Maarten deWitte | Diamond Wizard
Maarten has been intimately involved with cutting gem diamonds for over 50 years. Is a graduate and former Director of the American School of Diamond Cutting. He is world renowned as the Diamond Wizard™. He currently serves as lead consultant for Root Diamonds and Root Studios.
Root Diamonds is an initiative for developing value-added in the diamond sector in Sierra Leone. It uses only artisanal mined diamonds to produce “storied diamonds”. Its ultimate goal is to create a unique “Mine to Yours” experience with a traceable, sustainable, and ethical supply chain that benefits the aspirations of artisanal miners.
Root Studios is a non-profit collaborating with NGO’s, governmental and private investors to empower local youths, via programs teaching artisanal diamond cutting, jewelry design, and up-to-date entrepreneurial training.
Maarten views the world of diamonds through a wide lens with a large field of vision. His scope of experience ranges from the solitary workbench to the global diamond industry. Highly regarded for excellence as a craftsman, innovator, and teacher – in wholesale, retail, branding, training, research, and development. Diamond cutting is the first transformative step in bringing finished gem diamonds to market. Teaching youth this critical knowledge enables them to broaden their overall knowledge and experience in the diamond trade. Their own personalities will guide their futures, whether they remain at the bench or decide to move either upstream or downstream in the supply chain.
Root Diamonds - American Diamond Cutter
origin + connection + symbolism = storied diamonds
Fas Lebbie, Ph. D Candidate, MS, BA | Root Studios
Fas Lebbie is a designer, entrepreneur, and technologist. He is currently a Teaching Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Transition Design at Carnegie Mellon. Fas also manages a team of product designers at Meta. Furthermore, he collaborates with MIT as a Government Innovation Mentor, working with design researchers in West African governance to develop policy and innovative programs.
As a PhD candidate, Fas’ research begins by investigating African extraction sites and implications of these minerals in green technologies. His works builds on theories of post extractive imaginaries to offer new interventions for sustainable development & the diversification of natural resources through investing in downstream linkages
Fas works with artisanal diamond mining communities in Kono District, Sierra Leone, through his up-and-coming social enterprises. Root Diamonds, as highlighted by Parsons School of Design, connects consumers of diamonds to artisanal miners. Revenues from this diamond company will fund Root Studios: an incubator, maker space, and boot camp that contributes to economic diversification by creating job-ready programs for Sierra Leonean youths.
Contact Information
