Africa is a huge supplier of gemstones to the world for jewelry, decorative, and industrial purposes: about 50% of the world’s gemstones come from Africa. Many know of Africa as a source of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, and others. Demand for these precious products from Africa continues to grow, but this only exacerbates historical problems associated with the extraction and transportation of such goods.
Mina Stones is a pioneer of Handcrafted African Fine Jewelry and a vertically integrated company that is involved in practically every step of a gemstone’s journey from the mines to the final consumer, in form of jewelry and accessories. Mina Stones sustains a close relationship with the miners, who are mainly in the northern and western parts of Nigeria. The company’s significant level of activity has spawned collaboration between other companies and stakeholders, including government, private sector (both foreign and local), and development agencies, with the aim of solving the issues plaguing the gems and jewelry industry in Africa.
Traditionally the gemstone supply chain suffers from the following problems: