When Danish gem house Wennick–Lefèvre set out to offer natural, untreated sapphires to the world, it wasn’t just about colour. It was about clarity — not only in the gemstones themselves, but in the way they’re sourced, cut, and ultimately shared with the world. In an industry where value is often measured in carats and certificates, Wennick–Lefèvre chose a different route: one that prioritises transparency, respect, and responsibility at every stage of the supply chain. Their mission goes beyond aesthetics. It’s about bringing full visibility to the hands, stories and communities behind each stone — and using that visibility to drive lasting, human impact.

Unheated sapphires from Wennick–Lefèvre, showcasing a spectrum of natural colours — including the signature “Coca-Cola” red

From Ilakaka to Sri Lanka: A Transparent Supply Chain

Their focus lies in Madagascar’s Ilakaka region — home to one of the world’s richest sapphire deposits. From golden yellows to moody greys and the now-iconic “Coca-Cola” red, these stones come in an extraordinary range of shades. All are mined by hand and cut at Sunrise Facets, a Sri Lankan facility co-founded by Wennick–Lefèvre and led by Nilanthi Thisera — the first woman in Sri Lanka to own and run a gemstone cutting workshop.

Founded by Svend Wennick, the company is built on a simple but radical idea: that the most beautiful gemstones are those left untouched by heat or chemicals, sourced transparently, and handled with respect at every stage.

But his commitment doesn’t stop at traceability. In 2024, Svend Wennick helped launch Project Ilakaka — a grassroots initiative focused on improving conditions for the very community where his gemstones are sourced. Through the project, jewellers from across Europe and the US are funding wells, supplying medicine, and now building classrooms for children in Ilakaka.

The school and church in Ambalafary

Project Ilakaka: Jewellery That Gives Back

In 2024, Svend Wennick launched Project Ilakaka — a grassroots, volunteer-led initiative with a clear mission: to give back to the communities behind the sapphires. What started as a series of personal conversations soon became a movement, connecting jewellers, gem cutters, writers and industry professionals from around the world with a single purpose: to make tangible change in Madagascar’s Ilakaka region.

“Many jewellers want to support the people at the bottom of their supply chain, but they don’t know how,”. “Project Ilakaka is giving them that opportunity.”

Svend Wennick

At the core of the initiative is a belief that ethical sourcing must go hand in hand with community investment. Rather than relying on top-down aid, Project Ilakaka empowers local voices, responds to direct needs, and delivers practical solutions — from building wells and schools to supplying medicine and educational tools. Every project is managed by a tight-knit team of volunteers and executed in partnership with local leaders, ensuring that the impact is both meaningful and sustainable. What began as one person’s vision has become a living network of accountability, compassion and action — proof that the jewellery trade, when mobilised with purpose, can be a force for real-world transformation.

“I brought together a group of people who became inspired to contribute,” says Wennick. “From my family lawyer and accountant to relatives and friends — they all chipped in to help establish what is now the NGO Project Ilakaka.”

Today, that informal group has grown into a dedicated volunteer team that manages the project’s day-to-day operations and long-term development:

– Dan Elloway, British copywriter

– Marie-Louise Joensen, Danish jeweller

– Floris Bruseker, Dutch jeweller

– Severin Besabotsy, Madagascan hotel manager

– Rishan Anver, Sri Lankan gemstone partner

– Svend Wennick, founder and visionary behind the project.

- Andrew Martyniuk, Founder of The Jewels Club

“It has been one of the most heartwarming experiences of my life to witness how passionately people have united behind this project,” Svend adds. “From people across the supply chain and local authorities, to individuals with no connection to the jewellery industry at all.”

Since its foundation, Project Ilakaka has focused on delivering real, measurable impact — funding wells for clean drinking water, supplying medicine to local clinics, and building schools in response to direct community requests. Each initiative is locally led, need-driven, and supported entirely by donations — with no middlemen or admin overheads. Every contribution goes directly to where it’s needed.

And the impact is already visible.

“Since the project began in Ilakaka last year, we’ve seen it infuse hope for a better future,” Svend reflects. “We believe that together, over time, we can transform the lives of the 100,000 people living in this region.”

Svend Wennick

This ethos of transparency and accountability doesn’t end with the NGO. In fact, it defines the business too.

Although the name implies a partnership, Wennick–Lefèvre was founded and is led solely by Svend Wennick. “The name was always conceptual,” he says with a smile. “But the mission — and the work — has always been real.”

His current partner is IBIG, a forward-thinking investor group that supports only businesses driven by ethical practices and a commitment to people and the planet.

Most recently, the project broke ground on a major new school building in Ambalafary, a village near Ilakaka, after teachers reached out directly to request help. The result will be three classrooms, full bathroom facilities, and room for 70 additional children to attend school — in a region where educational infrastructure is severely limited, and dropout rates remain high.

It’s a model rooted in dignity, dialogue and direct action — one that’s quietly rewriting the story of what ethical jewellery can mean.

School children in Ilakaka

 Svend Wennick giving out rice in 2024

The well in Ambalafary, opened in August 2024

A New School, Built by the Trade

The school project began with a direct request from local teachers — a clear and urgent need. In parts of Madagascar like Ilakaka, where population growth has outpaced infrastructure, the absence of basic school facilities is one of the biggest barriers to education.

The new building, located in Ambalafary, spans 24×6 metres and includes three classrooms and dedicated bathroom facilities. Once completed, it will allow 70 additional children to access education each year — a number that could transform the future of an entire village.

It’s more than bricks and mortar. In Madagascar, only 60% of children complete primary school, and just 35% go on to secondary education. Without adequate space or resources, even the most motivated students are often left behind. This project offers more than learning — it offers a future.

Construction began on 24 May 2024, and the building is already taking shape. Photos from the site show the walls rising steadily, a tangible sign of what community-backed action can achieve. Funded by jewellery professionals and coordinated entirely through Project Ilakaka’s volunteer network, it’s a school built by the trade — for the next generation.

When beauty and purpose align, the result isn’t just precious — it’s lasting.

Breaking ground: Construction begins on the new 24x6m school building that will house three classrooms and new toilets

The walls rise: Progress on the new classrooms continues as part of a wider mission to improve access to education in Madagascar

Clean Water, Close to Home

Access to clean drinking water remains one of the region’s most pressing and persistent challenges — especially for schoolchildren, who often spend long days in the heat without reliable hydration. For many, the walk to fetch water takes precedence over the classroom.

Project Ilakaka is tackling the issue well by well. In April 2024, the initiative inaugurated its second community well — an 18-metre-deep source of fresh water located directly within a local school. Sponsored by jewellery writer and advocate Katerina Perez, who visited the site for its opening, the well now serves hundreds of children daily, providing access to clean water throughout the school day.

It’s a small intervention with outsized impact. Clean water means better health, longer classroom attendance, and less strain on children and their families.

Two additional wells are already in planning, each positioned based on direct requests from teachers and village leaders. As with the school project, these efforts are coordinated entirely by volunteers and funded through donations from within the jewellery industry — from independent designers to retailers and advocates.

It’s a reminder that when the trade comes together, even modest contributions can change lives — turning intention into infrastructure.

Laying the foundations of clean water access: The early stages of well construction in Ambalafary, Madagascar

The finished well structure, complete with reinforced cover and pulley system — a vital new source of drinking water for the school

Another view of the completed well, located on school grounds and providing essential access to safe water for students

Joy and pride: Students in Ilakaka show off their new pens, distributed as part of Project Ilakaka’s education support initiative

A Community-Led Model

The response from the jewellery world has been immediate — and deeply personal. Independent designers like Alex Monroe and Spanish brand Majoral were among the first to get involved, offering both support and visibility. High-profile advocates including Katerina Perez and Adam Heindorf have gone even further, personally sponsoring wells and amplifying the story behind the stones.

This isn’t corporate CSR — it’s a growing movement powered by individuals who believe in jewellery with purpose.

As Svend Wennick put it during a 2024 visit, captured handing out rice and essential supplies to families in Ilakaka:

“Transparency isn’t just about paperwork. It’s about people.”

Svend Wennick

A Different Kind of Value

Every unheated sapphire sold through Wennick–Lefèvre carries more than natural beauty. It carries a message — of fairness, dignity, and shared responsibility. These stones are not only untreated by heat or chemicals, but untouched by opacity. Their value lies not just in their colour or rarity, but in the integrity of the journey they’ve taken — from the hands that mined them, to the women who cut them, to the children whose futures they quietly help build.

It’s jewellery with nothing to hide — and everything to give.

“The success of my business can be measured in profits — but I prefer to measure it by what I can do for the people in my supply chain.”

Project Ilakaka volunteer

The Jewels Club’s Take

At a time when words like “sustainable” and “ethical” are too often used without substance, Wennick–Lefèvre and Project Ilakaka offer something different: real-world impact, rooted in transparency and action. From untreated sapphires to underground wells and school walls, this is a reminder that the true value of jewellery isn’t just in how it shines — it’s in what it supports.

"This is what the future of fine jewellery can look like. And we’re proud to spotlight it".

Andrew Martyniuk - The Jewels Club

How to Support

Wennick–Lefèvre proves that when beauty and purpose align, the result isn’t just precious — it’s transformative. This is jewellery with conscience, creating change not through slogans, but through action: clean water, safe classrooms, and opportunity where there was once only need.

But they can’t do it alone. Project Ilakaka is entirely volunteer-led, and every donation — no matter the size — goes directly to the community. No middlemen. No bureaucracy. Just wells dug, school walls raised, and futures rewritten.

If you believe in a jewellery industry that gives back, now’s the time to act.

To learn more about Project Ilakaka or support the work directly, visit www.projectilakaka.com or follow @projectilakaka on Instagram to see the impact unfold in real time.

Scroll the photo gallery below to see the people and progress behind the project.

The Jewels Club founder Andrew Matyniuk with Svend Wennick in Copenhagen

A completed school building in Ilakaka — the type of essential infrastructure Project Ilakaka is helping to expand