Responding to the growing global demand for transparency of a gemstone’s journey, the Hong Kong–based tech company GemCloud is now offering a traceability section dedicated to colored gemstones on Gemolith, its business-to-business marketplace for curated colored gemstones.
“Today, three out of five jewelry brands we speak with are asking to know the provenance of gemstones and to learn more about the story behind them,” said Veronica Favoroso, GemCloud’s CEO, in a statement. “All the jewelry designers that we have already onboard are very excited as this is responding to their current need. They can have access to the world’s gemstones only with one click, and get live information about them.”
Starting this week, Gemolith is featuring an exclusive section from Greenland Ruby, a new and responsible source of rubies and pink sapphires in Greenland. The featured gemstones hail from Greenland Ruby’s mine in Aappaluttoq—which opened in 2017 in the southwest of the country—and range in color from deep red to lighter shades of pink. Some are thought to be 3 billion years old.
Greenland Ruby’s gemstones, believed to be some of the oldest on earth, will be traced from mine to marketplace through GemCloud’s business management solution. All of the company’s gems are mined, cut, and polished according to environmental, social, and governance rules and come with a certificate of origin from the government of Greenland.
Magnus Kibsgaard, Greenland Ruby’s CEO, says its partnership with GemCloud is a natural one because the companies share the core values of responsibility and sustainability. “Together we promise to bring authenticity and provenance to the gemstone marketplace, while offering an innovative and creative customer experience in addition to our rare and beautiful gems,” he said in a statement.
Their partnership extends to supporting the Pink Polar Bear Foundation, Greenland Ruby’s initiative to support research of all of Greenland’s people, animals, and vegetation. GemCloud will donate a percentage of its sales of Greenland rubies to the foundation.
GemCloud plans to add more traceable gemstones in the next few months as part of a wider program to promote transparency and traceability. It’s partnering on this goal with TDI Sustainability, an international consulting firm that helps companies build responsible supply chains.
Top: Mille Schiøtt Kongstad, a Greenland Ruby staff geologist, holding a rough ruby from the Aappaluttoq mine (photo courtesy of Vincent Pardieu)
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