A track record of results

Gemstones: Revealing Origin, Changing Lives

I have been leading innovation in colored gem supply chains since 2017. My most famous program is Moyo Gems, which is based in Kenya and Tanzania. My previous and ongoing gemstone work has brought me to Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Malawi. Read more here.

Gold: Mapping Incentives, Supporting Responsibilty Movements

My experience in gold has ranged from engaging on child labor issues, to mapping illicit financial flows. This case study focuses on mining reforms in Zimbabwe.

(Case study coming soon)

Critical Minerals: Protecting Children

From DRC to Zambia, my work has helped to bring critical services and funds to withdraw child miners from dangerous situations. This case study focuses on Zambia.

(Case study coming soon)

Producer Benchmarking: Working with ASM Units

Artisanal and small-scale producers work at multiple levels of professionalization and legal status.

(Case study coming soon)

Sustainability Team Trainings & Executive Education

Every year I form part of the faculty of Columbia University’s Executive Training Course on the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development. I teach all ASM-related content, from gender in mining, to ASM-LSM cooperation strategies, ASM product support, and more. I can prepare an interactive and engaging course for your team(s) at any level needed … from field teams to executives.

(Case study coming soon)

Professional Sustainability & Thought Leadership Coaching

For almost 20 years, I have built, coached, and led diverse teams of high achieving professionals. For 9 years, I led the Responsible Mining Program at Pact, serving more than 200,000 arisanal miners annually. I often say that “I coach people to greatness.” Many of my mentees are now in global leadership roles, and I couldn’t be prouder.

I can coach you in mineral sustainability and in tactical design & implementation of award-winning programs.

(Case study coming soon)

Moyo Gems: investing in the women miners of east africa

Developing and Launching Moyo Gems

In 2017, the jewelry sector was a very different place. While there were a few options to buy responsible gold, the colored gemstone sector was frequently referred to as ‘the wild west.’ This was because artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) dominates gemstone production and they are a highly mobile, mostly informal, population. In 2017, establishing origin in ASM supply chain was widely said to be ’impossible.‘

Furthermore, traditional gemstone dealers tend to be secretive about everything. (Sometimes this is for good reasons, such as personal security). Unfortunately, however, sometimes this secrecy is to prevent change to one’s business model, which keeps miners dependent on an outdated system of trade. This trade may be beneficial for miners in some locations, where cash is needed, roads are poor, and where they may receive a ‘fair‘ price. However, in many more situations, it is a cruel irony that gemstone miners pull luxury materials from the Earth and are working while hungry because of the low prices they receive.

I had met the Tanzanian Women Miners’ Association (TAWOMA) in 2016 through an educational collaboration with an international gemological partner and while I was still working in the global nonprofit sector. The gemology collaboration aimed to teach gemstone value-factors to artisanal miners, help miners understand how to pre-sort their gems by value, better understand the various gemstone value chains (fine gems, specimen markets, bead and carving quality, etc.) so that ultimately miners would be able to use gemstone education to help change their lives. It worked. The initial pilot class of women miners improved their incomes between 3 to 5 times.

At the end of the program, the women gem miners requested more market opportunities to sell their gemstones. They said that their rural location limited their sales opportunities and their own poverty limited their mobility to travel. At the same time, when I was giving presentations about this program, the most common question that I would receive from the jewelry sector was: How do we buy gems from these women miners? The Moyo Gems program was born shortly thereafter.

Moyo Gems means ‘heart’ in Kiswahili and ‘life’ in additional languages in the region. In 2018, I identified industry partners ANZA Gems and Nineteen48 and we traveled to Tanzania to meet the miners and co-design a possible program. The miners never expected us to come back… but we did. Again and again. From 2019, when the program launched, it has grown from 91 miners to more than 1,000 today. It is now 50-50 women and men in order to not isolate women (a security measure) and to ensure widespread community support for the program. It remains the highest-gender diversity of any program in jewelry.

Miners love it because they literally helped to design the program. Gem miners make 95% of the export price of the gems. Host governments love it because all taxes are paid on behalf of the miners, formalization is required (and is supported), and it has channeled investments into the villages and into value addition. Young people — aged 18 to 30 — are now adding value to the gemstones in both Kenya and Tanzania.

I love it because it has shifted the conversation in jewelry. Engaging rural communities is no longer considered ’impossible.’ Moyo is showing that due diligence is possible. Who is behind your gemstone?

To support Moyo Gems, please contact me and I can advise you for free on the best way to support the program from wherever you are. It is best to support the program directly via its national partners in Tanzania (TAWOMA and TAWOMA Youth) or (AWEIK and GemFund). I am happy to guide you… Click on the ‘contact me’ tab and send me a message.

Selected program press

Le Point (France) — March 2025 - “Saphirs Ethiques”

https://www.lepoint.fr/montres/saphirs-ethiques-25-03-2025-2585604_2648.php#11

Volkskrant Magazine (Netherlands, a major daily newspaper) — March 2025 “Steengoed” (Good Stones). Print edition only.

Robb Report - February 2022- "7 Ultra-Rare Precious Stones We Saw at the Tucson Gem Shows"

https://robbreport.com/style/jewelry/tucson-gem-show-highlights-1234662472/

France Channel 1 - December 2021 - "Les coulisses de la place Vendôme / Grands Reportages"

https://www.tf1.fr/tf1/grands-reportages

The Financial Times (Denmark) - December 2021 - "køb diamanter med tjek på etikken" / "Buying verified ethical diamonds" (print only)

The Financial Times (UK) - How to Spend It - November 2021 - "The Good Gems Guide"

https://www.ft.com/content/9ec1b86d-b9b8-46c6-9e1b-57b13b0aef93

National Jeweler - November 2021 - "Moyo Gems Is Expanding Into Kenya" https://www.nationaljeweler.com/articles/10369-moyo-gems-is-expanding-into-kenya

Rapaport Jewelry Connoisseur - September 2021 - "Women's Work"

https://jewelryconnoisseur.net/womens-work-moyo-gems/

National Jeweler - March 2021 - "Brilliant Earth Launches Moyo Gems Collection " https://www.nationaljeweler.com/articles/8641-brilliant-earth-launches-moyo-gems-collection

British Vogue - September 2020 - " Good News: In 2020, Sustainable Jewellery Is Finally Top Of The Agenda"

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/sustainable-jewellery-technology

Scottish Sunday Post - November 2019 -- "Miner miracle: Scots jeweller joins global fight to end unethical trade in gems from Africa" https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/moyo-gemstones/

National Jeweler - October 2019 -" You Can Now Buy Stones from Moyo Gems"

https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/8227-you-can-now-buy-stones-from-moyo-gems

National Jeweler - April 2019 - "Sustainability Stories: Mine to Market with Moyo Gemstones" https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7668-sustainability-stories-mine-to-market-with-moyo-gemstones

Forbes -- April 2019 -- " Moyo Gemstone Collaboration A Model For Responsible Jewelry Initiatives "

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreahill/2019/04/26/moyo-gemstone-responsible-jewelry-initiative/

Social Media

The Moyo Gems program is on Instagram: @MoyoGems

Also follow the Moyo Gems partners!!

To view or purchase gems:

ANZA Gems @anzagems (Buy the gems directly!)
Maison Piat @moyobypiat (for purchasing gems directly)
Nineteen48 Gemhouse @nineteen48 (for purchasing gems directly)

To learn about the work and hear from the amazing partner organizations:

Association of Women in Energy & Extractive Industries in Kenya (AWEIK): Instagram is @aweik_ke
GemFund: Instagram handle is @gemfundorg
Tanzanian Women Miners Association (TAWOMA): Instagram handle is @_tawoma
TAWOMA Youth Gem Workshop: Instagram handle is @tawoma_youth22

Nature’s Wealth: Responsible Sourcing Advisory Services

Nature’s Wealth: Responsible Sourcing Advisory Services