The Pyramid Mine, Bahia.

Positive Impact.

Nestled in this beautiful and remote site that borders the Atlantis Rainforest and the Serrado and Caatinga ecological communities, you'll find the Pyramid Mine in Remedios, Brazil. This is the home of golden rutile quartz, which holds a special place in our hearts because it's the first mining community we began working with directly, which led to the birth of Crystal Clear CIC.

Back in 2018, Crystal Clear’s founder, Jill Urwin, first met Brian Cook and learned of his theoretical Golden Rutile Initiative and model for mining communities in Novo Horizonte. Brian, who is now on the advisory board of Crystal Clear™, has spent his life supporting sustainable development initiatives for mining communities. Jill was keen to support Brian to bring his mining model into fruition, with the long term view that it could be rolled out in other ASM communities globally. Thus, the SLC Sustainable Mining Project was born under Jill’s lifestyle brand She’s Lost Control, which then led to the launch of Crystal Clear - a social enterprise dedicated to supplying mining communities and cleaning up the opaque supply chains in the crystal industry.

The project in Bahia was initially broken down into stages:

• STAGE 1 - Safety Equipment

  Purchasing of additional safety equipment for artisanal miners, starting with silicon masks.

  Although all artisanal miners use basic dust and sound protection as standard, many lack funds for silicon masks, which are the most effective and comfortable safety measure, and open the doors for more work opportunities. One mask is the equivilant of 30% of the monthly minimum wage in Brazil, so this is out of reach for many. So far, we have donated $2500 towards safety masks, which was allocated and organised by Brian alongside the Mayor of Novo Horizonte.

  In addition to these allocated funds, in 2019 we raised and additional $2500 for safety equipment, but soon after, COVID hit, so we had to pivot and allocate the funds to care packages for mining families in remote villages. When COVID first hit China at the end of 2019, all the Chinese buyers returned home from Brazil which dried up the gemstone trade, and shortly after the the American and European buyers followed suit. Like many ASMs this meant that they had no source of income to feed their families, especially given how remote some of the villages were. This is where Crystal Clear stepped in.

• STAGE 2 - Adding Value at Source

  This is the longer term sustainable development plan for mining communities in Novo Horizonte. Firstly, we are raising funds and seeking investment in partnership with Brian to build a lapidary (cut and polishing facility) where we can provide opportunities to learn processing and cutting skills, with a particular focus on empowering women. This will help to maximise the quality and value of the materials being traded, whilst adding economic benefit.

  The next step will see us investing in organic farming and regenerative agriculture by teaching conservation of natural assets, and identifying potential endemic plants to help sustain alternative revenue streams to the area.
  

  Over the years, Brian and Jill have attended and spoken at various responsible sourcing and ethical jewellery events and workshops around the world - both in person and digitally, sharing knowledge and experience. Their work continues as they actively seek future funding and investment opportunities.