Hi everyone,
I am very new to the industry and I am trying to make connections and learn as much as possible.
I have been going to Gem Shows local jewelry marts to meet people and see if they have any interest in the gemstones I currently have. I have found that people do have interest in specific stones and the prices vary greatly from selling to a wholesaler (below wholesale), selling wholesale, and selling retail. The difference between them has left me perplexed at times which is why I would love to find a mentor who can help teach me the basics of the industry and hopefully more. I also do have interest for faceting and jewelry making as the more I have learned the more it seems to be a bit easier to find retail buyers for jewelry than loose gemstones. I currently live in Newport Beach, CA so if there is anyone in the OC or LA area I would also be willing to work for free on the weekends of after 5 on the weekdays (I have a boring 9-5 and I also own a food truck so my time is taken during normal business hours in the week).I know mentors are a huge part of most successful peoples journey so it is something I really am looking for.
This is definitely something I have a passion for and would really like to do full time one day as growing up I have always had an interest in specimens and gemstones; an opportunity to get gemstones and other precious minerals straight from the mines in all parts of Africa has come up so it is something I thought I couldn’t pass up on trying to make a career out of.
Hello Tristan… Very lofty goals. However, the first step may not be a mentor. Someone in the future who would like to work with you will first want you to know all about recognition and identification of gemstones, which will require some “training”. There are several “take home” courses offered (see AGI) where they ship you gem and you learn how to recognize and how to test them… and you can get a certain level of certification. This is a very important step, and it is not terribly expensive, but it would be essential for you to have before someone wanted to “mentor” you in other aspects of the gem trade. Hope this observation is helpful to you.
Hi Tristan. I have set up a WhatsApp group called Faceting Friends. We are a group who are amateur, semi-pro and professional gem cutters. A few are jewellers. We talk about faceting and offer advice to newbies and oldies alike (there is always something to learn). It’s very informal and international. I’m based in the UK. Our rules are simple, just faceting talk, no politics etc. and be nice to everyone. If you want to talk commercially to someone take it offline. Any breaking of the rules and it’s ’boot-out’ time. If this appeals, let me know. I see you’re after quite a bit of mentoring on many different topics, FF may help you a little with the Faceting part.