2026 Fundraiser Recipient
How Cutting Plays into Responsible Sourcing
When we talk about responsible sourcing, it’s easy to focus on where a gemstone comes from, how it was mined, or whether its journey can be traced. And while those are all important elements of our process, we believe the story goes even further than that. It means looking at the people involved at every stage of bringing these materials to market, including the cutters.
That is why this year’s Cutting Toward Change fundraiser is supporting the Peoples Training & Research Centre (PTRC) and its work addressing occupational safety and health issues in Gujarat, India, with a focus on silicosis in the gemstone and jewelry industry. Every dollar from this year’s fundraiser will be donated to PTRC.
So, What is Silicosis?
Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by breathing in respirable silica dust over time. When very small silica particles become airborne and are inhaled, they can reach deep into the lungs and cause permanent damage. There is no cure and is irreversible to those who are diagnosed with it.
Silica is found naturally in many rocks and minerals. That means exposure can be a concern in a variety of occupations where materials containing silica are cut, crushed, drilled, ground, or otherwise disturbed.
For people working around these materials, the risk isn't simply about the stone itself. It's about what happens during the process of working with it—and whether appropriate measures are in place to control dust and protect workers.
Silicosis is particularly difficult because the damage is permanent. There is no cure, and it can be fatal—which makes prevention and awareness especially important.
And this is where the issue becomes personal for us.
Why Silicosis Awareness Matters to Columbia Gem House
We have spent decades working with gemstones and building relationships throughout the supply chain. We cut nearly all our gemstones ourselves, and our Fair Trade Gems® Principles & Protocols were developed around a simple idea: a gemstone's story should not end with its origin.
Our protocols include protecting worker rights in mining, cutting, and manufacturing; maintaining traceability; supporting education; and creating a transparent supply chain. We believe that understanding how a gemstone reaches the market means looking at more than its location on a map.
That perspective is especially important when we talk about cutting.
Cutting is one of the stages of a gemstones journey that we know intimately. It takes skill, experience, precision, and time to transform rough material into something ready to be set into jewelry. Because we are involved in this part of the process ourselves, worker safety isn't an abstract idea to us. It is part of what responsible gemstone production looks like to us.
Our own cutting workshop operates under guidelines developed around prioritizing worker safety and working conditions. We have extensive air filtration systems to control the dust within the cutting workshop itself, as well as strict protocols for personal protection equipment and handling or storage methods between cutting stages.
While we’ve taken steps to address this issue within our own cutting operation, we don’t believe that means the issue is no longer ours to consider.
Responsible sourcing isn’t about declaring a problem solved because we’ve improved our own practices. It means staying engaged with the challenges that remain across our industry, continuing to learn, and asking questions that lead to better practices for everyone.
Why the Peoples Training & Research Centre (PTRC)
This year's Cutting Toward Change recipient, the Peoples Training & Research Centre, has been working on occupational safety and health issues for decades in Gujarat, India where a significant amount of gemstone cutting, especially beads, is done.
PTRC's work includes training, awareness, documentation, research, and advocacy for workers' rights. Its work around silicosis has included helping workers and families affected by the disease, raising awareness about occupational exposure, supporting health screenings, hospice care, and advocating for workers' access to benefits and protections.
Their work reminds us that occupational health isn't just about what happens inside a workplace. When a worker becomes ill, the effects can reach an entire family and community.
That is something worth paying attention to.
The Connection to This Year's Fundraiser
This year's fundraiser has an especially meaningful connection to the issue because one of the gemstones featured in the eight raffle designs is Moss Agate sourced from India. India has a long history of gemstone cutting and other industries where workers have been diagnosed with silicosis.
That connection doesn't mean that every Indian gemstone or every cutting operation carries the same risk. It just means that the people working throughout the supply chain deserve our attention when we talk about responsible sourcing.
For us, that is what Cutting Toward Change is about.
We aren't just raising money for a cause that happens to be connected to gemstones. We are supporting work that addresses an occupational health issue within an industry we are part of.
Continuing the Conversation with Columbia Gem House
This year, we're proud to support PTRC and the work they are doing to bring greater awareness to silicosis, improve working conditions, and support workers and communities affected by occupational exposure.
If you would like to be part of that work, you can continue the conversation and support the cause by entering the Cutting Toward Change raffle through the end of October. Every ticket you purchase is another chance to win, with every dollar raised donated to PTRC supporting their work.
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