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Gemstones are the most beautiful creation of nature, formed over billions of years and under immense pressure. With nature finally deciding that they can come out of the crust, these stones of beauty are finally ejected out into the upper layers of the crust. This is where humans have been picking up gemstones, either directly from the ground, or by mining them out of the earth’s crust.

While in a number of locations on earth, the practices have always been beneficial for the people who work hard in and dangerous conditions to acquire gemstones, there are other places on earth where the practices are not so ethical.

Slave labour, child labour, unfair wages, and fatal work conditions are problems that plague the gemstone production industry in a number of regions. Alongside these, other unethical practices that affect the environment or the gemstone trade itself like smuggling gemstones to avoid them from getting into the monitored supply chain are further hurting the business in terms of ethics.

This is where the industry gets into the rightful practice of ethical gemstone production and distribution. What are these and how does it work, this article takes a look at what it means when someone says ethical gemstones.

Ethical Gemstones: What Are They?

Ethical gemstone is the name given to gemstones obtained directly from the source of their mining with ethical practices. This means the gemstones obtained are mined and collected in the fairest manner possible without paying less than fair wages to the miners, employing child or slave labour, knowingly putting miners’ lives in danger, affecting the environment, or through illegal channels.

The practices involved in the procurement of ethical gemstones are aimed towards providing better lives, living conditions, working conditions, environmental balance, and fair treatment to everyone involved in the process. This also means that the consumers who buy a gemstone aren’t cheated out of their money by receiving anything less than what they expected at the price they paid.

There are countless number of examples from around the world where the introduction of ethical gemstones has changed the face of the region and has brought prosperity to the people. Ethical gemstones can be called the practice that ensures the fulfilment of dreams for everyone involved in their procurement.

Ethical Gemstones: The Solution

Over the years, there have been a number of programs and processes that have been set in place in order to prevent unethically obtained gemstones from making their way into the supply pipeline. This includes the famous Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which creates a round of identification and certification of Gemstones obtained from various mines on earth. Without this and the GIA certification, no gemstone is accepted into the jewellery trade.

In the current world, the technology of blockchain is coming in handy in maintaining the authenticity of gemstones from all around the world. Jewellers and even customers can now trace the entire existence of their gemstone after being mined.