Exciting collaborative project secures the identity of MYNE London’s Pakistani emerald supply using Opsydia’s leading Sub-Surface ID System (D5000).
November 2021
Leading gemstone security specialist, Opsydia, has collaborated with ethical and sustainable emerald supplier, Myne London, to permanently place its brand logo beneath the surface of its traceable emerald melee supply from Pakistan.
The Opsydia team worked with Myne London Founders Fiona Wellington and Kate Murray Gordos, and their in-house gemmologist Charles Evans Bsc (Hons) FGA DGA, to create a procedure for placing the business’ unique ‘M’ logo beneath the surface of its emeralds, which are ethically sourced from the Swat Valley, Pakistan. The presence of this brand logo represents the authenticity of each emerald, the traceable journey it has taken from Pakistan, and the wider efforts that Myne London undertakes to support local women and their access to skills, education and training.
Myne London Gemmologist, Charles Evans, says: “MyneLondon has invested heavily in securing Swat Valley emeralds that meet their strict ethical trade criteria. Being a fresh, young business that specialises in melee sizes, Myne London has chosen to be innovative and partner with Opsydia. Its recent strides in placing identifiers beneath the surface of melee diamonds inspired us to pursue the same treatment for Myne London melee emeralds (under 2mm). Anyone who is serious about authenticating coloured gemstones and reassuring their customers can do the same.”
Opsydia successfully trialled its technology with coloured gemstones in 2019 and the results were published in the Summer 2019 edition of InColor magazine, created by the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF). This is the first time Opsydia has worked with a coloured gemstone business on a commercial project, while also navigating the challenges of working exclusively with melee-sized emeralds as small as 1.3mm in diameter.
Opsydia CEO, Andrew Rimmer, says: “Our existing technology and available Sub-Surface ID Systems are ideally suited to diamonds and coloured gemstones. We work with our clients, like Myne London, to achieve the desired visibility of sub-surface features in the ideal configurations and locations within each gemstone. Our technology is available for others in the coloured stones trade to adopt immediately and, for those who deal in both diamonds and coloured stones, we can offer assurances that an Opsydia System is capable of processing both.”
To date, Opsydia has placed features inside Myne London emeralds without affecting their clarity grade. The ‘M’ logo is placed towards the edge of the table, approximately 250μm beneath the surface and is not visible to the naked eye. This brand feature is best seen under a microscope with at least 20x magnification using reflected light. The monogram has also been purposefully placed to ensure it is still visible when the melee emerald is set in a piece of jewellery.
Discerning buyers can now see proof that their emeralds were sourced by Myne London and validated as part of its rigorous supply chain processes. “By carrying the Myne London logo in a piece of jewellery, designers and brands can demonstrate they have played a part in bringing a premium product to market while sharing our values,” notes Fiona Wellington, Co-Founder of Myne London. She continues: “The results here are illustrated in ‘A’ clarity stones with ‘C’ colour, which is a slightly desaturated green for testing purposes. MyneLondon generally deals in ‘Excellent’ ‘A’ or ‘B’ stones, and we look forward to offering these with the same internal monogram in the coming months.”
Opsydia’s Andrew Rimmer adds: “As a business, we are pleased to able to support Myne London and its important mission to raise the profile of Swat Valley emeralds. A melee emerald containing the ‘M’ sub-surface identifier is part of a bigger picture that promotes equity throughout the supply chain, supports women and children, and allows designer-brands to pass ethical and origin assurances on to their customers.”
About Myne London
Founded in Belgravia, London, in 2018, Myne London® specialises in sourcing emeralds ethically, sustainably and responsibly from Swat Valley, Pakistan. It works with local groups in the region to enhance the positive social impact of emerald mining, with a special focus on the education, training and fair employment of women. To achieve these goals, Myne London collaborates with designer-brands to find a creative home for its emerald supply, while also creating its own luxury fine jewellery collections that encompass its values of social and economic empowerments.
The business was founded by sisters Fiona Wellington and Kate Murray Gordos who were born in Malaysia and raised in both London and Peshawar, Pakistan. They travelled extensively across Pakistan including the Khyber regions and into Afghanistan and Kabul, thus establishing a deep relationship with the area. In 2018, they sent a team of experts, including gemmologist Charles Evans BSc FGA DGA, to investigate the little-known emerald mines hidden in the beautiful Swat Valley. The exceptional quality and rarity of the emeralds they found there were world class, thus establishing a new traceable and transparent route to market.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and TJM Media Pvt Ltd. is not responsible for any errors in the same.
