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82 www.thejewelrybook.com J E W E L S F O R G E N E R A T I O N S G I V I N G B A C K On the eve of Roger Dery's 37th trip to Africa—at press time, he was scheduled to depart in mid-May—he's returning with renewed purpose: a freshly minted 501(c)3 entity dubbed Gem Legacy that will formalize the work his family and others in the industry have been doing for 20 years. The roots for Gem Legacy took hold in 1999. That's when this onetime stone dealer turned cutter took his inaugural African journey to Namibia to help devel- op some cutting centers. After the proj- ect's completion, he didn't return to Africa until 2008, when his late friend Jim Fiebig, a fellow member of the Michigan Jewelers Association, enlisted him to help assess mining opportunities in Madagascar. It was on this trip that Fiebig suggested Dery check out the promise of more places in East Africa. Dery acted on the idea in 2009, eventually returning several times a year to develop contacts and purchase rough. Now he brings groups to East Africa to see the sources of stones like tsavorite and tanzanite. Throughout these journeys, the goodness of the people and their sur- rounding struggles were plain to see. While Dery and wife, Ginger, had always donated what they could to help improve the conditions of miners, it wasn't until 2016 when a retailer on a trip with the Derys proposed something more estab- lished. Would they create a nonprofi t to formalize and grow efforts to help more individuals in East Africa? Overnight, members of that travel group raised about $3,000 as an initial investment. After some exploration and support from more industry partners, the Derys debuted Gem Legacy in August 2018. They announced it to the trade during this year's Tucson gem shows—to a standing-room-only crowd— and interest continues to grow, including from some of the top names in gemstones. The goal of Gem Legacy is to support education, vocational training, and local economies, while its vision is to involve more industry partners. "We're not restricted to East Africa, but we travel there three times a year and can ensure that the money goes where it's sup- posed to," says Dery. To date, money has been raised for new facet- ing machines for a school in Arusha, Tanza- nia, a compressor for a group of female min- ers (shown in the photos) in Kenya, and school fees for orphans in Kenya and Malawi. All funds distributed to date—about $31,000—enable miners, gem cutters, and their families to learn best practices to better themselves and their economic positions. Stone-cutting skills, in particu- lar, will produce more value for the people in the countries where the stones originate. "We want to transform mining communi- ties from what they've been doing for the past 60 years to scenarios where kids go to school, they have healthcare within a rea- sonable walking distance, and structures are in place at the mines so they can thrive," Dery says. Visit gemlegacy.org for more information. FEMALE MINERS IN KENYA RECENTLY BENEFITTED FROM GEM LEGACY BY WAY OF A COMPRESSOR FOR USE AT THEIR MINE SITE. BY JENNIFER HEEBNER Jewels for Generations A gem cutter's travels to Africa paved the way for a nonprofi t that helps miners. ROUGH GEMS FROM SOME OF THE EAST AFRICAN MINES THAT ROGER AND GINGER DERY HAVE VISITED.

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