With faculty beginning once more this season, listed here are some useful sources that may hold you on prime of the newest information.

September is historically the month when college students begin heading again to high school and searching for the instruments they’ll want to achieve their classes. However what about your skilled research? May these do with a polish?

In that case, this is perhaps time to consider how one can additional your information with out having to check full-time. Details about diamonds, gems and jewellery is ever evolving, so it’s essential to maintain on prime of it, it doesn’t matter what degree of experience you’ve got.

Good reads

A good way to strengthen your trade information in your down time is to choose up a e book. There are a lot of I might spotlight, however just a few diamond-focused picks to get you began are Diamond Jewellery: 700 Years of Glory and Glamour by Diana Scarisbrick; Diamonds: The Quest from Stable Rock to the Magic of Diamonds by Christine Gordon; Diamonds: Diamond Tales by Assouline in partnership with Solely Pure Diamonds; and American Reduce: The First 100 Years by Al Gilbertson. A favorite of mine is Diamonds by Marijan Dundek, which is now accessible in seven languages in each print and e-book codecs.

A matter of programs

Throughout the pandemic, all of us realized that whereas there have been huge advantages to finding out in individual alongside your friends, you didn’t really have to be in a classroom to be taught. For these of us with full-time jobs, on-line courses are a lot simpler to suit round work. Plus, you possibly can attend any international faculty that gives digital studying applications, irrespective of the place you’re based mostly.

A fast Google search will present you the rising variety of jewellery and gem programs accessible on-line, however there are just a few I might level out particularly. For gemology necessities, attempt the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the Gübelin Academy, or the Worldwide Gem Society (IGS). For advertising and retail, Rapaport Academy is a good useful resource. Sotheby’s Institute of Artwork, in the meantime, presents a course known as “Ideas of Luxurious” that provides you with an summary of the broader luxurious enterprise.

Desire a hands-on method? I received you. If you’ll be able to journey to the southern US, there are two remaining De Beers “Introduction to the 4Cs Workshop” programs happening this yr: one in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 20, and the opposite in Dallas, Texas, on October 11.

Media galore

Maintaining with trade information is one other great way to enhance your information base — and to choose up attention-grabbing tidbits you possibly can share with clients to point out off your experience. The GIA web site has a wealth of knowledge, as does that of the Fancy Shade Analysis Basis (FCRF), which has an consultants’ “lounge” part crammed with articles, stories and analyses about fancy-colored diamonds.

Commerce magazines are important for anybody critical about constructing their information, and lots of shiny magazines and newspapers publish common dietary supplements devoted to jewellery. These may be particularly useful for understanding what your clients is perhaps discovering.

You may also use social media to observe influencers who supply insights into totally different sides of our trade. Danielle Miele of the Gem Gossip weblog shares info on vintage jewels, whereas fellow blogger Katerina Perez is a good supply for high-jewelry inspiration. Jean-Noel Soni of High Notch Faceting will set any gemstone aficionado’s coronary heart aflutter together with his richly saturated photographs of bespoke cuts.

And don’t overlook to make use of your individual social media profiles to unfold your ardour and impart what you’ve realized. The extra you possibly can educate your clients, the higher. I’ve a lot enjoyable creating reels on Instagram that share my academic journey with my followers.

Instruments of the commerce

Whereas digital media are wonderful channels for sharing info, you also needs to move in your information in-store — and why not introduce a device or two to assist your clients higher admire diamonds?

Use a gem-testing gadget, such because the GIA iD100, to point out them the distinction between lab-grown stones and pure diamonds. Or benefit from devices just like the GIA Match iD, which makes use of synthetic intelligence (AI) to match a diamond’s inscription with its GIA grading report. The patron can then use an app to view the report digitally. It’s eco-friendly (paper-free), user-friendly, compact, and reasonably priced, and is definitely a device I can be including to my very own September “again to high school” want record.

Picture: Gübelin

Article from the Rapaport Journal – September 2022. To subscribe click on right here.