The Road Less Travelled

It would not be out of the ordinary to find us sleeping in a tent in the middle of the African bush, far from the nearest town, in the pursuit of the finest of rough stones. Alexander’s father, Stefan, has spent the last 40 years visiting mines in all four corners of the globe, to bring back the items that form the beginning of our journey to a precious gem.

He has been caught up in a military coup, he has been driving a vehicle over a road on the verge of collapse; he has been stalked by lions. None of this has stood in the way of Stefan’s pursuit of excellence, for it is only by choosing the very best rough stone, that we can produce our precious gems.

From Africa To Oregon

Many miners do not allow you to select single rough stones, or to pick them out one by one, but that is what we do. We may end up purchasing less than one per cent of the material we are shown. Or we may not purchase any at all.

We can do this because of our excellent relationships with miners; friendships built up not just over decades, but over generations. As our sons have taken the roles of their fathers, so the same has happened in the mining families. We’ve experienced the best of times and the worst of times together, and our relationship has only strengthened as a result. Business is done with a handshake or our word – integrity and honesty is of the highest order..

Rough stones

The precious gems that we bring back from our adventurous travels are Imperial Topaz, Ruby, Tanzanite, Boulder Opal, Tourmaline, Golden Rutile, Aquamarine, Sapphire and Emerald. Of course, these don’t look like the final, polished version; they are rough stones ready to be taken on the next stage of their journey.

We go the extra mile to make sure that our business is ethical. We approach any new relationship with the utmost integrity. Our knowledge about the mining process allows us to assess the plausibility of a miner’s claim. Should we not feel comfortable, we will forgo the business.

“EACH STONE IS NATURAL, UNIQUE – BEGINNING AND END, ORIGIN AND INFINITY.”

Alexander Kreis