A Gem in the Family

MdMaya was born at the same time as my daughter.

My daughter’s hands holding gemstones — the real beginning of MdMaya.

I’ve always been passionate about gemstones. During my pregnancy, unable to move around easily, I began buying them online. I quickly learned some hard lessons — I faced many disappointments, both from virtual and physical shops. To verify what I was buying, I started taking the stones to the Gemology School at the University of Barcelona, where they would analyze them and confirm whether they were truly what I believed I had purchased.

Needless to say, my daughter now has quite a collection of “faux stones”: synthetic sapphires, amethysts, citrines made of synthetic quartz, and more. Eventually, I realized I didn’t want to rely on others to tell me whether a gemstone was treated, synthetic, or natural — I wanted to know for myself.

So I decided to study.

I completed a two-year Gemology program at the University of Barcelona and earned my official title as a Gemologist. I later specialized in Diamonds, then became a Specialist in Synthetic and Treated Gems, and finally obtained the FEEG – European Gemmologist certification from the Federation for European Education in Gemmology.

Certifications & Gemological Training

Throughout this journey, I’ve learned a simple truth:

When you buy a luxury car, you expect a high-quality engine — not one from a budget model. But in the gemstone world, it’s common to pay for a ruby and receive a piece of red glass, a synthetic spinel, or a treated stone worth far less than what you paid.

This shop was born to offer the opposite.

At MdMaya, what you see is what you get: natural gemstones. Stones with inclusions — those beautiful internal marks that tell us, as gemologists, they’re real. Unique gems, because no two natural stones are ever the same.

This project is the result of years of study and deep passion.
I hope you enjoy these gemstones as much as I do.

Lola Sánchez
Gemologist – Founder of MdMaya Gems

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MdMaya Gems was built with science, passion… and heart.
If you'd like to understand the soul behind this project, I invite you to read a personal tribute to my sister Tere — a brilliant veterinarian who taught us how to live with joy, dignity, and courage.

Read the tribute →