The Toolbox Initiative

The Toolbox Initiative is a volunteer effort created by jewelers Matthieu Cheminée and Tim McCreight in 2014. The goal is to assist jewelers with limited resources through the collective strength of the metalworking community and to create new connections worldwide.

The Toolbox Initiative collect donations of new or gently used tools and silver and deliver them directly to hardworking jewelers, primarily in West Africa.

Each exchange is personal and non-commercial. Contributors send extra tools or sterling silver scrap to us, we clean the tools and process the silver, then carry it with us when we travel to Africa, or send it to people we know personally. Through a partnership with Rio Grande Jewelry Supply, any cash donations will be used to buy tools at a special discount. No currency will be exchanged, all tools and materials are distributed to working jewelers at no cost.

A jeweller in West Africa will typically own a hammer, pliers or tweezers and a few other odds and ends that they keep in a hand-made toolbox. They must rely on their ingenuity because commercial tools are rarely available. The Toolbox Initiative aims to address this imbalance. We hope that this exchange forges important connections and deepens the bond between jewelers everywhere.

For more information
www.toolboxinitiative.org