Switzerland Chapter: GIA Beneficiation Project presented by Robert Weldon

Join the GIA Alumni Switzerland Chapter for a virtual journey to the mineral-rich resources of Northern Tanzania to learn more about GIA’s beneficiation project to support artisanal miners.

Robert Weldon, director of the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center, will share the details of GIA's artisanal gemstone miner’s guide program, deployed in 2017, which is helping a group of women miners in East Africa gain traction in the mining process.

Consumers of gemstones are increasingly knowledgeable about gems and their sources and express concern that the less fortunate, often the miners at the forefront of the discovery of gemstones and the beginning of the supply chain, share more equitably in the benefits of the gemstone trade. GIA’s beneficiation program helps these miners understand gemstone value – an advantage during business negotiations – through the basic education tips outlined in its guide.

Weldon will outline his 2016 and 2017 trips to Tanzania, illustrate the beneficiation project and its goals, and explain GIA’s partnership with Pact, a non-governmental organization that GIA is working with to conduct the pilot program. To learn more about Pact please visit the website. 

Success of this project, which aligns with GIA’s mission to educate all sectors of the gemstone supply chain, will lead the way to expansion of the Institute’s beneficiation endeavors in Africa, and potentially other gem rich countries.

All are welcome to attend; whether you're a GIA graduate, student, industry associate, hobbyist or guest.