Who we are / about us / traceability / how we get our stones / our pri

Who we are / about us / traceability / how we get our stones / our prices etc.....

East African gemstones. Direct sourcing. Open to everyone.

We are Gems of East Africa, a UK-based wholesale and retail gemstone dealer with our own buying office in Tanzania. We offer facet rough, precision-cut gemstones and selected rare and fine crystals through www.gemsofeastafrica.com.

We are fourth-generation gem dealers and have been serving the gemstone community online since 2002. Our business is built on decades of hands-on experience, sourcing on the ground and longstanding relationships with small-scale artisanal miners.

You don’t need to be a trade buyer

Our website is open to everyone: jewellers, designers, gemstone dealers, retailers, collectors, hobbyists and people choosing their very first stone.

We began by supplying the wholesale trade. Today, anyone can buy from this website at the same listed prices, without needing a trade account or a wholesale business.

Our aim is simple: to offer the value of direct sourcing with the convenience of buying from a UK-based business.

Relationships at source

We buy primarily from small-scale, community-based miners we have known personally for many years. These are often family-run operations involving people from the surrounding village.

We speak local languages and understand the importance of working respectfully with the people who bring these stones out of the ground. Our relationships are built on fair dealing, trust and repeat business that benefits both sides.

Our sourcing relationships often give us an early opportunity to see newly mined material, sometimes within hours of it being recovered. That access allows us to select individual pieces for their quality, character and potential.

We value ethical sourcing and traceability. If you would like to know more about the sourcing information available for a particular stone, please ask us.

Carefully selected, clearly described

You don’t have to work through large quantities of mine-run material or arrange shipment out of East Africa yourself. We handle the sourcing and selection, then offer the material through our UK-based business.

For facet rough, we assess clarity, colour, shape and cutting potential. For cut stones, we pay close attention to cutting quality, proportions and polish. Listings distinguish native-cut material from precision-cut stones so you can assess each piece on its own merits.

We include weight, origin, treatment information and relevant characteristics in our listings because we want you to understand what you are considering before you click through or buy. Inclusions and other limitations are part of that description, not details to hide.

Our grading reflects our experience and assessment of the material. If you have questions about a description, a stone’s suitability or any available independent report, contact us before purchasing. We welcome informed questions.

A changing selection

Our buying relationships bring us a wide variety of gemstones, rough and crystals from across East Africa. We add new material as it becomes available, so there is always a reason to look again.

Whether you are selecting a stone for jewellery, choosing rough for a cutting project or building a personal or heirloom collection, we want to help you find material that suits your purpose and budget.

Subscribe to our email updates to hear about newly added material and follow what is arriving.

Sourcing and custom orders

Looking for something particular? We offer sourcing services, custom orders and custom cutting. Tell us the gemstone, quantity, size, quality and budget you have in mind, and we can explore suitable options through our contacts in the region.

Availability depends on what is being mined and offered at the time. We will discuss the possibilities and order details with you before you commit.

UK dispatch. Personal service.

We dispatch from the United Kingdom, with Royal Mail and FedEx shipping options. Check the available services and applicable charges at checkout, and refer to our shipping policy for delivery information.

We are members of the National Association of Jewellers in the UK. Alongside our sourcing experience, we believe clear information and accessible, personal support are essential to earning your trust.

Let’s build a lasting relationship

We love what we do, and we want buying from us to be the start of a lasting relationship. Whether you need one stone or a regular supply, please get in touch with your questions.

Thank you,
Ali
Gems of East Africa

Excellent value

Excellent value. I look forward to seeing what is available every time I go to the site.

Iolite Lot, 23.10ct, Babati, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, 3.31ct-7.66ct, vvs-if

Stunning

Very beautiful Ruby stunning exceeded my expectations.
Superb color and lively just great thank you.

Winza Ruby, 0.49ct, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, Native Cut

Nice

Nice

Umba Garnet, 6.84ct, Umba, Tanzania. Untreated Unheated. VVS, slight silk and slightly flat

Fin sten minimalt med infällningar

Fin sten minimalt med infällningar.
Ganska liten men det är ju bara 2.5 carat.
Men kvalitén gör att det mesta blir kvar effter slipning.

Tanzanite Crystal, 2.37ct, Tanzania, Gently Heated

As always

As always. They do an excellent job of making sure you know what you are getting, and I’ve never bought anything from them that didn’t look better in person

Winza Sapphire Crystal, 10.73ct, Winza, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, you can cab it, leave as is or set it in jewellery, see backlit pics

As described and an excellent selection of high quality facet grade materials

Fluorite, Tanzania, Per Stone, faceting and cabbing grade rough

Amazing stones!

Ali and the team are amazing, they helped me find the right stones, were very quick and the experience was great! 10/10 would recommend!

Winza Sapphire, 3.52ct, Winza, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, cracks on the outside that will need to be removed before faceting, rest vs- vvs, see the brighter backlit pics, I have indicated crack positions

Vivid peice.

Tourmaline, 7.92ct, Morogoro, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if

This is a beautiful peice that will take some planning

Congo Tourmaline, 27.92ct, Untreated Unheated, si, cut with inclusions or cab

Very excited to cut this stone.

Green Brown Zircon, 12.07ct, Tunduru, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if with the characteristic haze in them found in green zircons from that location

Another cute peice.

Umba Sapphire, 1.87, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, slightly included

Cute little peice.

Umba Sapphire, 1.56, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, slightly included

Im excited and still planing how to cut this peice.

$Umba Yellow Sapphire, 13.76ct, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, flat stone, there is a fracture at the end, I’ve marked it in one picture, rest is slightly included$

I look forward to getting a faceted stone and a cab from this beauty

Congo Tourmaline, 8.88ct, Untreated Unheated, dividing crack, see pics I have market the crack, with crack out larger piece is vvs-if

I got two decent facetable sections out of this stone as well as a peice to cab

$Umba Sapphire, 20.99ct, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, cab grade rough or Cobb to remove gemmy but slightly included pieces, fractures inside, see the backlit photos showing the fractures$

This stone has so much potential i will cut a suit out of it

Umba Garnet, 55.15ct, Umba Valley, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, silky, with faceting portions inside, some work required to slice it up, or use as cabbing rough

A fun stone for my personal collection

Tourmaline crystal, 3.52ct, Mozambique, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if

Im very excited to cut this peice.

Tourmaline, 6.08ct, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if

Absolutely beautiful lot

Dragon Garnet, 48.00gm / 240ct Lot, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, mixed clarity lot from moderately included to internally flawless, 2ct average, see the video for uv effect

Colour Changing Magnesio Axinite Crystal, 12.46ct, Merelani, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated

Another peice that im excited for as i am learning to cut colored gems.

$Umba Sapphire, 6.81ct, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, fractures throughout the stone, cut as cab or facet with inclusions but there are quite a number$

Found a nice gemmy portion inside nothing groundbreqking but it is great practice processing difficult rough

Umba Sapphire, 31.86ct, Umba, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, low grade with a gemmy portion, you will have to grind though to get to it, portion is slightly to moderately included, see backlit photos

Such a beautiful stone. This company is amazing

Congo Tourmaline Crystal, 7.92ct, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if, c axis closed

The product is absolutely beautiful. Gems of east africa comes through every time i order.

Congo Tourmaline Crystal, 15.49ct, Untreated Unheated, vvs-if, c axis closed

Cool little browns and gold like strings and pretty little piece

Cool little browns and gold like strings and pretty little piece..

Confetti Sunstone Cabochon, 1.94ct, Tanzania, Untreated Unheated, flat backed

Direct access to East African gemstones. The sourcing work already done.

Buying gemstones from East Africa should not mean travelling to mining areas, finding reliable suppliers, sorting through mine-run material or arranging shipment out of Africa yourself.

We have already done that work for you.

We are fourth-generation gem dealers, serving buyers online since 2002. Through decades of direct relationships with small-scale miners, we find and select individual stones, assess their quality and potential, and bring them to you through our UK-based business.

You choose from selected material rather than sift through unselected miners’ lots. You can ask experienced gem dealers about the stone before buying. And your order is dispatched from the UK, without you having to organise its export from East Africa.

Whether you want one stone for a personal project or a regular supply for your business, you can buy at our website’s listed prices. You don’t need to travel to the mines, purchase a whole miner’s parcel or qualify for a trade account.

We find and select the material, so you don’t have to

Finding a seller is not the same as finding material worth buying. Miners’ lots can contain a wide range of qualities, and selecting suitable stones takes time, access and experience.

We examine material at source and select individual pieces for colour, clarity, brightness, character and suitability. For facet rough, we also consider shape, inclusions and the finished stone the material may produce.

That means you can spend your time choosing material for your project or collection, rather than searching through large quantities of mine-run material and trying to identify the promising pieces yourself.

Our selection includes facet rough, cut gemstones and selected rare and fine crystals. Each is offered for its own qualities, not simply because it happened to be part of a miner’s lot.

Our miner relationships give you access without the journey

Reliable access at source is built over years. We buy primarily from small-scale artisanal miners whom we have known personally for decades, through relationships based on fair dealing, mutual respect and repeat business.

We speak local languages fluently, understand the realities of working on the ground and maintain direct contact with the people producing the material. In some cases, these relationships also include practical guidance and support for mining activities.

Many of these operations are family-run or involve people from the surrounding village. Working with them means dealing with the people whose livelihoods depend on the material, not treating sourcing as an anonymous transaction.

Our longstanding buying relationships often give us an early opportunity to see newly mined stones, sometimes within hours of recovery. Miners bring material to us alongside the material we seek out.

You benefit from that access through our selection, without having to travel, establish those relationships yourself or navigate unfamiliar mining and buying networks.

We help you understand what you are buying

A photograph alone cannot explain everything about a gemstone. You need useful information about its characteristics and limitations to decide whether it is right for you.

We include weight, origin, treatment information and relevant characteristics in our listings. Inclusions and other limitations are part of the description, not details to hide.

Assessing facet rough requires particular experience. We consider its clarity, colour, shape and cutting potential, rather than judging only its surface appearance. Our assessments of cutting potential are informed opinions, not guarantees of a particular finished result.

For cut stones, we pay close attention to cutting quality and polish. Our listings distinguish native-cut material from precision-cut stones so you can assess each piece on its own merits.

If you need more information about clarity, treatment, sourcing, suitability or any available independent report, ask us before purchasing. You can discuss the actual material with us rather than make the decision alone.

Direct buying makes our listed prices accessible to everyone

We began by supplying the wholesale trade. Today, our website is open to jewellers, designers, gemstone dealers, retailers, hobbyists, collectors and first-time buyers alike.

We buy directly from miners and select material ourselves, reducing the number of buying and selling stages between the source and our customers. Our aim is to pass that value on while paying fair prices and maintaining lasting sourcing relationships.

You do not need a wholesale business or a trade account to access our website’s listed prices. The individual stone or lot you see is available to you, whether you are buying for yourself or for your business.

We believe in long-term customers and repeat business, not simply getting the highest possible price for a single sale.

We handle the sourcing and dispatch from the UK

Buying at source can also mean dealing with the practical challenge of getting material out of the region. With us, you do not have to organise that part of the process yourself.

We handle our sourcing and selection in East Africa and dispatch customer orders from the United Kingdom. You choose your material through our website rather than coordinate its journey from the mining area.

Royal Mail and FedEx shipping options are available. Check the applicable services and charges at checkout, and refer to our shipping policy for delivery information.

For international deliveries, any destination-country import requirements, duties or taxes are separate from the sourcing work described here.

Need something specific? We can ask at source.

You are not limited to asking whether a suitable stone happens to be listed today. If you need a particular gemstone or category of material, we can speak directly with our mining contacts and explore what is available.

Tell us the gemstone, size, quantity, quality, intended use and budget you have in mind. Availability depends on what is being mined and offered at the time, and we will discuss the possibilities with you.

Our selection changes as material arrives. Subscribe to our email updates for new additions, or contact us to discuss a particular requirement or ongoing supply relationship.

Whether you are choosing your first gemstone, cutting rough, designing jewellery or building a collection, our purpose is the same: to connect you with suitable East African material and make buying it more straightforward.

Decades at source. Individual selection. Clear information. UK dispatch.
That is the experience we bring to buying gemstones.