In a bid to grow the gems and jewellery industry and give back to the mining communities, Rosenkrantz Africa has partnered with Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASMs) across Africa to foster links between miners in Southern Kenya and their regional and international clientele in Europe, the Middle-East, Southeast Asia, and America.
Rosenkrants is one of the players founded in 2016 by Iver Rosenkrantz, a trained gemologist whose his history in Africa working in conservation and minerals dates back to 1999. The founder CEO of Rosenkrantz Gems Limited says that partnerships and collaborations in the mining industry are a vital and a sure way to grow the industry especially in rural parts of Africa.
“As artisanal and small-scale miners work the hardest, but only seldom reap the fruits of their efforts, we will provide them with the marketing, branding, and advisory services to ensure their production of rare gemstones fetches the best-expected price,” he says.
Since the 1960s, the country has been producing tourmalines, rubies, sapphires, and garnets. Figures from the company show that in 2018, the yearly output was estimated to be 508 tons of rough gemstones, which amounted to approximately 14,500 carats cut gems. At the same time, miners receive about Sh20, 000 to Sh60, 000 monthly yet only few miners have agreements with mine owners to share revenue once gems are sold.
While Excel Mining Limited in Taita Taveta County is the first business partner, Rosenkrantz Africa is targeting to enter into five to 10 partnerships. Before partnerships are signed, the firm carries out a mine visit to ascertain that all miners and their operations meet the highest standards aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; guaranteed safety and health at the mine, environmental management and fair remuneration of the mineworkers.
To guarantee the transparency and traceability of each gem, the company also documents each step of the mining process such as the geology of the mine, the gem extraction done by which miner, cutting and polishing, certification, setting into jewellery, and finally, the presentation to potential clients.
“Our affiliation with Rosenkrantz Africa ensures that our gemstones reach the right clientele, fetching us better prices and global recognition which in turn, benefit the areas we operate in,” says Sam Maina, CEO, Excel Mining Limited.
