I am a trained gemologist (GIA) and gem cutter. I have a passion for
gems and jewelry. There is a certain joy in discovering a clean piece of
rough gemstone full of possibilities and a great sense of accomplishment
once it is cut to become part of a beautiful piece of jewelry. My
journey with gemstones started as a part-time fascination. I was
established in my career and thought of gemstones as a hobby that I
would tackle in retirement at about 60years of age. As fate would have
it, the company I was working for was sold to another party and this is
when I decided to take the plunge. I sold everything I owned and
enrolled in an on campus GIA program to become a graduate gemologist. It
has not been easy but I enjoy every moment of it: visiting mines,
touching different gemstones and finally cutting the gemstone. Every day
is a learning experience.

Over the years and through interaction with miners in Voi, I have
recognized some of the issues faced by the miners, women and youth
miners in particular. Often, they are unable to sell their stones at a
fair price to middlemen whose aim is to strike the lowest possible deal
leaving miners barely able to eke out a living. I have partnered with
Canopen Education Services Foundation to help these women and youth
miners by providing value addition training. This training includes,
gemstone identification, gemstone faceting, gemstone drilling, gemstone
tumbling and jewelry making.