Yianni Melas – Gem Explorer

Introducing our newest brand ambassador Yianni Melas. He is an authority for ethical gemstones and is a renown activist for artisanal miners & children affected by corruption in this industry. He puts his money where his mouth is and went into hunger strike in 2017 to protest against leadership corruption in Angola. A 31 day hunger strike to raise awareness and protest the Christie’s auction of a 163 carat Angolan diamond sold by De Grisogno, which belonged to the daughter of Angola’s former president, and would have further enriched a family known for corruption while children were dying of poverty in Angola at an alarming rate.
In 2014 he discovered a new gemstone when doing some work at a secret location in Africa. Aquaprase, a natural-color bluish green chalcedony. When submitted it to the GIA they confirmed it was a ‘new’ stone and Aquaphrase was accredited to Yianni’s name and it became part of his legacy. We, MAQÉ, can’t get enough of Aquaprase, it’s inclusions are nature’s beauty at it best.
Thank you Yianni for being our expert ambassador, we look forward to working with you on our new projects!