Jewels for Africa

Since my first trip to Sierra Leone, Africa, four years ago, I often call to mind two photographs (out of the nearly 20,000 I have taken) that symbolize being a child in SL versus being a child in the United States. One is of a girl holding a comb, and the other is of a boy playing with a bike wheel.

I have always used these images to convey to my kids (Christina, age 9, and Damon, age 7½) that it is by the luck of the draw that they were born to parents who live in NYC. I emphasize that life is not a franchise and that entitlements come with responsibilities. I also encourage them to set aside some of their own money for charity, to help those less fortunate than they are.

As we developed Ruff&Cut into a business and the collection of jewelry came together, my kids started to become interested in how jewelry is made. Several of the Ruff&Cut pieces are inspired by my trips to Africa.

About a year ago, we discovered a store in NYC called Beads of Paradise www.beadsofparadisenyc.com. My daughter took several beading classes there and has developed a keen eye for unique gemstones. She joined together with some friends and they started making their own jewelry.

Recently, they began selling their wares to friends and neighbors. During my most recent trip to Sierra Leone, I presented the headmaster of Aberdeen Primary School with $100 from the proceeds of our kids’ efforts. $100 is about three months’ salary for most Sierra Leonean workers, and four months’ salary for a schoolteacher. The headmaster used the money for a holiday party for the kids, to provide shoes for kids without them, and for lunches for several kids who go hungry because their parents can only afford one meal per day.

The charity our NYC kids have established is called Jewels for Africa, and this is how they describe themselves:

Jewels for Africa is a charity that helps the people of Sierra Leone and other African countries. Christina, Melina, Maude, and Damon are all the managers, designers, and jewelers. Damon and Christina’s dad (Wade Watson) goes to Sierra Leone about 6 times a year for business, and when he goes, he takes along the money we make from designing and making jewelry. We make the money by selling hand-made bead jewelry in sterling silver. Our neighbors and our friends are our customers.

Well, you might be wondering where Wade Watson takes the money. He takes the money either to the St. George Orphanage or Aberdeen Primary School. One dollar is the average daily wage for Sierra Leoneans. So one dollar from Jewels for Africa is a lot of money for Africans. For example, 25 cents will buy a bowl of rice or a mango in Sierra Leone.
We have made progress with Jewels for Africa. We all hope this continues to be a successful venture.

Two creations from Jewels for Africa:

Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the need in Africa, I hope you’ll remember this example of what four kids can do, and find your own small but significant way to help our brothers and sisters in that troubled country. Look at the good $100 dollars can do.


Highest Regards,

Wade Watson

Blog Guest Star: Deidre Woollard of Sparkle Smart

This week's post features two blogs written by fellow Blogger, Deidre Woollard-jewelry aficionado and philanthropist. On a recent google search, I came across her blogs about Ruff&Cut as well as her accounts on green jewelry, rare gems and the effects of mining on the earth and communities. After reading her posts and then making contact with Deidre, it became apparent that she shares the same values and views on utilizing business to make the world a better place. I am pleased to share these posts with you, as well as a link to her blog. Thanks Deidre!

Sparkle Smart Hero: Ruff & Cut

Ruff & Cut jewelry's website is pretty much what I would consider the standard for jewelry accountability. For each piece you can not only find the price easily and how much of the price is given to their nonprofit partners, but for each piece there is a complete list of sourcing. Such a simple thing, that the jewelry's "ingredients" be listed as matter-of-factly as a nutritional label. And yet it's something that is rarely seen. We are often asked to trust a website that says their products are green but Ruff & Cut gets specific , noting where the diamonds come from.

Ruff & Cut is dedicated to helping the people of Sierra Leone and redeeming Sierra Leone diamonds. Stones mined there once caused great harm to people, now these stones can do great good. For every piece sold the company donates 10% of their profits to their nonprofit partners working in Africa to improve the lives of those affected by mining and jewelry manufacturing. During their launch event, Oct 16th - Nov 16th, they are bumping that number up to 20%. The piece shown above, the Transparence necklace was designed by Deirdre Featherstone and sells for $18,700. It features a .72-carat round brilliant-cut diamond and eight rough diamonds with a total carat weight of 5.5. set in 18K gold.

Ruff & Cut Jewelry Line Launches

Posted Oct 17th 2008 11:02AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Jewelry, Charity, Green

It may be, as the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Runway column put it, a "challenge in this economy to launch a high-end jewelry line" but it is one I suspect that Wade Watson of Ruff & Cut can handle. I had a chance to listen to Watson speak earlier this year at the Fair Trade Jewelry Conference and was impressed by how passionate he was about both the country and the people of Sierra Leone and the good diamonds can do there. For Watson it's a personal mission to help lift up this country which is one of the richest in natural resources but the poorest in so many other ways.

The Ruff & Cut name refers to the mix of both rough and cut diamonds used in the designs. Designers such as Me&Ro, Tracy Matthews and Todd Reed each have their own collection under the Ruff & Cut brand. The jewelry uses recycled gold and "conflict-free" diamonds coming from Sierra Leone and Canada. Many of the rough diamonds come from the Pride Diamond mine in Sierra Leone. Each piece comes with a certificate of origin. For every piece sold the company donates 10% of their profits to their nonprofit partners working in Africa to improve the lives of those affected by mining and jewelry manufacturing. During their launch event, Oct 16th - Nov 16th, they are bumping that number up to 20%.

The Nobel Ring shown above features a 1.35 carat rough diamond with a free-spinning center band studded with brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 0.27 carats total. It sells for $10,500.

Highest regards,
Wade Watson