Learn where to buy Moyo Gems

Moyo Gems
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Moyo Gems
Home
Buy Gems
Our story
Contact Us
Donate
FAQs
For Media
More
  • Home
  • Buy Gems
  • Our story
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • FAQs
  • For Media

  • Home
  • Buy Gems
  • Our story
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • FAQs
  • For Media

Our Story

Welcome

Moyo  Gems is a responsible miner-to-market gemstone collaboration born in  East Africa. We are working with the women artisanal gem miners (and their male allies!) in Tanzania and Kenya to track rubies, sapphires,  tourmaline,  garnets, citrines, and amethysts, from miner to market. 


We work to empower women miners to improve their financial security,  access new, consistent market opportunities for fair trade, and channel investments back into their communities. 


The international nonprofit organization Pact operates Moyo Gems in direct partnership with Kenyan and Tanzanian women's mining associations, AWEIK  & TAWOMA, and commercial partners ANZA Gems, Maison Piat, and  Nineteen48. 


What's behind a name? 

Moyo means 'heart' in Kiswahili (the dominant language in Tanzania and Kenya) and in a few other languages around the African continent. 


That's why we often call Moyo Gems  'gems from the heart.'


How do I buy the gems? 

Please click here to get to the buying page.  All Moyo Gems are sold wholesale via our program partners: Nineteen48,  ANZA Gems, Maison Piat, and the Tanzanian Women Miners Association (see  below!) 

We  have a small pilot program underway with mid and lower-value gems with the Tanzanian Women Miners Association (TAWOMA). However, for high-end and ultra-high end gems, please contact ANZA, Nineteen48, or Maison  Piat. 


What kind of social programs are in place? 

Moyo Gems' commercial model emphasizes formalization and maximizing the sales prices offered to East African gemstone miners. Miners earn 95% of the export price of the gemstones they sell, compared to 10-30% of what they would earn outside of the program. This is roughly 3-10 times more than they would normally make if they were outside of the Moyo Gems program. 


Moyo  Gems' commercial programs are funded by our gem trading partners (ANZA Gems, Maison Piat, Nineteen48, and the wholesale jewelry brand "A Beautiful Story"), the social programs are funded by generous donors like you!  Currently, these social programs emphasize literacy, numeracy, youth-led value addition,  and opportunities for miners for economic diversification beyond mining (via Pact's award-winning WORTH program). Learn more about our various social and economic programs here. 


I want to learn more about everything! 

Just click below! We also have an extensive FAQ section here. 

Our story and our promise

Program beginnings

Meet the gem miners

Meet the gem miners

Marvin with GIA guidebook

An innovative program between GIA and Pact laid the groundwork for what eventually became the independent program, Moyo Gems. 

Meet the gem miners

Meet the gem miners

Meet the gem miners

Meet Mary, Hadijah, Maisaidi, Mama Peter, Mwasi, and Miriam, just a few of the female miners of Tanzania's Umba Valley.

Where to purchase

Meet the gem miners

Mining and traceability

Buy the gems and find the ethical designers/jewelers who use them! 

Mining and traceability

Mining and traceability

Mining and traceability

We're clear in how we define responsible sourcing and how we trace.

Meet the team

Mining and traceability

Meet the team

A big thank you to the program founders 

FAQs

Mining and traceability

Meet the team

Frequent questions, answered

Gems from the heart

Learn more

Copyright © 2019 Moyo Gems - All Rights Reserved.

  • Buy Gems
  • Our story
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • FAQs
  • Program beginnings
  • Responsible mining
  • Meet the team
  • Meet the gem miners
  • Social programs