased are logged onto the system along with the seller and broker information, stone details, purchase price, origin and date. Then the information follows the gem to the faceter, the maker, and then onto you! 

We believe that our traceability is the best in class given in the rural ASM environment and a posture of reasonableness. That said, we are always taking new recommendations on how to improve. In this sector, nothing is airtight, even from larger-scale producers; however, we do our best to apply local knowledge and excellent chain of custody protocols. Please get in touch if you have suggestions for us on how to improve while still staying cost-conscious. 

Are local brokers allowed to participate? How does this work? 

Yes, brokers are an essential part of our program! We have 3-4 local brokers who regularly participate. They were all nominated by their communities as trustworthy, and we require them to maintain legal brokers' licenses. They pre-sort gemstones by type and grade at 'Market Days' (where the miners sell the gems) and they assist the miners in negotiations in the sales room. Brokers make 5% of each sale, and 95% goes directly to the miner selling the gem. Each miner chooses who s/he wants to work with on Market Day. We love how this has helped build teamwork between miners and brokers, and allows us to benefit from the brokers' gemstone expertise. These brokers have been allowed to sell locally-sourced stones on a limited basis on the last day of the Market. 

How do you define "miners"? 

The Moyo Gems program defines miners as anyone working with soil on a mine site. This includes diggers, haulers, panners, sorters, prospectors, 'local engineers,' qualified geologists and engineers, blasters, and mine site owners themselves. Typically men and women work together in co-ed groups and divide group stones based on their role at the site and the associated value. Some women mine in single-gender, smaller groups and will work in teams to overcome the strength requirements. They will share sieves, divide roles, and alternate roles to allow rest. Still others may mine alone and slowly work a tunnel over time. Because of the many traditional demands on their time, women typically only work part-time, because they will divide their time between the home, farming, and mining. Academic literature also documents these dynamics. For example, in Mwakumanya, M.A., Maghenda, M. Juma, H. (2016), they note that 20% of area women in Taita Taveta County report mixing farming and mining as combined livelihoods.  Read more here:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2300396017300101 

Can I visit the program or a mine site? 

We do take requests but we aim to bring outsiders in only twice per year at a maximum. This is because these sort of trips could quickly appear as extractive tourism. Therefore, we will bring selected buyers and larger program funders who may want to visit for due diligence reasons (verifying our claims and checking for red flags) or in a mainstream journalist capacity.  Visitors must also agree to our rules around miner privacy and security, such as not publishing village names or locations, miners' surnames, or inadvertently making a miner a target by revealing her precise mining-income. 

Do you do any value-addition in-country? 

Yes, in 2023, we began to invest in the infrastructure for local faceting (gem cutting) in Tanzania. Our partner, the Tanzanian Women Miners' Association's Youth Branch (TAWOMA YOUTH) established a small gem faceting workshop in Dar Es Salaam with graduates of the Tanzanian Gemological Centre. Pact and ANZA Gems have raised funds to outfit the studio, which took its first major order in 2023 as a pilot. They will be scaling their orders in 2025 in collaboration with some initial clients as they improve their operations. 

In Kenya, in mid-2024, Moyo Gems began collaborating with Gem Fund, a Kenyan social enterprise, to begin adding value to some Moyo Gems and to make in-region commercial connections. Watch this space! 

Supporting Moyo Gems 

How can I help? 

We love you too! Please visit our gemstone buying page to learn how to buy loose gems or to find the ethical designers and jewelers who work with Moyo Gems! To donate, please visit our donate page to learn how to support the communities and deepen our programs. The international nonprofit Pact is a US-based 501c3 nonprofit organization with registered offices in the US and around the world.  

I'm obsessed with you! How do I learn more? 

Here are some helpful links below! 

Stories and images: 

• Moyo Gems press kit: https://spark.adobe.com/page/WQj5fY6ZrQTFS/ 
• Photo essay with miner stories: https://pactworld.exposure.co/meet-your-miner

Recent press 

• National Jeweler: https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7668-sustainability-stories-mine-to-market-with-moyo-gemstones
• National Jeweler: https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/8227-you-can-now-buy-stones-from-moyo-gems
• Forbes:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreahill/2019/04/26/moyo-gemstone-responsible-jewelry-initiative/
• Scotland Sunday Post:  https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/moyo-gemstones/