Imagine you're a miner in a remote location in eastern Sierra Leone.
There are few chances you've had the luxury of attending school, accessing electricity, and learning to read. Your daily focus is on sustaining your family and putting food on the table—the fundamental needs outlined in Maslow’s Pyramid.
Now, suppose you find a rough diamond. What would you do? How would you determine its value? How would you ensure a fair price for your work?
Even in our country, where resources like the internet, information, and electricity are accessible, determining its value would still be challenging.
You would likely seek guidance from trusted professionals in the field.
This struggle follows the initial challenge of finding the diamond, of course.
GemFair, established by De Beers Group, has taken on the challenge of empowering small-scale miners and linking them to the global market.
They have developed an inclusive program to support the formalization of the ASM sector, elevate standards, capture fair value, and trace artisanally mined diamonds from the mine onwards.
The program is free. Miners must meet specific requirements to join the program (official mining licence, absence of human right abuse, to mention a few), with assistance provided until they meet the ethical standards outlined by the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains.
For further information visit: https://gemfair.com/
Once accepted, miners receive a bespoke diamond logging app, ongoing training, QR-coded bags, and scanning tech at the buying office.
These tools not only streamline the process but also ensure transparency by recording diamond transactions on De Beers Group's blockchain platform.
This verifiable documentation offers customers a tangible connection to the positive impact generated by the GemFair program.
I was genuinely impressed and admirative of the efficiency of
the program and app, the tangible long-term solutions, and the ongoing training offered to the small-scale miners—free of charge, no strings attached.
A special thank you to Steve Allan, Head of GemFair, the GemFair team, and the Rapaport Group for opening their doors and paving the way for development.
