Yo! Welcome to the very start of something that I never expected to happen.
If you had told me a couple months ago that I would be spending my days surrounded by some of the world's most precious stones, I probably would've looked at you funny and laughed. Up until recently, I had zero interest in gems, jewellery, or diamonds. My expertise lay in a very different kind of craft, and that is brewing espressos, mixing drinks and making and keeping the clients happy as both a barista and bartender.
But as we all know, life has a very strange way of shifting gears.
A month ago, I was head hunted to work as a bartender/customer liaison at a luxury jewellery company right here in South Africa. All of a sudden I go from just working with coffee to being surrounded by diamonds and Tanzanite. I walked onto the showroom with absolutely no knowledge on gems or jewellery.
And here I find myself writing a blog about this.
Instead of just walking into shift everyday, watching clients buy gems, while I pour them drinks and learn little by listening to the sales consultants, I thought "Why not turn this into a massive fun experiment?" I want to learn this fascinating, slightly weird, and undeniably beautiful industry from the ground up. And I would like to invite you to come along with me for the ride.
I know what you might be thinking right now. Why read a blog by someone who doesn't know the difference between a lab grown stone and a natural diamond yet? Why not just go and read those massive ass encyclopedias put out by those GIANT international gem organisations?
Look, don't get me wrong those massive organisations are great and all, and they have all the technical data in the world. But competition exists in every single industry you go into, and it doesn't really bother me. What they don't have is the perspective of a beginner. They don't show you the messy, awe-inspiring process of learning it all for the very first time.
This blog isn't going to be a stuffy textbook. It's meant to be a journey of discovery.
- If you're brand new to gems such as myself: We can learn together. I'll be breaking down complex luxury concepts into plain English. No elitist jargon will be found here, I hope.
- If you are already an experienced gemologist or jeweller: Well good on you, and welcome! I hope this space reminds you of the initial "Wow!" you felt when you first started out, and maybe, just maybe you'll even spot a fresh perspective on a stone you've looked at a thousand times and gone "Eh it's okay at best, there's nothing new here", there is always something new to learn.
We are going to cover it ALL, from the largest, most legendary diamonds in human history to the tiniest, rarest minerals hidden deep in the earth. We'll dive into the history, the lore, the myths, and the actual science behind what makes a piece of compressed carbon worth millions.
I would once again like to thank you and welcome you to this crazy journey. Go grab something to eat and drink. There is and will be a lot of reading and exploring up ahead!
I'm from South Africa, so yes my spelling and yours from the US might not be the same, cut me some slack man! I'm watching you!
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