JAMIE CARR: Polish the gems and the image
Gemfields expects another strong year
Everybody loves a sparkler, but there has come to be a realisation that the radiance of the Romeo and Juliet moment can be dimmed if there’s a suspicion that the rock in question might have been dug up by an enslaved child to boost the Swiss bank account of some murderous warlord. Gemfields is keen to stress its ESG credentials, working to minimise the environmental effect of its operations while maximising the benefit to the communities around the mines and its host nations in general.
This gives confidence to the luxury brands Gemfields supplies and also to the consumer that the bauble they are proud to sport is not a monument to exploitation, but a positive benefit for development in its country of origin. Gemfields is mining high-quality emeralds in Zambia through Kagem Mining and rubies in northern Mozambique at Montepuez. It feeds the stones into its legendary Fabergé brand, the jeweller of choice to Tsarist Russia until the Bolsheviks brought that party to an abru...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
This article is free to read if you sign up or sign in.
If you have already registered or subscribed, please sign in to continue.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.