Our Sri Lankan Sapphires

Though there are no universally agreed upon principles and standards for fair trade sapphires, our sapphires from Guy Clutterbuck are traceable and are tracked from mine to market. The polishing is done in Sri Lanka at an operation which is exemplary in their treatment of employees.

For decades now, Guy has been selling to royalty and the rich and famous throughout the world, sourcing ethically before it became a trend. Recently, Livia Furth chose some of Guy’s gems to wear at the Oscars.

We have been working with Guy for nearly twenty years. In 2011, he selected the very best sapphires from packets of hundreds and sold them to us at an excellent price, which we are passing on to you. We currently have the most beautiful sapphires we have ever had.

To get these gems, Guy has formed a partnership with a Sri Lankan gem dealer. Together, they invest in a small scale mining operation with eight miners and a foreman.

(Guy Clutterbuck works directly with small scale, artisan miners in Sri Lanka.)

They work cooperatively; together, there are eleven shareholders. Each gets a share of the sale. Mining is done by hand, which means that the supply is going to last over generations.

(Gemstones are held during cutting processes using the mechanism shown.)

The Gems are cut in Sri Lanka by a local facility that has excellent working conditions and pays above the going rate in order to attract, keep and nurture excellent cutters. It is not a sweat shop and there is no child labor.

(A gemstone cutter at work)

The polishing factory funds a school and pays for the schooling its employees. It also provides a subsidized canteen and helps to cover accommodations.

(Helen Chantler. Creative Director of Reflective Images, shown at a polishing factory in Sri Lanka. She visited the country after the Tsunami to help build houses for the homeless.)

The Myth and Lore of Sapphire

September's Birthstone

An old Vedic story describes the demon god, Vela, ripped apart by demigods. Vela's body tumbled down to the earth. When he hit his skin shattered into yellow sapphires that scattered like mystic seeds throughout the Himalayas. Vela's eyes became shards of divine energy, the seeds of blue sapphires. These tumbled to Sri Lanka and other areas of Southeast Asia-areas even today where sapphires are mined.

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