Rachel Lichte

In 2009, I co-founded Clarity Project. We sourced fair diamonds, gems and metals, made and sold fine jewelry, and invested our profits to improve the lives of diamond miners and their communities. As one of the four C's of grading a diamond (the others are Cut, Color, and Carat), the term Clarity reflects the transparency in our process and the focus of our mission. Through our partner Shine on Sierra Leone, we funded three adult literacy programs and education for more than 1000 primary school students in Kono District with profits from sales of jewelry.

From December 2013 to April 2014, Clarity Project operated an artisanal diamond mine in Sierra Leone. Beginning in the late summer of 2014, ebola caused devastation across the region. In November 2014, we made the very difficult decision to conclude our direct sourcing efforts there. The lack of an alternative, reliable supply of diamonds that would meet our strict sourcing standards left us unable to continue the Clarity Project mission. My partner acquired the brand to create a new iteration of the company using a supply of lab-grown diamonds. What you now see on the Clarity Project website reflects this update. 

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