Ethically Sourced Mandarin Garnets from Zambia

In this exclusive interview, Guy Clutterbuck discusses the sourcing of his mandarin garnets.

His deep contacts with native people in remote places have allowed him to gain access to the mountains of Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan, to the far reaches of the African bush. His work depends upon trusting his life to the small scale artisan miners who he supports with his unique approach to the gem trade on the ground: fairness and integrity.

~ Marc Choyt, Publisher, fairjewelry.org

MC: Where are you sourcing the garnets?

GC: These come from Zambia in central Africa. The mine is located in the eastern part of the country, near to the Malawian border.

MC: How do you know that the mandarin garnet from this place is comparable to the top Namibian, Nigerian and Tanzanian material?

GC: Over the last twenty years, I have attended the Tucson Gem Show in Arizona where all of the main dealers congregate annually. It is a great venue for comparing prices and quality and it has given me the opportunity to place Zambian material along side the competition and see that the clarity, vibrancy and “life” of the material is up there with the best. In fact the locals call it “Fanta” after the soft drink and I couldn’t think of a better description of the sheer effervescence of these stones.

MC: Are you the only person sourcing from this mine?

GC: No. To my knowledge, there are other dealers buying from the villages. But in order to beat the competition, and encourage my friends to hold material for me, I pay well above the going rate. This doesn’t bother me because if there is still a profit in it, then all parties are happy.

MC: So you are buying rough material directly from the miners?

GC: Yes, because they are from the same tribe and close friends of my contacts who often work in the mine themselves. Divisions between miners and dealers often become blurred the further you get into remote areas. Basically, people survive by using their initiative and Africans work extremely hard to get the goods to the market, whether it be maize meal, cotton or gemstones.

MC: The location of the actual mine is remote?

GC: Yes, almost always gemstone deposits are found in inaccessible places. The conditions of the actual mines are very similar whether they be aquamarine, garnet or tourmaline. The emerald mines (with the exception of my new discovery) tend to be on a larger scale with big corporate involvement.

It takes about sixteen hours of driving through barely passable roads in four wheel drive to reach the mine from the nearest town. To make this discovery, and others, I have risked my life on numerous occasions, catching malaria three times. If your car falls off the edge of a precipice, or you have some type of accident or mechanical failure, you are basically on your own. No cell phone coverage, of course.

MC: Why did the Africans want to even trust you?

GC: My contacts have known me for twenty years so I came well introduced to the miners.

MC: What effect does your commerce have on the village?

GC: The community is about 60 people. My purchases enable them to supply themselves with medicines and food. HIV is a major issue and I am certain my business enables miners to purchase the medicines they need to survive.

MC: What about cutting and polishing?

GC: I pay all the local export fees and take it to Sri Lanka to have it cut and polished. For those who are concerned about the conditions of the craftsmen in that factory, I can personally reassure them that they are well paid compared to the local competition. Also, they work in a clean, light and uplifting working environment.

For information on how to obtain these garnets, contact Marc Choyt at reflective@cybermesa.com

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