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About us

Bringing Zimbabwean gemstones to the global stage

Gemstones Zimbabwe are passionate traders, exporters and processors of both rough and finished gemstones. Our aim is to raise the value of the Zimbabwean gemstone industry — creating opportunities for growth that benefit Zimbabwe and the buyers we work with.

Our founder

Hamandishe Nhiwatiwa, founder of Gemstones Zimbabwe

Hamandishe Nhiwatiwa

Founder

Hamandishe Nhiwatiwa is a young entrepreneur with a passion for empowering his local communities through the sustainable trade of gemstones. Zimbabwe's ground yields sapphire, ruby, tourmaline, aquamarine and garnet of real quality — but too much of that value has historically left the country in its rawest form, with little of it staying where the stones were found.

Gemstones Zimbabwe was built to change that balance. Trading, cutting and exporting under one roof means more of the work happens locally, and more of what a stone is finally worth stays in the communities the material came from. Sustainability here is practical rather than decorative: sourcing that the people involved can keep doing, and terms that hold up on both sides of a deal.

His training at the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School and membership of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain mean stones are assessed in-house rather than taken on trust. Buyers deal with someone who can tell them what a stone actually is — and who will say so plainly when a stone is not what they are looking for.

How we work

Direct sourcing

We work with Zimbabwean material and keep the chain between mine and buyer as short as we can.

Straight description

A stone is described as what it is — species, condition, and any treatment disclosed up front, before a sale rather than after.

Value kept local

Cutting and polishing in Zimbabwe keeps more of the value in the country the stones came from.

Credentials

Qualifications and licences an international buyer can verify before dealing with us.

  • Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School

    Graduate. Formal training in the assessment and grading of rough and cut stones.

  • Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe

    Licensed gemstone dealer. MMCZ is the statutory body governing mineral trade and export in Zimbabwe — the licence is what allows stones to leave the country legally.

  • Gemmological Association of Great Britain

    Member. Gem-A is one of the longest-established gemmological bodies internationally.