Issues surrounding Colored Gemstones

Historically, gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds have incurred a great human cost, stemming from the hazards of mining and their use as currency to fuel corruption and sustain bloody conflict. Under conventional gemstone mining practices, miners often work for low wages in unsafe conditions. The lack of control and regulations of gemstone mining has led to the unmitigated pollution of local streams and wildlife. In Burma, rubies are traded to help fund an abusive military junta that has kept democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kui under house arrest.

Brilliant Earth and Fair Trade Gemstones

At Brilliant Earth we ensure that every gemstone we offer has been handled according to strict labor, trade, and environmental protocols. We track our gemstones from the moment they are mined to their final delivery to our valued customers, in order to provide genuine, high-quality fair trade gems. By holding our suppliers to a high ethical standard we hope to better the lives of those negatively affected by the mining and trade of gemstones, and to create a viable framework for industry accountability that will benefit the global community.