28-09-2021
To celebrate his 40th year in business and 40th visit to the African continent, Roger Dery of Michigan-based Roger Dery Gem Design has launched a charity raffle to help the coloured gemstone mining communities in East Africa. Jewellery designer and artist Reena Ahluwalia donates her new painting as raffle prizes.
All proceeds will be donated to Gem Legacy’s ‘Miner Tool Kits’ initiative. According to the non-profit making organisation, over 80 percent of the East African miners are using farming tools to do hard-rock mining which undermines their safety and effectiveness. The initiative aims to equip them with the essential tools for more self-protection and higher gemstone yields. Each toolkit costs US$125. The raffle’s goal is to sponsor 40 toolkits.
“Miners are my heroes – they spend their lives mining the gems I am honored to facet. This is my tribute back to them: to put the right mining tools in their hands to ensure their mining is safe and successful,” said Dery.
The 24-inch, circular, curved-edge painting on canvas by Ahluwalia brings Roger Dery’s 6.27-carat Tanzanite Signature Round to life. “When Roger reached out to me to create a custom painting and shared the impact of Gem Legacy, I immediately got onboard. I always strive to create art that can touch people’s lives positively and make a tangible difference. I am honored that my ‘Gem Legacy’ painting is able to contribute in raising funds,” Ahluwalia said.
First prize of the raffle is Reena Ahluwalia’s spectacular painting valued at US$6,000. The second and third prizes are museum-quality, limited edition canvas prints of the painting valued at US$800 each.
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