Columbia Gem House is thrilled to unveil the Pebbles to Pines Fundraiser as their fourth annual online fundraising event. This year, proceeds will benefit the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and its Reforestation Program, which focuses on reforesting critical-need regions of our National Forests. For every dollar raised, the program will plant one tree. The initiative targets regions across the United States, including forests within Oregon, Montana, and Arizona – states from which this year’s featured gemstones were sourced.

Each jewelry piece has been meticulously crafted and graciously donated to the raffle by designers participating in the MJSA Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge. Inspired by a fictional story, these unique jewelry designs were brought to life using a variety of gemstones donated by Columbia Gem House, including Montana Sapphire, Oregon Sunstone, Yogo Sapphire, and Mesa Verde®  Peridot from Arizona.

With a total of nine jewelry pieces featured in the raffle, tickets can be purchased for $25 each from October 1-31, 2024, at www.columbiagemhouse.com. Each piece will have 100 tickets available, with no limit on the number of tickets one can buy, provided they remain in stock.

Natasha Braunwart, Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Columbia Gem House, shared her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that, “While direct environmental reclamation at mining sites may not always be feasible, this project demonstrates how we can still make a positive impact by intentionally offsetting some of the environmental effects through collaboration and support for local communities. We are excited to work with the National Forest Foundation to help restore critical-need areas, some of which are in states where we source our American gemstones.” She added that Columbia Gem House aims to keep environmental considerations central in discussions about responsible sourcing and is committed to finding ways to continually improve, as this is one of the Company’s Fair Trade Gems® Principles.

With the support of raffle ticket purchasers, Columbia Gem House has set a goal to plant 10,000 trees, which would require the sale of 400 raffle tickets.

For more information about the Pebbles to Pines Fundraiser and to preview this year’s jewelry pieces, visit www.columbiagemhouse.com/pages/pebbles-to-pines-fundraiser. You can also subscribe to their email list for updates and reminders when tickets become available.