02May Working in the Pit – the Daily Life of a Sri Lankan Gem Miner
For a gem miner in Sri Lanka (as in most parts of the world), life follows a fairly regular routine, dictated largely by the hours of daylight available and the weather conditions.Working days begin soon…
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13Apr Don’t Believe the Hype – the Harsh Reality of the Hatton Garden Robbery
The audacious and shocking robbery from Hatton Garden Safe Deposit over the Easter weekend has stirred a number of reactions and responses from the media and the industry, some of which have been less than…
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24Mar Playing the Miner’s “lottery” – Washing Day at the Gem Mine
Probably the most exciting time for both gem mine owners and their mining teams is the thrill of washing day when everyone gathers to find out if their digging efforts have brought them a shiny reward.…
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12Mar Nineteen48 Adds Canadamark Diamonds to Its Range
We are very pleased to announce that, alongside our wide range of ethically-sourced Sri Lankan coloured gemstones, we can now offer responsibly-mined and fully-traceable CanadaMark diamonds.These stunning gems are sourced by the Dominion Diamond Corporation…
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07Mar Kandy Kids Trip to Sri Lanka 2015
In January, Kandy Kids’ founder, Steve O’Driscoll, made his annual trip to Sri Lanka and, as usual, he did an amazing job of using the funds raised during the previous year to maximum effect.Yet again,…
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24Feb Award Nomination for Nineteen48
Nineteen48 was recently confirmed as a finalist in the UK Jewellery Awards (UKJA) 2015, having been shortlisted in the new category of Ethical Jewellery Business of the Year.“We were very pleased to see this new category…
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16Jan A Campaign to Change Lives? “I DO” Says Fairtrade Gold
On Wednesday 14th January, 2015, the Fairtrade Foundation launched its “I DO” campaign in London. The initiative aims to raise $1 million from sales of wedding rings made with Fairtrade Gold to support artisanal gold…
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04Jan Keeping It Clean: What Does It Mean to Be Ethical in the World of Gem Mining?
Ethics is a complex concept that means different things to different people and in different industries. For the world of gemstones and jewellery many of the ethical issues we face stem from the tough, uncompromising…
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25Dec A Colour for Every Occasion – the Rainbow World of Tourmaline
Although tourmaline is not the rarest of gems and is often seen in jewellery, not many people appreciate the entire colour range of this fascinating family of minerals.Tourmaline occurs all over the world. Primary deposits…
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26Nov That’s Not Just a Hole in the Ground – Types of Mines in Sri Lanka
When most people hear the term “mining”, they usually think of a large scale operation, such as a diamond mine, where the pit can be up to 1 mile across and the gem material buried…
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