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Monica Stephenson is the President of Anza Gems & iDazzle.
She has spent 20 plus years working in various aspects of the jewelry industry.
Since 2008, Monica has been writing about jewelry, designers, and trends on her award-winning jewelry blog, www.idazzle.com.
A published author, you can find her articles and essays in magazines like InStore and InDesign.Jewelry. Monica first traveled to East Africa with a jewelry documentary film, Sharing the Rough, in January of 2014.
She went out of curiosity and a sense of responsibility to truly see where gemstones originate. What she saw there changed her life.
Clickable Show Notes
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Question #1 – I was first introduced to your work through your award-winning iDazzle blog a few years ago. So how did you make the transition from creating content for iDazzle, INSTORE magazine, and others, to running, what seems to be a verticle gem supply chain, in East Africa? How do you even begin to connect those dots in your life’s journey? Timestamp: [3:44]
Question #2 – Clearly you’ve found your true passion with Anza Gems. Could you take a few minutes to tell us more about Anza Gems, and what inspired you to start this business venture in the first place? Timestamp: [7:53]
Question #3 – Many of us in the jewelry trade will never make a trip to the artisanal mines or gem mines. You’ve been there, crawled underground in search of rare gems, and taken your fair share of malaria pills along the way I’m sure. So can you tell us what’s it like to be there at the source getting gems, and what’s life like for the people who live there? Timestamp: [9:24]
Question #4 – Anza Gems not only supplies ethically sourced gems, but you also have a team of talented jewelry designers who incorporate these gems into capsule collections that showcase the gemstone’s indelible beauty. Is it true you have Erika Winters and Jennifer Dawes designing with your gems? Who else is on your team and can you give us more insight into your capsule collections? Timestamp: [14:08]
Question #5 – Monica, you’re committed to giving back to the areas where your gems are mined. Is it true that you give a percentage of each sale of Anza Gems jewelry back to schools in East Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya? What impact have your efforts made, and why is it so important to you? Timestamp: [17:06]
Question #6 – We could easily do a mini-series on the movie, “Sharing the Rough” which was envisioned and directed by jeweler turned filmmaker, Orin Mazzoni in 2015. As part of the cast, can you give us your thoughts on the significance of the movie and how it changed your perspective on the possibilities of ethical gem sourcing? Timestamp: [22:21]
Question #7 – From the Portland Symposium to the Chicago Responsible Gem Conference and all points in between, you’ve been an advocate for responsible gem sourcing. What impact are these conferences starting to make on the mainstream jewelry industry and in your opinion, what steps should the jewelry trade be taking now to advance these discussions? Timestamp: [24:38]
Question #8 – Among everything else that you do, you still find time to be active in the jewelry industry as a board member of the Women’s Jewelry Association and Ethical Metalsmiths. Can you share why those two organizations are important to you personally, and why others should consider becoming involved as well? Timestamp: [27:17]
Question #9 – Concerning the future, someone very wise once said, “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.” Some in the jewelry trade say the general public only cares about price and style. Others point to a different reality where if we ignore the impact of responsible jewelry metal and gem mining we do so at the peril of the industry’s future. Where do you fall in this diverse spectrum and why? Timestamp: [30:01]
Question #10 – We’ve covered a lot of ground today, but is there one question that I should have asked you, but didn’t? Timestamp: [32:14]
What You Should Know About Monica Stephenson
idazzle.com – Founded idazzle.com in 1998, a website that helps educate consumers about diamonds and then directs them toward a pre-screened professional jeweler in their area to purchase. Developed business plan and incorporated business, wrote all content for the website, developed a network of qualified jewelers, and facilitated sales to those jewelers. The website continues to offer purchasing information on diamonds and jewelry, and helps direct customers to on- and off-line retailers who have the best value/quality proposition.
Anza Gems – Founder & President. She started Anza Gems in 2015 to create a circle of development in the East African gem market. She packs cargo pants and anti-malarial pills several times a year and travels to Tanzania and Kenya, where she meets directly with gem dealers and miners. She literally crawls into mines and buys rough gemstones representing the best of each gem variety found there. Monica has the gemstones faceted by a hand-selected group of gem cutters. Talented jewelry designers incorporate these gems into capsule collections that showcase the gemstone’s indelible beauty. A percentage of each sale of Anza Gems jewelry goes to schools in East Africa: a Maasai Primary School and trade schools in Tanzania and Kenya. “Anza” means to begin in Swahili. Monica is passionate about supporting education in East Africa and creating a circle of development for the communities where the gems originate. When she’s not traveling, you can find her in her studio in Seattle, writing, and working with the rough gems, each one with a singular story to tell.
Producer – “Sharing the Rough” movie, 17 April 2015 – “Sharing the Rough” encapsulates the passion and beauty of one of nature’s most precious gifts, weaving together the remarkable journey of all the hands that share in the creation of wearable art. Never before has a film documented the passion of what it takes to bring a colored gemstone from deep inside an African mine, to an heirloom that will be treasured for generations. Written by Orin Mazzoni
Consultant for Amazon – Hired as an industry consultant to help Amazon.com launch a Jewelry and Watches store. Developed merchandising and pricing strategies, selected vendors and submitted RFPs, selected 10,000 SKUs to launch with, and was one of a team of 4 that launched the store in Nov 2003. Continued consulting on ad hoc basis for extensions of Jewelry and Watches store, including the Loose Diamond launch.
Contact Information
- LindedIn: Monica Stephenson
- Website: Anza Gems
- Website: idazzle
- Email: Monica@idazzle.com
- Twitter: idazzle
- Facebook: idazzle
- Pinterest: idazzle
- Instagram: idazzle
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The host of “Inside the Jewelry Trade” Radio Show – Jewelry Business Strategist – President of Four Grainer LLC. Author of the business books “A Reason To Chant,” and “A Reason to Chant – Jewelry Trade Edition.” Rod lives in Atlanta with his wife and two almost-human cats.