- Post score: 14
- #26
In normal civilian parlance, I would be considered a jeweler. I am not, however, what I consider a jeweler to be. I do not sit at a bench and create magnificence. Nor do I sit at the computer and create CAD designs of the beauty that will be created, I am, instead, a gemologist who understands why some diamonds and gems are beautiful, and why some of equal crystal quality are not. (It's the cutting!)
I graduated near the top of my class from the Gemological Institute of America in November of 1975. That education fueled my desire to know more about diamonds, colored gems, and pearls. At one time, I considered myself an expert on Pearls, but no more, too much has happened since I graduated from Jill Fisher's Pearl grading class at the GIA and the market in Idaho was so small that I just could not devote the time needed to keep up with what I would have needed to know to continue to grade and evaluate pearls.
The same with my primary love, colored gems, which I started buying and selling in 1971 in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil while stationed at the American Embassy as a Marine Security Guard. I learned Brasilian Portuguese in order to pursue the beautiful young ladies there and ended up asking one of the American employees on a date while between Brasileiras. I, who had sworn an oath to myself never to marry unless I could have a relationship like my parents, fell madly in love and in August we will celebrate our 49th anniversary. In one more year I will reach the goal my parents came so close to, before my father had the temerity to die with only a couple of years to go to their 50th.
But I ramble. No matter how much I loved the colored gems, I could not make a living with them in Idaho. I started selling diamonds, although I was always obsessed with how poorly most of them are cut, even today. I studied cut grading and constantly complained to my suppliers about why were they selling such drek?
Finally, the American Gem Society spent millions of dollars creating a cut quality grading system that actually meant something. Now I could confidently know, without having the diamond in my hand that at least it was going to be pretty. A cutter who was cutting absolutely the best cut diamonds I have ever seen contacted me and I became his sole on line seller and helped him find many Stateside Bricks and Mortar sellers.
I tried to retire to be with my wife full time. She has had my back for more than 50 years now, and she needs me to take hers now. Retirement sucks! Daytime TV is total drivel and will kill you quickly if you sit and watch it.
Instead one of my former competitors and good friends has hired me to help him get successful on the Internet. I am to work at home, part time, and be his Brand Ambassador. He is working on getting his website updated for ecommerce. He already has a hugely successful Bricks and Mortar business and I fully expect to be able to drive his online business to several millions of dollars by the time I am 80.
Sorry, TMI.
Short answer: No, I am not a bench jeweler. I work with clients around the world to help the find what they want and to have the dream translated into reality, often a different reality than they thought they were looking for. Sometimes that translated dream is less than what they thought they would have to spend.
I sell into Europe, Asia, Canada, South Africa, all of the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. I cannot sell into Central and South America as I can only get shipping insurance for $100 into those countries. I work with the top quality diamond cutters, and have access to top quality custom work jewelers, as well as off the shelf mountings for those on a lower budget.
