Gemmy Partnership - Columbia Gem House & Sapphires of Montana #TheDailyJewel

from a Press Release

Columbia Gem House 

and Sapphires of Montana Unite

Merger aims to increase production and availability of Montana Sapphires.


Representatives from Columbia Gem House and Sapphires of Montana announced today that the two companies have united resulting in “Sapphires of Montana by Columbia Gem House”.

Columbia Gem House is the industry leader in Fair Trade and responsibly sourced gemstones with mine to market traceability, and is the largest supplier of gemstones mined in America.  

As a vertically integrated company, Columbia Gem House also provides heating, cutting and US jewelry manufacturing to customers world-wide. 

Sapphires of Montana’s expertise lies in the branding, marketing and sale of Rock Creek Montana Sapphires. The merger has come about to increase the production and availability of Montana Sapphires under the successful brand, “Sapphires of Montana”.

Columbia Gem House, a family business, was founded by Eric Braunwart 40 years ago and is known as the largest supplier of brand name gemstones. For the past 15 years, the company has focused on producing Fair Trade gems with a transparent supply chain from mine to market. Of the merger Eric said, “It’s a natural fit to bring in additional strength in sapphires of a Montana origin in a market that is growing almost faster than we can keep up.”
 Owned and operated by women,  Sapphires of Montana was founded by Lisa Brooks-Pike and Margo Bedman in 2012. After a successful sell-out show on QVC the company expanded its focus to supporting a clientele of young up-and-coming millennial and established independent designers. 

“Since Sapphires of Montana was modeled on the Fair Trade, mine to market principals of Columbia Gem House, uniting the brands is a positive next step,” says Lisa. 

“Our business ethics and ideals are in alignment,” says Margo, adding, “Merging the Sapphires of Montana brand with Columbia Gem House allows us to provide a sustainable supply of Montana Sapphires to the industry.”

In conjunction with the merger, Lisa Brooks-Pike, co-owner and VP of Sales and Marketing for Sapphires of Montana will continue with Columbia Gem House as Marketing Director. Clients are assured the same high level of customer service along with a larger selection and long term consistent supply of Montana Sapphires.

Columbia Gem House:
A family business founded in 1976 offering natural gemstones and jewelry handcrafted in the USA.    
Ethical • Fair Trade • Responsibly Sourced

http://columbiagemhouse.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaGemHouse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/columbiagemhouse

Twitter: https://twitter.com/columbiagemhous

Jewelers to Introduce Fairtrade/Fairmined Gold in the US Market

Toby Pomeroy Jewelry

American Jewelers Organize to Introduce Fairtrade & Fairmined Gold to US Market

A diverse, international group of jewelry, environmental, and mining stakeholders convened in Santa Fe, October 29-30, 2011, and agreed on a common vision of a world in which jewelry, from mine to market, benefits the environment and everyone that touches it.

Participants identified an initial goal to broadly introduce certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold to the US market in 2012.

Tourmaline Beads from Columbia Gem House

The group will undertake a critical examination of standards and work to ensure the best outcome for communities and the environment through the mineral supply chain. The group also sees emerging opportunities to build a market for transparent and traceable ethical metals, and discussed other areas of concern including colored gems, diamonds, other precious metals and manufacturing.

Fair Jewelry Action and Ethical Metalsmiths hosted the dialogue attended by Larry Bohlen (Green Leaf Gold), Eric Braunwart (Columbia Gem House), Marc Choyt (Fair Jewelry Action and Reflective Images Inc.), Christine Dhein, (Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts and Green Jewelry News), Bill Gallagher (Lori Bonn Design, Inc.), Genevieve Ennis Hume (Hume Atelier, Canada), Christina Miller (Ethical Metalsmiths), Toby Pomeroy(TOBY POMEROY Jewelry and Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM)), and Greg Valerio (Fair Jewellery Action, United Kingdom).

Lori Bonn's "Key to My Heart" from the Sweets Collection 

Fairtrade and Fairmined gold certification is the result of a joint effort between Fairtrade International (FLO) and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), who combined their expertise to enable artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) to improve their livelihoods through a set of standards for responsible mining, which the miners have to fulfill in order to get certified. Standards include democratic organization, safe working practices, management of toxic chemicals, as well as respect for the environment and women’s rights. Certified miners will receive a guaranteed Fairtrade and Fairmined minimum price, which is democratically reinvested in community projects and improving miners’ operations. Mining organizations will be audited by FLO-CERT, an independent, international certification body, to ensure compliance.

Observing the meeting were Jennifer Krill (Earthworks) and Maya Spaull (Fair Trade USA).

For more information, visit www.fairgold.org, www.communitymining.org andwww.fairtrade.net.

Afghan Seafoam Tourmaline® from Columbia Gem House