Rob Girling

HELP EQUIP THE KENYA JEWELLERY ACADEMY: CUTTING GEMSTONES AT THE SOURCE AND MANUFACTURING JEWELLERY We are raising funds to send essential gemstone-cutting and jewellery-manufacturing equipment to the Kenya Jewellery Academy in Machakos, strengthening its lapidary and jewellery training department. Robin Girling of Selini Jewellery is leading this initiative and, over the past three years, has developed direct relationships with the Academy, local mines and the trainees. The aim is to help a minority community in Machakos develop specialist skills to cut and add value to precious gemstones at their source. Kenya has abundant gemstone resources, but many young people entering the industry lack access to the equipment, teaching staff and facilities needed to develop professional lapidary and jewellery-making skills. By providing this equipment and training, we can create local employment opportunities and keep more of the value generated by Kenya’s natural resources within the country. Robin has already invested significant time, equipment, training and expertise into developing the Academy and its relationships with local mines. He continues to support graduates by commissioning gemstone cutting, giving them practical commercial experience and helping them develop opportunities to trade their work internationally. With Kenya’s upcoming mandatory value-addition requirements for gemstones, building local cutting and manufacturing capacity is becoming increasingly important. This project will help ensure that trainees have the practical resources they need to develop these skills and build sustainable livelihoods within the gemstone industry. Jewellers have already generously donated used and surplus equipment, which we are bringing together to send to Machakos in a shipping container. Robin has supplied many of the essential lapidary items, while the fundraising will help cover additional equipment and associated costs. Items required include, but are not limited to: * Saw frames and blades * Pickle pots * Polishing machines, wheels and pads * Polishing and emery papers * Fume extractor * Ultrasonic cleaner * Smelting crucible * Stone-setting tools, including gravers and burnishers * Flex-shaft machines * Drill bits and files * Stone-setting ball vice * Thermoloc * Microscope Every contribution will help put professional equipment directly into the hands of people learning to fabricate jewellery and cut gemstones at their source. We will share regular updates from the Academy on Instagram, so supporters can follow the project's progress and see the difference their contributions are making. Thank you for supporting the Kenya Jewellery Academy, the Machakos community and the next generation of skilled gemstone cutters and jewellers.