At The Raw Stone, the foundation of our business is ethical sourcing. We go beyond the Kimberley Process to ensure that our diamonds come from places that we consider to be more responsible. These mines have no child labor, no slave labor, are not located in natural protected areas, provide a living wage to workers, and are required to remediate the environment properly when the mines are closed.
Rough diamonds are also significantly more ethical, as there is no chance that child labor, slave labor, or poor working conditions such as sweatshop labor are used to cut the diamonds. The diamonds are left as is and are completely unworked by human hands.
We source our sapphires through a family we personally know. They have two mines in Sri Lanka. Both are artisanal - which means that only handmade tools can be used in the mining process, and that the mine is small-scale which limits the width and depth of the mine so as not limit environmental impact. This family hires laborers from nearby villages. The laborers live on premises for the mining season in well-kept housing where food is also provided. The same laborers come back year after year, proving that the family is taking good care of them. Laborers are paid according to the government set standards for mining in Sri Lanka, and the mines are registered and licensed yearly with the government.
Our other gemstones come from a mining collective in Tanzania called the Tanzania Association of Women Miners (TAWOMA). Here, women are trained to work in the mining sector, and a series of mines that employ women gather together and sell their stones marketed by these women members.
We also carry, in small amounts, Montana sapphires that came directly from a private property in Montana that is overseen by its owner.