Exploring the beauty, humanity, and heart behind responsibly sourced colored gemstones.
Elisa Miller, Certified Gemologist Appraiser (AGS), Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA), Graduate Gemologist (GIA) & Colleen Powers, CSA • October 30, 2025
As Elisa heads off to Sri Lanka to do another deep dive into the colored gemstone supply chain, it has us reflecting on what makes our work so wonderful. The beauty of colored gems invokes so many emotions — joy, wonder, love, and sometimes even awe at what nature creates. Each gemstone has a story that begins long before it reaches our studio in Corvallis — a story of people, place, and purpose.
At Olufson Designs, we believe that jewelry should shine from the inside out. That means sourcing gemstones with care, respect, and integrity — honoring the journey from mine to market and the communities who make it possible.
Across the world, much of the colored gemstone trade begins in small, artisanal mines. These are often family operations — hand tools instead of heavy machinery, generations of knowledge instead of industrial systems. While these miners work with modest means, they are the heartbeat of the global gem trade. Supporting them responsibly can create a ripple of good far beyond the sparkle of a finished gem.
Gem Legacy is one of the organizations helping make that happen. Founded by members of the gem and jewelry industry, Gem Legacy supports East African mining communities with direct, grassroots projects — providing equipment for miners, scholarships for gem-cutting students, and infrastructure improvements that change daily life. In Tanzania and Kenya, their work has helped fund vocational training for local gem cutters, supply mining safety gear, and build a children’s home near one of the mining areas. These aren’t distant, top-down initiatives — they’re tangible acts of empowerment led by people who know and love the gem world.
Closer to home, Columbia Gem House has built its entire business model around the idea of Fair-Trade Gems®. From their base in the Pacific Northwest, they’ve partnered directly with miners for decades, developing transparent relationships that ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmentally responsible practices. They pay above-market prices for rough material, helping miners reinvest in their communities, and they maintain a strict cutting and polishing code to ensure every step of the journey honors people and planet alike. For Columbia Gem House, traceability isn’t a buzzword — it’s a promise.
These efforts — from Gem Legacy’s scholarships to Columbia Gem House’s long-term partnerships — reflect a growing movement within the jewelry world to do better. They remind us that beauty and ethics can coexist beautifully when compassion and transparency guide the process.
At Olufson Designs, that’s the spirit we embrace when selecting the gemstones we work with. Whether a sapphire from Montana, a garnet from East Africa, or an opal from Oregon, we look for sources that uplift communities, preserve environments, and ensure that every stone has a positive legacy.
When you wear one of our pieces, you’re not just wearing color and sparkle. You’re wearing a story of human connection — the miner who unearthed the gem, the cutter who revealed its brilliance, the designer who envisioned its setting, and you, who give it meaning by making it part of your life.
Because the best gems don’t just come from the earth.
They come from the heart.
Top Image: Stoner Eron, via LinkedIn (original article “Trade to Treasure: How Gemstones Shaped Global Commerce,” 2024).