<div><strong>Help Us Build a More Ethical Gemstone Industry, One Stone at a Time</strong>
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<div>Have you ever wondered where your favorite crystal comes from? The journey from the earth to your hands is often hidden, and the gemstone industry can have a negative impact on the people and places at its source. This can involve unsafe working conditions, the exploitation of natural resources, and deep-seated inequality.
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<div>Even consumers with the best intentions can unknowingly support these harmful practices due to a lack of transparency. But avoiding mined gems isn't the answer—that prevents the positive transformation that these mining communities deserve.
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<div>We believe there's a better way. We invite you to help us build it.
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<div><strong>Our Ambitious Solution: The Academia da Serra</strong>
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<div>We are creating the Academia da Serra—an Academy and vocational school for lapidary (gem cutting) and land stewardship in the heart of the quartz mining community of Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil.
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<div>Our mission is to create a blueprint for responsible sourcing that can be replicated around the world. Our work is focused on four key areas:
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<li>Miner Health and Safety: We will provide education and personal protective equipment to improve the well-being of local miners.
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<li>Community Empowerment: We will train women and youth in lapidary and business skills, allowing them to add value to their own mineral resources and strengthen the local economy.
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<li>Supply Chain Transparency: We will implement "mine-to-market" traceability solutions, so you and other consumers can make informed, ethical choices.
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<li>Environmental Regeneration: We will invest in regenerative agriculture projects to replenish the land and diversify the local economy, creating a sustainable future long after the mines are exhausted.
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<div><strong>Our First Goal:</strong> <strong>$30,000 to Launch Stepping Stones</strong>
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<div>To bring this vision to life, we are raising $30,000 to fund our initial "Stepping Stones" initiative, starting in January 2026.
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<div>This first, critical step will focus on empowering women in the Novo Horizonte community to transform low-quality quartz into beautiful and profitable tumbled stones and beads. The donations will fund tumbling machines, drills, rough stone purchasing, and instructions for the first cohort of women participating in the Academia. Sales from the Academia will be reinvested to expand the Academia, eventually providing opportunities for growth and income to the participants.
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<div>With the crystal market projected to grow significantly, and tumbled stones being the highest volume product, this initiative is a direct path to economic resilience.
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<div>"Stepping Stones" is the foundation for a full lapidary facility, a local marketplace, and a future of sustainable prosperity.
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<div><strong>Join Us </strong>
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<div>Your contribution is more than a donation—it's an investment in a more transparent, ethical, and sustainable future for the gemstone industry. 
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<div>Every single donation, no matter the amount, helps us build this future.
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<div>Thank you for your support. Together, we can create a positive impact on mining communities and the environment, ensuring the gems we love are a source of empowerment for all.
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<div>Note:  No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to your GoFundMe.
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Laura Beaumont

Renata Cambauva

Richard Wilson

niki longmuir

Natasha Cook

Brian Cook

Sean McClellan

Support the Academia da Serra, a lapidary school in Brazil

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Support the Academia da Serra, a lapidary school in Brazil

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