QUESTION: It's great that your gems are from "fair trade' and other
legitimately mined sources. Are any of your gems certified Fair Trade?
ANSWER: As of yet, as far as I know, there is no "official" Certification, only are reputable dealers who follow "Fair Trade Gem Protocols" and guarantee this on paper in their own words. Since 2005 I have been purchasing colored gems from only 2 or 3 dealers with whom I have a trustworthy relationship, and who can inform me the source and thus the trade practice of the stones from which I am purchasing. One of those dealers, my favorite, is Columbia Gem House, who is the only dealer SPECIALIZING in Fair Trade Gems- (http://www.columbiagemhouse.com/)
Before 2005 I had a larger market of work using colored gems, and
while I prioritized Ethical/highly reputable dealers, I did not research each stone as I have been doing since. Lastly, I am no longer developing new designs which include colored stones, too complicated to align with my Fair Trade Philosophy, except when dealing with Columbia Gem House. Most of the recent work which includes colored stones are working with clients stones, or clients specific request.
QUESTION: If not, what other certifications do they carry?
ANSWER: They are therefore not "Certified" per se, each case is different, and each dealers' information is tracked. Again, I am moving away from working primarily with colored stones in my own work for this reason.
QUESTION: If certifications are not the process by which gems are tracked,
(because I'm not a gemnologist/ jeweler) how do you know where your
gems come from and under what conditions they were mined?
ANSWER: I purchase from dealers who can tell me the source and practices because they are closer to the source, and have themselves long established relationships with the miners or site holders.
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