Podcasts about gemological institute

In today's episode of The Edge of Excellence podcast, Matt is joined by Liv Mitchell, entrepreneur and Founder of Liv Mitchell Jewelry.In this engaging conversation, Liv shares her journey of growing a business from humble beginnings to gaining momentum through word-of-mouth and dedicated client relationships. The discussion explores the pivotal moments when steady progress begins to accelerate and the importance of nurturing genuine connections that lead to organic growth. You'll get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes hustle that turns a promising venture into a thriving enterprise.The discussion also dives into the power of learning communities and mentorship programs designed specifically for entrepreneurs who want to stay ahead of the curve. Through insightful experiences, Liv highlights how tapping into expert knowledge and peer support can provide critical guidance during times of financial challenges and strategic decision-making. You'll discover the value of continuous learning beyond formal education and the courage it takes to step out of one's comfort zone.The episode leaves aspiring business owners inspired to pursue their goals with bravery and a fresh perspective on what it means to achieve true success.Don't miss another episode of The Edge of Excellence podcast. Leave a review and subscribe todayWhat You Will Learn In This Show:Liv's career transition from a promising job in sports marketing to starting her own jewelry business.The importance of networking and building relationships with clients and industry professionals.The challenges and rewards of building a jewelry business from the ground up.The benefits of joining entrepreneurial organizations and the support they provide to business owners.The potential for exponential growth and the importance of maintaining a high level of service and quality.And much more...Guest Bio:Liv Mitchell is the Founder of Liv Mitchell Jewelry, a concierge fine jewelry brand dedicated to transforming the traditional shopping experience. A Brown University graduate with a dual degree in Business Entrepreneurship and Visual Arts, Liv also holds a Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia Business School. After college, she deepened her expertise at the Gemological Institute of America, earning certifications in diamond and colored gemstone grading. As a former student-athlete, Liv brings the same discipline and precision to her craft. Her appointment-only model replaces the pressure and overhead of typical jewelry stores with a personalized, transparent approach. Clients receive one-on-one guidance, custom 3D CAD designs, and carefully sourced stones, resulting in bespoke jewelry that reflects their unique vision and values.Resources:Liv Mitchell JewelryLiv's LinkedInDisclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of The Edge of Excellence podcast or its affiliates. The content provided is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this podcast and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Listeners should consult with a professional for specific

Plus de 80% des diamants bruts sont aujourd'hui polis en Inde, pays qui n'est pas épargné par la nouvelle politique douanière américaine. Avec les nouvelles taxes qui s'imposent, toute une filière est plongée dans l'inconnu, de la compagnie minière au bijoutier. Les produits indiens sont désormais taxés à 27% pour entrer sur le sol américain. Cette mesure concerne aussi les diamants qui sont taillés en Inde, car même s'ils ne sont que polis dans le pays, au regard des douanes américaines, la transformation est suffisante pour que leur origine devienne en quelque sorte indienne.D'autres pierres taillées en Inde entrent aux États-Unis simplement pour y être analysées et certifiées avant d'être réexpédiées à leur diamantaire et vendues sur un autre marché. Le laboratoire le plus réputé en la matière est le Gemological Institute of America. Et même ces pierres-là, qui ne sont pas destinées à être vendues sur le sol américain, sont soumises aux taxes. Mais comme la règlementation n'est pas encore très claire, le centre d'expertise a écrit début avril aux diamantaires étrangers pour leur conseiller de ne plus envoyer de pierres à analyser, le temps que la situation se décante.Des milliers d'emplois menacés en IndeLe diamant est le troisième produit d'exportation de l'Inde vers les États-Unis. À court terme, les pertes d'emploi sont inévitables, estime le président de l'Indian Diamond Institute, basé à Surate, la capitale indienne de cette industrie dans laquelle a été inaugurée une bourse au diamant en 2023. L'Inde espère neutraliser ces nouvelles taxes. Les autorités n'ont, pour l'instant, pas pris de mesure de rétorsion. Elles privilégient la négociation d'un accord commercial bilatéral, accord qui pourrait être conclu d'ici à quelques mois.Une filière inquièteÀ chaque étape, de l'extraction à la vente des diamants, c'est l'inconnu qui prévaut. À l'instar de cette mesure prise par un opérateur minier, qui vient d'annoncer, lundi 7 avril, l'annulation d'une vente aux enchères qui arrivait à échéance cette semaine. Annulation jusqu'à nouvel ordre, face aux « incertitudes » du moment, écrit-il dans une lettre à ses clients. Les États-Unis achètent la moitié des diamants vendus dans le monde, et c'est grâce à eux que la consommation avait redécollé avant les fêtes de Noël. Si les Américains s'offrent moins de pierres précieuses, on pourrait voir des compagnies minières du Botswana, ou de Namibie peut-être, lever le pied et moins produire, pour ne pas inonder le marché et risquer de faire chuter les prix. Aucun pays ne pourra, par sa demande en diamants, compenser une éventuelle paralysie du marché américain. Et ce d'autant que les acheteurs qui ont les moyens d'offrir des diamants sont aussi souvent ceux qui ont investi dans les marchés financiers et qui sont aujourd'hui très inquiets de la situation économique mondiale, relève un expert de la filière.À lire aussiInde: Narendra Modi inaugure une «Bourse du diamant» à Surate dans l'État du Gujarat

The deal seemed too good to be true. There's a website that's been selling top quality diamonds at bizarrely low prices. Prices we couldn't find at any retail outlet. Prices so low, we could buy a diamond on a public radio budget. So we did. What we got in the mail was a tiny ziploc bag containing a scintillating mystery.On today's show: the Planet Money Diamond (or whatever this sparkly rock turns out to be). We get it analyzed by the experts at the Gemological Institute of America. We investigate where it came from. And, we dive into the economics of glittery stones. Was this a new kind of internet scam? Some supply chain anomaly? Or is something just really weird going on in the world of diamonds?This episode was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Keith Romer with help from Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Emma Peaslee, and engineered by Kwesi Lee. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires underscore the importance of protecting your valuables. Many may not realize the value of what they have or be properly insured. Learn what documentation you need for insurance, how to store your valuables and how to work with a certified jewelry appraiser. Melanie Young discusses with Ed O'Brien, an appraiser for 30+ years who is certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Diamonds and Colored Stones. www.objewelers.comFearless Fabulous You is broadcast live Wednesdays at 12 Noon ET on W4WN Radio - Women 4 Women Network (www.w4wn.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).Fearless Fabulous You Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.

Send us a textMatt Harris is a renowned pearl specialist, jewelry designer, and historian with a deep passion for the world's most captivating gem. He holds a graduate degree in pearls from the Gemological Institute of America, is a Certified Pearl Specialist with the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA), and serves on its Board of Directors. Matt has delivered compelling talks about pearls for organizations such as the Women's Jewelry Association and at international events like the “Pearls on the Bay” conference. His presentation, “The History of Pearls: Rarely Told Stories About the World's Most Interesting Gem,” is featured on Air Tahiti Nui's in-flight entertainment. Frequently profiled in outlets like National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal, Matt's expertise also reaches over 50,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, “Matt Harris Pearls,” where he shares his knowledge to inspire others to fall in love with pearls as he has.https://www.youtube.com/@mattharrispearlsmattharrisdesigns.comBooks mentioned:Greatest Salesman in The World by Og Mandino Illusions by Richard BachConnect with us:https://www.instagram.com/reedingpod/https://www.youtube.com/@ReedingBetweenTheLinesSupport the show

Sara Beth Brown Prendeville is the President of Brown & Co. Jewelers, where she previously served as Director of Sales and Vice President. A graduate of both Auburn University and the Gemological Institute of America, she returned to the family business in 2013 and became President in 2022. Since then, Brown & Co. has flourished, […]

Sara Beth Brown Prendeville is the President of Brown & Co. Jewelers, where she previously served as Director of Sales and Vice President. A graduate of both Auburn University and the Gemological Institute of America, she returned to the family business in 2013 and became President in 2022. Since then, Brown & Co. has flourished, […] The post Sara Beth Brown Prendeville With Brown & Co. Jewelers appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Dime qué piensas del episodio.Rosa Tous @rosatous es vicepresidenta corporativa de TOUS, la famosa marca de joyería con más de 700 tiendas en 50 países alrededor del mundo.Por favor ayúdame y sigue Cracks Podcast en YouTube aquí."Lo de siempre no siempre vale."- Rosa Tous @rosatousComparte esta frase en TwitterEste episodio es presentado por Cracks Wellness & Longevity Summit que se llevará a cabo el 2 de diciembre en CDMX y por ImpactX el programa de Alta dirección empresarial en línea para crecer tu impacto como líder y guiar tu empresa hacia el crecimiento sostenible.Es gemóloga por el Gemological Institute of America en Los Ángeles, especializándose en Diamantes y también en diseño técnico de joyería y ha recibido distinciones en el nombre de la empresa y de su familia, como el reconocimiento Emprendedor del año de EY en 2017 junto a sus hermanas y el ELLE Woman Award por su trayectoria empresarial en 2022. También ha sido nombrada como una de las top 100 mujeres líderes de España en 2023 y 2024Hoy Rosa y yo hablamos de colaboraciones de marca, de buscar la inconformidad, de gemas sintéticas y la importancia de un propósito .Qué puedes aprender hoyLa Historia de TousCómo pensar en expansión internacionalNo tenerle que gustar a todo el mundo*Este episodio es presentado por Cracks Wellness and Longevity Summit.El 2 de diciembre en CDMX reuniré a los máximos expertos en salud y longevidad para enseñarte todo lo que necesitas saber para vivir más y mejor.Aprende directamente de Bruno Ribeiro, Ale Ponce, Rodrigo Herrera, Nathaly Marcus, Alan Abruch, Mario Martínez, Michel Rojkind, Ivan Saldaña y Alexander Krouham en un día cargado de información de vida o... mas vida.Es un evento con capacidad MUY limitada así que aparta tu lugar en www.crackswellness.com.*Este episodio es presentado por ImpactXUno de los episodios más escuchados en CRACKS podcast es la entrevista con el emprendedor Daniel Marcos en la que platicamos sobre liderazgo y escalamiento empresarial.En la entrevista, Daniel compartió conmigo su inspirador sueño de ayudar a un millón de emprendedores a reducir el drama en sus vidas, ayudándoles a disminuir el estrés, caos y falta de equilibrio personal que viene con escalar una empresa,  algo que Daniel experimentó en carne propia.ImpactX es el programa en línea que Daniel ha desarrollado para darte las herramientas que te permitan dirigir con éxito tu empresa, y convertirte en el líder excepcional que tu negocio necesita para prosperar.Conoce más de ImpactX en cracks.la/danielmarcos Ve el episodio en Youtube

In this episode of the Rachel Beth Jewellery Podcast, host Rachel Lake explores the intriguing world of diamonds, focusing on the key differences and similarities between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Rachel explains how both types of diamonds share identical visual, physical, and chemical properties, making them virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye. She also discusses how the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and International Gemological Institute (IGI) use the same grading standards—the 4Cs (Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat)—for both lab-grown and natural diamonds. Rachel highlights the primary factors influencing the choice between these diamonds, such as budget considerations and personal preference, noting that lab-grown diamonds are typically 30-50% less expensive. She concludes by emphasizing that the decision ultimately comes down to the emotional connection and story each diamond represents for the individual. Whether you're considering a diamond purchase or simply want to learn more about these dazzling gems, this episode provides valuable insights into the world of lab-grown and natural diamonds.

We have only a tantalizingly small number of sources of information about the Earth's deep mantle. One of these comes from the rare diamonds that form at depths of about 650 km and make their way up to the base of the lithosphere, and then later to the surface via rare volcanic eruptions of kimberlite magma. In the podcast, Evan Smith talks about a new class of large gem-quality deep-mantle diamonds that he and his coworkers discovered in 2016. Inclusions within these diamonds serve as messenger capsules from the deep mantle. They show an unmistakable genetic link to subducted oceanic slabs, and thus give us clues as to what happens to subducted slabs as the pass through the lower mantle transition zone. Evan Smith is a Senior Research Scientist at the Gemological Institute of America, New York.

Judy Ann Nock, MS, is the bestselling author of six books on witchcraft including The Modern Witchcraft Book of Crystal Magick, The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Runes, The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs, and The Modern Witchcraft Book of Natural Magick. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and are enjoyed throughout the world. Judy Ann Nock is a popular musician in the Hoboken supergroup Psych-O-Positive, a metalsmith, a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, a member of Mensa, and has appeared in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian, Refinery29, and The Village Voice. She lives with her daughter and her cat in New York City. Judy Ann Nock (@trancesister) DESPERATE HOUSE WITCHES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: DOROTHY MORRISON - PLEASE VISIT WWW.DOROTHYMORRISON.COM FOR ALL OF YOUR DOROTHY MORRISON NEEDS.  FOR WICKED WITCH MOJO PRODUCTS, PLEASE VISIT YOUR LOCALE RETAILER

A passionate champion of creativity, equity, and sustainability, Eli Cheatham has dedicated much of her adult life to amplifying under-represented voices and cultivating organizational cultures focused on purpose and belonging. Named by Seattle Business Magazine as one of their "Daring Women," Eli has played a pivotal role in the story of International Farming (I.F.) since its founding in 2009. As chief strategic initiatives officer, Eli has the privilege of driving I.F.'s strategic projects and alliances, while overseeing operations, communications, and culture. In addition to her work with I.F., Eli is an ardent student of Vedic meditation and the founder of Matrons & Mistresses: a digital publication that shines light on the incredible women who shape the arts. She is also the mother of two adorable, free-spirited boys.Prior to turning her attention to business and the arts, Eli worked as a graduate gemologist in sales and client development for Harry Winston. Eli has a B.A. in psychology from Rollins College and a graduate gemologist degree from The Gemological Institute of America.In this episode of the Intentional Agribusiness Leader Podcast, host Mark Jewell engages in an insightful conversation with Eli Cheatham, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer at International Farming. Their discussion centers around the significance of intentionality in both personal and professional realms, highlighting how creating space and being proactive can transform leadership and business outcomes. Eli shares her experience and approach to integrating sustainable practices in farming and fostering community-centric initiatives.Eli Cheatham elaborates on International Farming's mission, which began in 2009, emphasizing investment in agriculture, vertically integrated agribusinesses, and innovative technology. She discusses the importance of connecting people to their food sources, simplifying the food supply chain, and enhancing farmers' profits. Their efforts also extend to supporting veterans in agriculture and developing diverse workforce initiatives, underscoring the company's comprehensive approach to food security and environmental stewardship.Key Takeaways:Intentional Leadership: Creating time and space to be proactive rather than reactionary is crucial for effective leadership.Community Engagement: International Farming's partnerships focus on food security, environmental stewardship, and fostering a strong, diverse workforce within agriculture.Support for Farmers: Simplifying the supply chain and implementing transparent practices can significantly increase farmers' profit margins.Employee Connection: Regular meetings and initiatives like book clubs and expert lectures help maintain strong internal connections and shared vision.Personal Growth: Overcoming self-doubt and embracing one's unique wirings can be transformative for personal and professional development.Notable Quotes:"For me, it's about creating space and time...to be a co-creator of the future versus being on my heels and more reactionary to what's being thrown at me." - Eli Cheatham"The more grounded I am as a leader, the better I am not just for my organization but as a human in general." - Eli Cheatham"We can be profitable and sustainable at the same time. It's about doing well while doing good." - Eli Cheatham"To earn $1 on a piece of produce, often the farmer gets just $0.07. We are excited about finding ways to get more money into farmers' pockets." - Eli Cheatham"Creating a space where people can come as themselves, including myself, and stay human is just crucial for all aspects of life and business." - Eli CheathamStay tuned for...

What you'll learn in this episode: How to use Antique Jewelry University to identify maker's marks and find out when your jewelry was made. Why access to more (and better) information has made interest in antique jewelry explode. What characteristics Suzanne looks for when evaluating antique jewelry. Why buyers should beware of lab-grown diamonds in vintage jewelry. Why modern diamonds and manufacturing techniques can't compare to the materials and skills used by jewelers in the past. About Suzanne Martinez Suzanne Martinez is the co-owner of Lang Antiques, a San Francisco-based shop that offers the largest collection of fine vintage engagement rings and antique jewels to be found under one roof. She is a highly credentialed senior gemologist, jewelry appraiser, jewelry historian and the curator for Lang's collection. She actively buys from sellers all over the world. Suzanne is also the founder of Lang's Antique Jewelry University. Suzanne started collecting rocks and minerals as a child, and by the time she was 13 knew that the jewelry world was her passion. For fun she makes enameled jewelry and studies natural history and Latin American cultural anthropology. Images courtesy of Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry available on TheJewelryJourney.com Additional resources: Website Suzanne's LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Antique Jewelry University Lang Antique and Estate Jewelry is the prime destination for vintage jewelry lovers, but you don't have to be in San Francisco to take advantage of the store's services. Lang ships jewelry globally and offers Antique Jewelry University, a completely free online guide to maker's marks and jewelry history. Jewelry historian and Lang co-owner Suzanne Martinez joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how Lang curates its huge collection of antique engagement rings; the history of Antique Jewelry University; and what she looks for when evaluating an antique piece. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week. Today, we're talking with Suzanne Martinez of Lang Antiques in San Francisco. I should say that's where the brick and mortar is, but they sell all over the world. Lang Antiques is the country's, if not the world's, largest purveyor of vintage engagement rings. They have an unparalleled collection. Suzanne herself is a jewelry historian, among other things. Lang Antiques has developed an online Antique Jewelry University. Researchers from all over the world use this as a resource to research the history of a piece of jewelry. If you're interested in jewelry, then this makes a very good read. I was looking at it last night again, and I didn't have any piece of jewelry in mind, but it was very interesting to read. I've heard Suzanne give a talk at ASJRA, another major jewelry organization, and I've heard Suzanne give talks identifying a piece of jewelry, and she goes into tremendous detail. There's no way that you could not look at a piece of jewelry and know what you should be looking for. She'll tell us more about Antique Jewelry University. She'll also tell us how over the years, the store has become world renowned. They have done this by developing an unparalleled collection of jewelry, a reputation for professional expertise, and the longevity of this jewelry store. Suzanne, welcome to the program. Suzanne: I'm happy to be here. Good morning. Sharon: Can you tell us where the Lang in Lang Antiques and Estate Jewelry comes from? Suzanne: We bought the store from Jarmilla Lang in 1991. She was the original owner of the store and a jewelry historian herself way before her time. She had worked in Europe in museums, so she had this breadth of knowledge of decorative arts and jewelry that she brought to San Francisco with her when she opened this store. Sharon: Wow. There aren't any certificates as a jewelry historian. It's just knowledge, right? Knowledge and other people saying, “Well, you're a jewelry historian.” I presume you're a gemologist also. You look at so many rings. That's very interesting. What do you say to those who would never buy a piece of jewelry online because they have to feel it and see it and all of that? Suzanne: Like you said, I am a gemologist and I have been for 45 years. Part of the gemological training is learning how to be forensic with what you're looking at. Whether it's a gemstone or a piece of jewelry, if you are buying from someone who is knowledgeable enough to understand what they're looking at and share that information with you, that gives a huge degree of trust. I think that's one thing that stands out for Lang. We have a really good understanding of whether it's a real piece of antique jewelry. How is it made? Why is this design important? Who else made this design popular over time and why? We like to give tidbits of history with every piece we sell. I do call myself a jewelry historian, but by no means do I know everything. I have a library. I haven't read every single book in my library. However, if a piece comes in and I look at it, I know which book to look for to find a reference about it. And there are many jewelry historians that I look up to. It's a community. Sharon: If I see a piece of jewelry on your website and I want to know more about it, or I want to know if I can trust this outfit If I don't know it, do I call you or send you the piece? Can you explain the process? Suzanne: If you want to know more about your own piece of jewelry, that's why we have Antique Jewelry University. It's a place where you can do your own research. We have a huge database of hallmarks because one thing that we probably get the most inquiries about is, “Who made this piece of jewelry? Here's the mark I have.” We refer them to this database we have because it's pretty impressive. Auction houses and appraisers and people all over use that database. Every piece of jewelry we have with a maker's mark, we do our best to research it. It's not always easy. It's not always possible. Then we photograph it, and we include it on our website. We try and add a little snippet about who the jeweler was, where they were located, and what years they did their manufacturing. You have to match when a piece was made because some there are false marks, too. If a piece of jewelry is marked 585, which is the percentage for 14-karat gold, it was not made in the 19th century. They didn't mark jewelry like that. There is that forensic bit, too. Hopefully we can help people down that path. We call it the jewelry journey. We do. It's finding out when their jewelry was made. If they want to find out more about a piece of jewelry we have on our website that they might be interested in buying, we invite inquiries. We talk to them over the phone or by email, whatever they're comfortable with, and try and satisfy all their questions about it and add information as well. Sharon: Did you develop the online Antique Jewelry University yourself? Suzanne: When we started our website, that was back in 1998. We were kind of early adapters. There were no e-commerce platforms at that time, so we developed our own e-commerce platform. By the early 2000s, we were actually selling online. When we launched our website, Antique Jewelry University was a 1000-word glossary. I had been collecting terms. Christie Romero was an incredible jewelry historian. She was here in Southern California, and she taught jewelry history. I don't remember which college it was down there, but she would put on symposiums and bring speakers in. Anyway, incredible woman. She started a glossary of terms and a timeline that, when she passed—unfortunately, she's no longer with us—she gifted to Antique Jewelry University. So, between her information and my glossary of terms, we started Antique Jewelry University and just built upon it. Sharon: Do you continue to build upon it if you see a new term or something you haven't included before? Suzanne: Absolutely. We are always researching. We have a woman who does a lot of our writing. Her name is Mary Borchert, and that is her job, just doing research. We have quite a library of reference books, so everything that we put on Antique Jewelry University is fully referenced. We notate that at the bottom of all our articles as well. We're not just copying it from somewhere else on the internet, which a lot of people do, and a lot of people copy Antique Jewelry University. That can be a compliment, but at the same time, we do all of our own work. Sharon: That's impressive, considering how in-depth it is. Just look at it online. Why do you think that the interest in antique jewelry has grown so much in the past few years? Suzanne: I think there's a lot of transparency. A lot of people are able to access information because of the advent of social media. Just think of all the people that are sharing their own personal information. We are on all the different social media channels as well, and I've seen them grow. If you have an interest in a particular type, like Art Nouveau jewelry, you can find Art Nouveau jewelers that have Instagram or Pinterest and look at beautiful jewelry and learn about it. In the past, when I started as a jeweler, if you didn't have a library, there was no place to go. You went to a museum, and that's where you found your information. Now I think it's a rich time for people to access information. I think we also visually see antique and vintage jewelry worn on the red carpet, at the Met Gala, and we see jewelry that is inspired by antique jewelry. You have famous houses. Everybody knows who Cartier is. You have the most beautiful antique Cartier jewelry, and then you have people that have copied it. That's a big tribute, but you don't always know if it's a Cartier or it isn't. That's why it's important who you buy it from. But at the same time, it's permeated everything, antique and vintage styles. Whether it's somebody creating something new with a nod to something vintage or it's truly vintage, I think it's just what people see today. It's massive. Sharon: Your selection of engagement rings is massive. Have you seen that grow in the past few years, the interest and the couples coming in and wanting to see your vintage only? Suzanne: Because that's what we specialize in—we specialize in antique diamonds, so our vintage and antique jewelry is why people come to buy from us. They understand that it's socially responsible, it's recycled. That's one of the reasons they buy it. They also want a little bit of history. They want something that no one else has, something very unique. They want something that has a beautiful design and is executed in a way that jewelry isn't executed today. You get a beautiful Edwardian jewel, no one can make a piece of jewelry like that in today's world. They just don't. The jewelry today is made on CAD. Very few jewelers are hand fabricators or can fabricate something that delicate. If you want the real deal, you're going to shop at a store like Lang.  Sharon: What happens if you get a call from somebody outside of the U.S. or even on the other side of the U.S. that wants a piece? They want a vintage engagement ring, but they can't come to the store. What do you do? Suzanne: Actually, more of our customers are outside of our store and shop just online because we have jewelry that no one else has. Where are they going to find it if they don't find it from a store like Lang? We have a very large selection. It's not unusual for a customer to narrow their choice down to two or three. Sometimes we just send them all three and they can try them on in the comfort of their own home. They have a period of time which they can return them. We make it work. Sharon: I thought it was really interesting that you had that, the one, two, three. Maybe it's the person who writes about the antique jewelry. The one, two, three of what you look for to know more about a piece of jewelry. That was like first looking at the hallmarks. I looked at it last night but I don't remember what's next. Suzanne: For a private individual, when they're trying to identify their own jewelry, style is really important. But for an individual, if you have family history and you know that piece was your grandmother's, at least you have a date within which to start. If you're just out in the world and you identify a piece of jewelry that you love but you don't really know how old it is, that's a little more difficult. How do you know it doesn't match the type of manufacturing techniques that were done when, say, an Art Nouveau piece of jewelry was made, versus something that is made today in the Art Nouveau style? That is something that's a little harder. That's why you need to rely on an appraiser, someone to help you with that. But when I personally look at a piece of jewelry, how I select a piece of jewelry for our store, style is really important. Good design is always good design. Bad design is obvious, and it just doesn't make a great piece of jewelry. The techniques of manufacture have to be right. It has to be in excellent condition. There's a lot of things that I look at that go in the background, that not everybody sees when they look at a piece. They see a beautiful piece of jewelry when they're shopping, but the backstory is it has to be in excellent condition. It has to be correct. Lang is very careful about letting people know when, for example, cufflinks have been out of style for quite some time, and a lot of the cufflinks that were made circa 1900 to 1930 are small. They're very small. They're really too small for men to wear. Men don't wear them, and they're very delicate. What we do is convert them to earrings. We make the most beautiful earrings out of these cufflinks that otherwise would lose their livelihood, and we've been very successful with doing that. But we tell people these were converted from a pair of earrings, whether it's Art Nouveau or an Art Deco cuff link. Those are the kinds of things that if we make a change, we tell people about it. Sharon: If somebody wants to sell jewelry to you or to another place, let's say they take their family collection and show it to you, or they take it out of the safe deposit box and decide they want the jewelry to be out in the world, what do you say? Have you ever turned people away? Suzanne: Absolutely. What if something was made in the last 25 years and its value is gold? It's something that is mass produced and there's lots and lots of them made and it's not in style anymore. It deserves to be recycled into something more beautiful again. In all pieces, it's back to that design, quality, authenticity and condition. Those are the things that I look for. I wish I could say I could buy every single piece that comes through my door, but realistically we have a large collection. Let's say right now I have 30 hardstone cameos. If someone brought me a hardstone cameo today, I would have to make sure that it exceeded my current collection to add it to my collection, or it has to be something that I feel customers are buying right now. The market goes up and down. Retro is a little soft right now. I like it. It's beautiful. The designs are gorgeous, but I'm not adding to our retro collection because we have a pretty extensive retro collection right now. Those are the kinds of things where sometimes I will say no. But usually individual, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, that's what we're looking for. Sharon: Can you recognize if something is one of a kind when it's presented to you? I know you think about things and what you have, but do you research the piece? Do you look at it under the microscope? Suzanne: Some pieces definitely need to be researched, but most pieces are jewelry where maybe more than one of them has been made. In our diamond ring collection, for example, during the 1920s and 1930s, a lot of those rings were die struck. They were made in a die and many of them were made, but very few survive. In all my years of buying and selling vintage engagement rings and antique engagement rings, maybe I've seen a handful that were the same as one I had already seen. That's because the piece may be struck on a die, but then its hand pierced, its hand finished. There may be a garland or small milgrain, or it may have small diamonds added to it and this one doesn't have diamonds added to it. Each one has a handprint of a person on it, the work master or the person that does the engraving or the setter. Each one has its own imprint, so they still tend to look one of a kind. But knowing the underlying structure of something is still one of the ways we determine when it was made. You know when you see a die struck ring, that's the period of time within which it was made. Sharon: Do people bring lab-grown diamonds in? I know they're not vintage, but do you ever see lab-grown diamonds? Suzanne: I think the secondary market for lab grown diamonds hasn't really hit yet because they've only been super popular in the marketplace for three years. That's about it. And their prices have already plummeted on the retail marketplace. It's not something we would ever buy because they're not old, but it is something that we have to be careful of, and I think people have to be careful of. I have heard of jewelers that are buying low quality synthetic diamonds. They're buying a round brilliant and they're recutting it to European standard because they have inclusions and might have some off color, then they're putting them in an old mounting. People that buy scrap end up with lots and lots of mountings, and sometimes they just resell them on the secondary market through dealers. So, here you have the possibility of someone setting a synthetic diamond recut as an antique diamond into an old mounting, so buyer beware. That's one of my dilemmas, too, that I have to be very careful about. I would never want to buy that. That's when the microscope comes in handy, and that's when we use outside laboratories like the Gemological Institute of America to check the stones before we buy them, just to make sure they are correct. In our laboratory, we don't have all the equipment necessary to confirm that it is 100% synthetic or not. We have separation techniques, but a larger laboratory is able to do a lot more than we can. Sharon: A lot of these lab-grown diamonds have inscriptions and numbers or something that identifies it. Do you look for anything like that? Suzanne: If the GIA has looked at that diamond, they always inscribe them. But a diamond cutter can polish that off in a matter of 10 minutes. If you do see it, great, but it's not something that we've even seen. We don't buy round brilliant-cut diamonds. We've never bought round brilliant-cut diamonds. That's not what we buy and sell. Because we specialize in the older ones, like I said, I'm very careful about what I buy and I'm on the lookout for these supposed recuts. We know they're out there for smaller diamonds because we see them in reproductions, the European cuts and single cuts. Primarily the European cuts are cut with what we call an open culet. Instead of coming to a point on the bottom, they have a facet there, and the facets in the contemporary cuts for small diamonds have a really big open facet. That's a generalization, but it's one of those things. If you see all the other characteristics that make you think it's not an old ring and you see those stones and they're perfectly calibrated, you can kind of say, “Yes, that's a reproduction, and this is why.” Sharon: Do you or people who work at the store go out to trade shows or antique jewelry shows and look for merchandise to resell? Suzanne: That's one of the things I do. Most of the jewelry that we buy and sell comes right in our door. People send me a picture of it and we strike up a conversation, and they mail it to us or send it FedEx or however we decide they're going to ship it for our consideration so we can see it in person. I do not buy anything unless I see it in person. Another really good reason to go to trade shows is to do price research. I go to Tucson Gem and Mineral Show every year because the prices and availability of different gems change. It changes from year to year, and if you're buying a beautiful old sapphire, you want to make sure you're paying the right price for it, especially today as prices have gone up significantly, especially in emeralds, rubies and sapphires. We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

These days it feels like so many of us are trying to find new and meaningful ways to connect with our customers. One of the themes that continues to play out during my conversations with other makers is their frustration with Instagram and what to do next.  Today I'm sitting down with Nicole Conklin and talking about her business, Arrok Jewelry. Nicole shares so many good things and during this interview she talks about how we need to understand that Pinterest is like a Google search engine that we can use to our advantage. By entering key words and phrases into your titles and descriptions it can literally drive traffic to your website or instagram.  Nicole also shares her journey with building Arrok Jewelry to the business it is today and how fine tuning your artistic voice and overall look and feel of your business can take your business to the next level. Bio... Arrok Jewelry is owned and operated by Nicole Conklin. Established in 2010, Nicole started her jewelry career after attending The Gemological Institute of America. Once she graduated from GIA she opened Arrok Jewelry and hasn't looked back! Nicole enjoys working with her hands, turning precious and semi precious metals into magical handmade works of art. Her main medium is Sterling Silver, but she also works with copper and brass as accent metals. Nicole's jewelry is bold and powerful, while also remaining subtly feminine. She creates jewelry that evokes emotion and makes the wearer feel empowered and beautiful. Life, Death and Rebirth influence much of Nicole's work, and is a theme often found in her jewelry. Using traditional tattoo flash aesthetic, bold lines and unique stones to help her weave intricate stories in metal, Nicole's designs intertwine juxtaposed imagery, often pairing the macabre with the ultra feminine to highlight the dark/light duality within each of us. Website: arrokjewelry.com Instagram: @arrokjewelry Pinterest: @arrokjewelry If this podcast means something to you and you would like to support it, please take a a moment to give it a few kinds word with a written review on your favorite podcast listening platform. This helps me share the podcast with others. You can also share a favorite episode or consider joining our Slowmade Podcast Patreon community. You support literally makes this podcast possible. Thank you so much! You can follow along or reach out to Christine on Instagram: @christinemighion or send her an email at: info@christinemighion.com

We're continuing on our magical and mysterious pursuit through the world of royal jewellery and this week, we're talking about a collection of crown jewels that has been accumulating over many centuries. The Iranian National Jewels stand as one of the world's most expensive and extensive collections in the world. Matthew and Alyce examine their tumultuous history and decadent taste, including how the royal family ended up with the largest pink diamond known to man and the indulgent party that eventually led to their exile from Iran. They also share their favourite pieces and, of course, let you know where you can see the collection for yourself.   THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT The centuries of history of Iranian royalty Iran's extensive collection of lavish jewelled pieces A solid gold golden globe to house your loose gemstones The decadent party that led to Iranian royal family exile A two kilogram tiara with the world's largest pink diamond  MORE INFORMATION Iranian National Jewels  https://www.iransafar.co/iran-national-jewels-museum/  https://raseef22.net/english/article/1092915-irans-royal-jewels-a-dazzling-legacy-of-persian-kings-and-queens  Noor-ul-Ain Tiara https://royalwatcherblog.com/2023/10/14/noor-ul-ain-tiara/?utm_content=cmp-true  Social Media IG - @CourtvilleAntiquesFB - @CourtvilleantiquesTik Tok - @matthew.weldon    YouTube - @courtvilleantiquePinterest - @courtville Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io. QUOTES It's always super important that we get the context of how these Crown Jewels got to where they actually are today. The Iranian Crown Jewels date back centuries, and it is super extensive and one of the most impressive collections we are going to see. - Matthew Weldon  It's pretty vast, and it has some of those important gemstones in history, as well as also having a lot of men's jewels. - Matthew Weldon  It's literally stuff out of fairy tales. These are not your normal pieces of jewellery. This is historical, otherworldly jewels. - Alyce Ketcher  What didn't they put jewels in? They put them in everything - Matthew Weldon, Alyce Ketcher These two stones, not only historically, but the fact that they are fancy Pink Diamonds, they are the largest in the world, it's thought that there is no way to actually put a value on them. - Alyce Ketcher HOST DETAILS Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Grainne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality. Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which led to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensures beauty, quality and fair prices. Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find. KEYWORDS #dynasty #royalfamily #iran #history #crownjewels #goldenglobe #jewellery #gemstones 

This season we're taking a magical and mysterious pursuit through the world of Royal Regalia: A History of Splendour, a topic that has been long-awaited and requested many times from our wonderful listeners.  In the first episode of this season we're taking a look at a country with one of the most magnificent histories and royal jewel collections, Denmark.  Matthew and Alyce dive into the incredible collection and the fascinating stories that accompany it, including how Denmark acquired jewels from other countries, along with explaining the historical lineage and ownership within the families, where you can see these beautiful garnitures and their personal favourite pieces.  THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT A brief history of the Danish Royal Family lineageThe Danish Crown Jewels collection Measuring jewels on centuries of history over carats, like Queen MargretheHow a French General's ruby parure ended up in Denmark The newly crowned Queen of Denmark's thoughtful wedding gift  MORE INFORMATION Denmark's Crown Jewels  https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/royal-collections/the-crown-jewels/  Crown Jewels and Danish Royal Property Trust Jewellery https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/news/crown-jewels-and-danish-royal-property-trust-jewellery  Christian IV's crown https://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/object/christian-ivs-crown/  Social Media IG - @CourtvilleAntiquesFB - @CourtvilleantiquesTik Tok - @matthew.weldon    YouTube - @courtvilleantiquePinterest - @courtville  Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io. QUOTES The jewellery is intrinsically linked to the history of any of the houses and it is through history that a lot of these jewels end up being in certain collections. - Matthew Weldon  This is a serious collection. What I love about Queen Margaret, she's on record as saying, about the jewellery, that she doesn't count the carats, she counts the centuries. - Matthew Weldon When you look at the history behind their jewellery, the way that they've been able to keep their hands on some of these items is beyond amazing. - Alyce Ketcher  All jewels tell a story, and this particular piece really is such a standout piece from their collection, it is so important to the family. - Alyce Ketcher  HOST DETAILS Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Grainne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality. Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which led to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensures beauty, quality and fair prices. Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find. KEYWORDS #royaljewels #royalfamily #queen #denmark #crown #diamonds #crownjewels #jewellery

Michael Nguyen is an entrepreneur and the Founder of Fire & Brilliance who has dedicated most of his professional life to the beautiful world of jewelry. He kicked off his career in sales within the financial services sector before ever marketing a single ring, bracelet, necklace or pair of earrings. This was when he discovered that he had a natural talent in curating relationships, conveying relevance and building long-term business connections. In his mid-20's, Michael started his jewelry career by creating custom and unique pieces for his clients. Michael was also an early adopter of lab-grown moissanite, diamonds and gemstones which led him to influence a movement that disrupted the traditional ways of doing “business as usual.” Fire & Brilliance was nominated as one of Inc 5000's fastest growing companies in both 2019 and 2020 with its unique approach. As a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, Michael is the host of the “Geminar” show where he provides relevant jewelry industry knowledge and insights. Outside of running his business, Michael enjoys reading, staying in shape, spending time with great company and tasting all types of fire-burning hot sauces.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:47] Intro[01:34] Creating lab-created gemstones & custom jewelry [02:35] From corporate misery to entrepreneurial journey[03:48] Inspiration from parents and the immigrant hustle[04:35] Undergoing mentorship and first business partnership[05:50] Transitioning to online sales and Ecommerce[07:29] Mastering jewelry through experience and study[08:01] Taking a leap of faith to expand your business[08:40] Scaling up to set business up for success[09:37] Episode sponsors[12:14] Learning Ecommerce essentials from customers[13:31] Building a lasting online reputation[14:11] Streamlined user-friendly experience on Shopify[16:18] Leveraging YouTube for organic growth[17:06] Pioneering jewelry content on YouTube[17:51] Navigating paid advertising for more growth[18:43] Using different platforms to get organic eyeballs[19:33] The riches are in the niches[20:40] Breaking the silence in the jewelry industry[21:15] Increasing awareness through educational content[22:35] Using multi-channel audience engagement[23:55] Facing rising competition in the jewelry industry[24:36] Staying true to core beliefs, quality, and value [25:21] Building a community of loyal customers[26:01] The joy of being a business of celebration[26:31] Where to get quality and custom made jewelryResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeCustom moissanite and lab-grown engagement rings fireandbrilliance.com/Relevant jewelry industry knowledge and insights youtube.com/c/FireandBrillianceFollow Michael Nguyen www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfireandbrilliance/Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectBook a demo today at intelligems.io/If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Please enjoy our most recent conversation with Suzanne Dunn, the visionary behind SUZANNE DUNN JEWELRY. With two decades of experience, she's a designer and storyteller, her journey from Jamaica to the US leading her to the world of fine jewelry. In 2021, she launched her luxury brand, known for its bold sophistication and spiritual depth. Suzanne's upbringing and faith guided her from medicine to design. Graduating from the Gemological Institute of America, she now creates responsibly sourced jewelry, drawing inspiration from faith, architecture, anthropology, and urban art. Beyond aesthetics, her brand empowers women globally, with a portion of sales supporting women's empowerment nonprofits. Suzanne's mission is to be a beacon of hope, love, and empowerment. Website: suzannedunn.com IG: @suzannedunnjewelry Tiktok: @suzannedunnjewelry###Your hosts of Are You Waiting for Permission? are Meridith Grundei and Joseph Bennett. They're friends, co-hosts, actors, improvisers, and coaches. She lives in NYC and coaches actors, business professionals, and presenters to fully engage with their audience, and themselves. She also mentors young actors and directors. He lives in San Miguel de Allende, México, and coaches artists and other creative beings about the beautiful business of art — and life. You can find Meridith: Meridith Grundei the performer artist gal. Or if you are looking to be a more confident and credible speaker, please reach out to Meridith here at Meridith Grundei CoachingYou can find Joseph at Joseph Bennett the artist/coach extraordinaire*Special thanks to Amy Shelley and Gary Grundei of high fiction for letting us use their music for the Are You Waiting for Permission? podcast.And... while the podcast is free, it's not cheap. We'd be thrilled to have your support on PATREONThank you. 

What you'll learn in this episode:   Which essential jewelry books you should have in your library Why books are so much more reliable than internet research when it comes to gemstones and jewelry Why the Renaissance opened up a new world of adornment An overview of the periods of jewelry and how they overlapped and influenced one another How cultural turning points, like World War II and the South African diamond rush, influenced what materials were used during different time periods   About Jo Ellen Cole Jo Ellen Cole is the owner of Cole Appraisal Services and the director of fine jewelry at Abell Auctions. She earned her Graduate Gemologist Diploma at the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica and successfully passed the prestigious Gemological Association of Great Britain's FGA examinations.   Additional resources: LinkedIn Gemological and Jewelry Books for a Professional Library:   GEMOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION BOOKS Gemstones: Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification, Webster, Robert Gem Testing, Anderson, Basil Handbook of Gemstone Identification, Liddicoat Jr., Richard T. Gem and Ornamental Materials of Organic Origin, Pedersen, Maggie Campbell Gemstones of the World, Schumann, Walter Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Vols. 1, 2 and 3, Gubelin, Edward and Koivula, John Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones, Arem, Joel The Spectroscope and Gemmology, Anderson, Basil and Payne, James, edited by Mitchell, R. Keith   GENERAL REFERENCE Gemology, An Annotated Bibliography, Sinkankas, John The Complete Handbook for Gemstone Weight Estimation, Carmona, Charles Dictionary of Gems and Gemology, Shipley, Robert The Jewelers Manual, Liddicoat Jr., Richard T. and Copeland, Lawrence L. Gemstone and Mineral Data Book, Sinkankas, John     DIAMONDS Diamonds, Bruton, Eric Diamond Cutting: Complete Guide to Cutting Diamonds, Watermeyer, Basil Famous Diamonds, Balfour, Ian Hardness 10, Vleeschdrager, Eddy Diamond Handbook, Newman, Renee Laboratory Grown Diamonds, Simic, Dusan and Deljanin, Branko Fluorescence as a Tool for Diamond Origin Identification – A Guide, Chapman, John, Deljanin, Branko and Spyromilios, George PEARLS Book of the Pearl, Kunz, George F. and Stevenson, Charles Hugh Pearls, Strack, Elizabeth Beyond Price, Donkin, R.A.   JADE Jade, A Gemmologist's Guide, Hughes, Richard Jade For You, Ng, John Y. and Root, Edmund   COLORED STONES Ruby and Sapphire, Hughes, Richard Emerald and Other Beryls, Sinkankas, John Opal Identification and Value, Downing, Paul   JEWELRY HISTORY Brilliant Effects, Pointon, Marcia Understanding Jewelry, Bennett, David, and Mascetti, Daniella Jewelry in America, Fales, Margha Gandy Victorian Jewellery, Flowers, Margaret Transcript: In appraiser Jo Ellen Cole's opinion, the best thing a jewelry lover can have is a well-stocked library. Information on gems and jewelry abounds online today, but much of that information is incorrect. For that reason, Jo Ellen—a Graduate Gemologist who also passed Gem-A's FGA examination—turns to books when she has a question about a specific piece, hallmark or stone. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to share which books she recommends for every jewelry interest; how jewelry trends shifted over the years due to cultural forces; and how to quickly identify the characteristics of different jewelry periods. Read the episode transcript here.  

Jonathan Zap is an author, philosopher, journalist, and teacher who has written extensively on psychology and contemporary mythology. Jonathan grew up in the Bronx and attended the Bronx High School of Science. He graduated from Ursinus College with honors in Philosophy and English, and received a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from NYU. He has taught English in high school and college and worked with troubled youth as the dean of a public high school in the South Bronx. As a wilderness guide, Jonathan has led inner-city kids and other young people on expeditions to remote desert canyons and Mount Rainier's summit. (See “Crossing the Great Stream—Education and the Evolving Self,” published in Holistic Education Review for more on his experiences in education.) Jonathan also has a GG–a degree in gemology, and worked at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as a staff gemologist and instructor in diamond grading and gemstone identification. Jonathan is the author of numerous published articles, essays, screenplays, and the Zap Oracle. He is the author of Crossing the Event Horizon—Human Metamorphosis and the Singularity Archetype, and his related sci-fi epic, Parallel Journeys. Jonathan has done numerous radio and television interviews. He is a frequent guest on Coast-to-Coast AM and the Gaia network show, Beyond Belief. He was a contributing editor and featured correspondent at Reality Sandwich (before it was taken over and turned into something unsupportable) and published 150 articles on that platform. He's presented his work on the Singularity Archetype at the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE) and the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS). Jonathan has a background in Jungian psychology, paranormal research, literature, writing, and many other subjects. He uses his eclectic background to take a multi-disciplinary approach to many subjects. He resides in Boulder, Colorado.

What you'll learn in this episode:   Which essential jewelry books you should have in your library Why books are so much more reliable than internet research when it comes to gemstones and jewelry Why the Renaissance opened up a new world of adornment An overview of the periods of jewelry and how they overlapped and influenced one another How cultural turning points, like World War II and the South African diamond rush, influenced what materials were used during different time periods   About Jo Ellen Cole Jo Ellen Cole is the owner of Cole Appraisal Services and the director of fine jewelry at Abell Auctions. She earned her Graduate Gemologist Diploma at the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica and successfully passed the prestigious Gemological Association of Great Britain's FGA examinations.   Additional resources: LinkedIn Gemological and Jewelry Books for a Professional Library:   GEMOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION BOOKS Gemstones: Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification, Webster, Robert Gem Testing, Anderson, Basil Handbook of Gemstone Identification, Liddicoat Jr., Richard T. Gem and Ornamental Materials of Organic Origin, Pedersen, Maggie Campbell Gemstones of the World, Schumann, Walter Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Vols. 1, 2 and 3, Gubelin, Edward and Koivula, John Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones, Arem, Joel The Spectroscope and Gemmology, Anderson, Basil and Payne, James, edited by Mitchell, R. Keith   GENERAL REFERENCE Gemology, An Annotated Bibliography, Sinkankas, John The Complete Handbook for Gemstone Weight Estimation, Carmona, Charles Dictionary of Gems and Gemology, Shipley, Robert The Jewelers Manual, Liddicoat Jr., Richard T. and Copeland, Lawrence L. Gemstone and Mineral Data Book, Sinkankas, John     DIAMONDS Diamonds, Bruton, Eric Diamond Cutting: Complete Guide to Cutting Diamonds, Watermeyer, Basil Famous Diamonds, Balfour, Ian Hardness 10, Vleeschdrager, Eddy Diamond Handbook, Newman, Renee Laboratory Grown Diamonds, Simic, Dusan and Deljanin, Branko Fluorescence as a Tool for Diamond Origin Identification – A Guide, Chapman, John, Deljanin, Branko and Spyromilios, George PEARLS Book of the Pearl, Kunz, George F. and Stevenson, Charles Hugh Pearls, Strack, Elizabeth Beyond Price, Donkin, R.A.   JADE Jade, A Gemmologist's Guide, Hughes, Richard Jade For You, Ng, John Y. and Root, Edmund   COLORED STONES Ruby and Sapphire, Hughes, Richard Emerald and Other Beryls, Sinkankas, John Opal Identification and Value, Downing, Paul   JEWELRY HISTORY Brilliant Effects, Pointon, Marcia Understanding Jewelry, Bennett, David, and Mascetti, Daniella Jewelry in America, Fales, Margha Gandy Victorian Jewellery, Flowers, Margaret Transcript: In appraiser Jo Ellen Cole's opinion, the best thing a jewelry lover can have is a well-stocked library. Information on gems and jewelry abounds online today, but much of that information is incorrect. For that reason, Jo Ellen—a Graduate Gemologist who also passed Gem-A's FGA examination—turns to books when she has a question about a specific piece, hallmark or stone. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to share which books she recommends for every jewelry interest; how jewelry trends shifted over the years due to cultural forces; and how to quickly identify the characteristics of different jewelry periods. Read the episode transcript here.   Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week.   I met Jo Ellen about six or seven years ago when I was studying for the GG, or the Graduate Gemology degree. In order to pass it, I needed to identify about 18 stones and get them all right, and I only had three chances to do that. This was daunting to me because I'm not a science person; I'm not a math person or anything. I wasn't working with the stones. I wasn't working in a jewelry store, so I really didn't have the opportunity to handle the stones. I called another appraiser, Charlie Carmona, whom we've had on this podcast, and asked him for a recommendation for a tutor. I thought it was a pretty weird recommendation that I was asking for, but he immediately recommended Jo Ellen, and I never looked back. She's been a great tutor. It was a few years ago, but she helped me a lot.   She knows a lot about jewelry, and not just jewelry, but I find her extremely knowledgeable about vintage and antique pieces. I have talked to and been to enough appraisers to know that this is its own specialty. She's also been helpful when it comes to directing me to researchers for whatever I need. She pointed me in the right direction. Today, she's going to share with us the books that she thinks will help us with our jewelry journey. Jo Ellen, welcome to the program.   Jo Ellen: Thank you so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.   Sharon: I'm so glad that you deigned to be on. Now, tell us, with a GG, which is part of the GIA, you can do a lot of things. So, why did you go into appraisal as opposed to other things?   Jo Ellen: Well, I found that I was lacking in salesmanship abilities, to say the least. I'm just not a salesperson, but I love to categorize; I love to research. Appraising seemed to fit that bill very well. Plus, when I realized that I was not good at sales, I met Charles Carmona, whom you mentioned before, at American Society of Appraisers—no, it was the AGA. I can't remember what that stands for, but it was a meeting. I met him, and a couple of years later, he asked me to work with him and I jumped on it. It was a wonderful experience. He's still my mentor. He's so knowledgeable and knows so much about appraising. I always feel comfortable talking to him about any problem I might encounter. He's been very instrumental.   Sharon: And a big name in the L.A. market, I would say.   Jo Ellen: He's really gone worldwide. He has three laboratories in China and Thailand as well.   Sharon: I didn't realize that.   Jo Ellen: Yeah, he's really opened up his market. He also leads a lot of traveling groups and things. He's very well-known.   Sharon: I knew he was well-known in Los Angeles, but I didn't know he was that well-known around the world.   Jo Ellen: Having factories in Africa, he's been around doing a lot of different things.   Sharon: I've stopped purchasing books when it comes to novels or something like that. I just listen to them. Why should I purchase a book as opposed to listening online when it comes to jewelry? Why should I purchase a jewelry book?   Jo Ellen: What I've noticed is that when I go online to research prices of jewelry, which I do often, I find that a lot of the information I find is not correct. I think part of the reason for that is because it's so easy to list something online. It gets your name out there, so people do that. However, they don't always double check their information. There's a lot of misinformation out there.   Whereas in a book, it takes a lot longer to set it up, edit it, make sure everything's proper. I've been able to count on the information coming from books a lot better than I have been from online sources. However, I must say there is certainly a good reason to look online as well. Some of the information is very good. It's just that, personally, I feel more comfortable with a book form. Then, you can revisit that if you need to. It's easier to find.   Sharon: Do you have to know if it's right or wrong before you look at a book?   Jo Ellen: You have to figure that out on your own. But generally, if you have a good background in terms of knowledge of gems and gemology and antique jewelry from reading through books, a lot of times, you'll find that information is incorrect when you go online.   Sharon: I know instances where I've found incorrect information about pearls or something like that. I wouldn't say I'm any kind of expert, but I know it's incorrect.   Jo Ellen: Yeah.   Sharon: Can you tell us quickly what you do every day? What does an appraiser do every day?   Jo Ellen: If I'm not reviewing a book for a gemological publication like The Gemologist or Gems & Gemology, which doesn't do book reviews anymore—but a lot of times, I'm asked by people in the industry to review new books. So, I do that a lot, which involves going over the book line by line and figuring out what I think is proper and what isn't, or what is clear and what is not. I do that a lot.   I also work at a local auctioneer two days a week, at Abell Auctions, as their fine jewelry director. I'm constantly cataloguing things and looking for prices on things, always encountering something unusual there. You get things from all over the world, and people like to use that venue as a way to sell their items. If I'm not doing that, I'm actually going to people's localities to appraise their jewelry for them, either for insurance purposes or for estate purposes if somebody has passed or wants to set up a trust. I do that a lot, but a lot of my days are spent doing what I love, which is reading.   Sharon: You sound pretty conscientious to look at a book that closely when you're writing a book review.   Jo Ellen: For me, it's really important to get it right. Generally, most books, even if I don't particularly like them, I can at least validate that their information is correct. I did have one book about a year-and-a-half ago that was just so egregious in its information I had to give it a bad review, which I've never done before. I called up the editor the week before it was due and said, “Why are you even covering this book? It's so awful.” He asked why, and I started pointing out little things. He was like, “Oh,” but he published the review anyhow. I didn't feel great about it because I don't like to slam people for things, but it was just so awful I had to point it out.   Sharon: So, we should do our own reading, both online and with books.   Jo Ellen: Absolutely.   Sharon: Let's talk about a book or books and talk about the history. If you want to learn about the history of jewelry through the ages, what would you look at?   Jo Ellen: There are a couple of really good books. When you write a book, it seems like the best formula is always to start at the beginning and take them through the ages. That's what they do with jewelry history. Usually, they'll start with prehistoric jewelry and how jewelry first came to be—it's one of the oldest things that humans have done that marks them as humans—and then it goes through medieval times and Renaissance, and then to Georgian and Victorian and Arts and Crafts or the Aesthetic Period, and then through Art Nouveau and Art Deco and Retro and on up to modern jewelry for today. That's usually how a book on jewelry history is set up. There are couple of really good ones out there that encapsulate what you need to know in terms of jewelry history.   Sharon: Before you tell us that, I wanted to tell our listeners that we will have all this information on the website. Yes, take notes, but you don't have to write everything down; it'll be on our website.   Jo Ellen: Yeah, I created a list of things that you can look for. One of the main books I recommend for overall jewelry history is a book called “Understanding Jewelry.” It's by David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti, who were both cataloguers at Sotheby's for many years and very knowledgeable in their field. It really helps to set up all those different ages of jewelry and gives wonderful examples and photographs. It's a picture book as well as an informative book, but all the information they offer has always been spot-on. I've learned so much from that book. It's one that I would definitely recommend.   Sharon: I've probably seen it in every jewelry office that has books. I see that book.   Jo Ellen: It's a great book. It really is. Another good one that's much simpler and has more pictures is a book called “Warman's Jewelry.”   Sharon: Warman's?   Jo Ellen: Yeah, W-A-R-M-A-N. The second edition was actually written by a good friend of mine, Christie Romero, who has since passed on. She used to be on the Antiques Roadshow. You'd see her on Antiques Roadshow a lot, a very knowledgeable woman. She had started her journey by traveling down to Mexico and learning all about Mexican silver and then just expanded from there. She used to give classes on jewelry at Valley College in Los Angeles. She just knew how to present things in such a way that it was very easy to assimilate that information.   It has tons and tons of pictures. It also has a jewelry timeline. It's very thorough for being such an easily read book. There are even some prices in there, I think. It's now an older book, and I think there have been other editions that have been written since hers, but I always liked hers because I'm familiar with it. So, that's another good one that I would offer.   Sharon: What about a book if we want to be more specific, like Georgian or Victorian jewelry? It's funny that when you say prehistoric, you could take many of the prehistoric pieces and wear them today and nobody would know the difference. But it seems to jump then to Renaissance.   Jo Ellen: Because it has to do with the Dark Ages. A lot of it is about human history and civilization. During the Dark Ages, people were in such terrible shape as a civilization, they didn't have time to decorate themselves, so they usually used items from the past. There wasn't a lot of information coming out between, let's say, the 5th and 13th centuries. Then things started rolling again once society got more stabilized.   Sharon: Is there a particular book we should look at if we want to pick up where society picked up? Let's say Georgian.   Jo Ellen: There's a really good book on jewels of the Renaissance by Yvonne Hackenbroch. It's quite a tome. It's big, and it goes through the history of civilization as well as jewelry. It talks about the light occurring in the beginning of the Renaissance, when people started realizing there's more to life than just eating and sleeping and staying alive. You can decorate yourself. You can show your social status by what you wear, some of it being jewelry. That's a very good book for the Renaissance period.   There's also another Renaissance book called “Renaissance Jewels and Jeweled Objects: From the Melvin Gutman Collection” by Parker Lesley. It shows wonderful examples of Renaissance-oriented jewelry. There's one called the Hope Pearl Jewel. It's this big, baroque pearl that's decorated as the body of a man. It's very well known. It demonstrates jewels like that.   Sharon: From there, does it continue to Georgian and Victorian?   Jo Ellen: Yeah, there's a really good book, “Georgian Jewelry 1714-1830,” by Ginny Redington and Tom Dawes with Olivia Collings. It's great because I had never seen a book specifically on Georgian jewelry. It's not glamorous jewelry because the techniques weren't there. It's just that people wanted to adorn themselves to help their social status. It's very collectable today. People collect Georgian jewelry all the time. It goes through the period before Queen Victoria took the throne and clarifies a lot of things. And, again, the information is spot-on. I've never had a problem with these books. When I go to confirm that information, I've never had a problem with it.   Sharon: I don't collect Georgian jewelry, but I do know it's very hard to find.   Jo Ellen: Yeah, it is, but it shows up at different auctions, sometimes in the most unusual places. Even at Abell Auctions you'll see it. People just hold onto these things. A lot of Georgian jewelry isn't available anymore because people would melt down those items to make new items in a newer fashion, such as a Victorian fashion. They would take the stones out, melt down the metals and then either recast them or remake them in some way into a newer-looking form. That's why you don't see a lot of Georgian jewelry anymore.   Sharon: How about Victorian jewelry? There seems to be a lot of it.   Jo Ellen: There's a lot of Victorian jewelry. Even though people also did it then, where they would melt things down and make a new piece out of older pieces, there is a lot of Victorian jewelry because Queen Victoria, whom that period is named after, wore a lot of jewelry. She was a big jewelry person. She loved jewelry and she used it for sentimental reasons to give imagery, to bestow favor on people. So, there's a lot of it around because people would want to copy her. Everybody started doing that. You'll have mourning jewelry from Victorian times.   A lot of historical things happened during her reign, such as the finding of diamonds in South Africa, which changed the diamond market forever. Before then, there were diamonds from Brazil, primarily, or India, but they're very hard to come by and very, very expensive. Once they opened up the diamond fields in South Africa, you started getting a lot more diamond jewelry.   Sharon: By mourning, you mean if somebody dies?   Jo Ellen: Yeah. A lot of times, when someone would die, they would leave a certain amount of money in their will to make mourning rings or pendants for their friends and family to remember them by. So, you have this memento mori-type jewelry which has its own collecting base. People collect their little pendants, which are like little baskets with a little enamel skeleton inside, little rings that say the man or woman's name written around the inside of the band, all sorts of things like that. It's kind of sweet because, when you think about it, jewelry is one of the few art forms that's worn close to the body. It makes it more sentimental.   Sharon: And the diamonds from South Africa, were they different than the other diamonds, besides being less expensive?   Jo Ellen: The thing with Brazilian diamonds in particular is that they had what they call a lot of knots in them, where their crystals grow into crystals. You would have these harder-to-polish areas. With African diamonds, it's such a pure form that they're easier to polish. They didn't take as much time to polish, and they didn't break on the wheel the way that some of the Brazilian diamonds would break.   Sharon: They used those diamonds in Victorian jewelry?   Jo Ellen: They did.   Sharon: What books should we look at if we want to learn about Victorian jewelry?   Jo Ellen: There is a wonderful book—in fact, I used to know an antique dealer that used to give out these books to his clients because they were wonderfully organized. There's a book called “Victorian Jewelry” by Margaret Flower, and it goes through the different phases of Victorian jewelry. There's an early, a mid and a late phase. What she does is describe exactly what you can see during each of the phases, what types of jewelry. It's very interesting, and it gives you an overall picture of how things came to be during that time period. It's really nicely done.   There's a much larger book I'm still reading because it's so big. It's called “Jewelry in the Age of Queen Victoria” by Charlotte Gere and Judy Rudoe. That also has a lot of very specific information on different types of jewelry, the makers during that time. What's interesting is you'll see the same authors over and over again because these people really use it. It's their way to express themselves as a lifestyle, almost. They're wonderful authors, and they do their research and know what they're talking about. So, those are two Victorian jewelry books I would highly recommend. I think they're wonderfully done.   Then, if you want to go into French jewelry, there's another book called “French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century” by Henri Vever. It's an enormously fat book. I'm still reading that one as well, but again, it's jewelry makers. It's huge. It gives makers' information and techniques, and it's beautifully done. That's a good book to have as well.   Sharon: First of all, it strikes me that you seem to look at the pictures a lot more. You read. Most people don't read any of the book. They look at the pictures. That's different.   Jo Ellen: They have pictures with jewelry; that's sure to entice you to continue looking.   Sharon: Then what do you go into? Edwardian and Art Nouveau?   Jo Ellen: Before that, there's actually a period called the Aesthetic Period, which is also covered in the “Jewelry in the Age of Queen Victoria” book. It was in the late 1870s through the 1900s. There were certain makers that specialized in it, like Child & Child of London. They would make these beautiful pieces that harkened back to classical times but using new techniques and materials. That was a specific period. It was a very small period, but all the jewelry that was done during that time is beautifully done. There's a book by Geoffrey Munn called “Castellani and Giuliano,” and it talks about that specific time period. For example, Castellani was known for taking antique or ancient jewelry and refiguring it for that time period around the 1900s.   Sharon: He was a goldsmith?   Jo Ellen: He was a goldsmith. It was actually two brothers who were goldsmiths. One of the brothers was very politically active and lost an arm when they were demonstrating or something. He got put in jail, but the other brother kept on, and then their children took over after them. In Giuliano's case, which was another manufacturer in Rome, he was known for his enamels. You will see jewelry specifically with black and white enamel accenting other colored enamels. The work is beautifully done, and it's very detailed.   Sharon: We may be going back a few years. What was Berlin iron, and when was that popular?   Jo Ellen: Berlin ironwork, I believe, was like 1840 through 1860. It was a result of people giving up their precious metals for the Prussian Wars that were happening at that time. They would make this Berlin ironwork, which is very delicate and lacey, but it was made out of iron because they didn't want to use precious metals for that; they wanted to use it for warfare. So, they would use ironwork as a substitute for precious metals. There are some beautifully intricate bracelets and necklaces. It looks like lace. It's really beautiful.   Sharon: Is it wearable?   Jo Ellen: It is wearable. It's kind of a Gothic look, so it's a heavier look. I don't know if you'd want to wear it every day because, again, it's kind of—I hate to say gloomy, but it is kind of a sober look because it's black and the tracery is so fine. But it's certainly wearable.   Sharon: After the Aesthetic Period, we have Edwardian and Art Deco. What do we have?   Jo Ellen: What we start with is Arts and Crafts, which is actually my favorite period. I have a lot of books on it, but there are a couple that were really good in terms of pushing forward the information I knew. One is a book called “Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition” by Elyse Zorn Karlin, who's a very active member of the jewelry industry. She gives lectures. It's this wonderful book on Arts and Crafts jewelry and metalwork and leads you through the making of it with the guilds.   They tried to restart jewelry guilds in England where everything was made from first to last by the same person. The metal would be drawn and shaped by the person. If enamels were used, they would make the enamels themselves and apply them themselves. The stone setting was done by the same person. That was the beginning of Arts and Crafts, the person making the piece from beginning to end. Usually they're not terribly intricate, but they're beautifully fashioned with a lot of feeling. It's a very comfortable look, and it's infinitely wearable. The first part of Arts and Crafts started around 1883 through 1900. Then there was a repeat of it between around 1920 and 1935, around the same time as Art Deco.   What I forgot to mention during the Aesthetic Period was Carl Fabergé from Russia. He did a lot of Aesthetic pieces.   Sharon: He did the eggs, right?   Jo Ellen: He did the eggs for the Russian monarchy, but he also did jewelry for everyday people. He would make little, miniature enameled eggs for the general Russian population. Those still come up today once in a while. I saw an entire necklace of Fabergé eggs, all in different enamel colors beautifully done. Everything is so beautifully fashioned. You can tell they really took time in every single aspect of the making of that jewel. That's what I love about it. It shows so much attention to detail.   Sharon: We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to the JewelryJourney.com to check them out.    

Given the time of year it felt only right to look at some of the what some might call the ‘creepier' dead arts. Matthew and Alyce take a journey through hair art, teeth jewellery and taxidermy in this shiver-inducing episode.  Although they're not for everyone, we find out how these pieces were important mementos of times passed for people to remember their loved ones and why taxidermy went from a status symbol to a legal nightmare. Plus, if you find any of these pieces hair-raisingly intriguing, we've got your guide on where to find them.  THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT 00:57 The history of hair art  03:42 Different types of hair art and jewellery  06:58 Why hair and jewellery were important mementos  10:13 The industry of death  12:30 The art of taxidermy  14:07 How taxidermy became a status symbol  18:13 Why are they dead arts?  24:06 New pieces available at Courtville.ie  25:53 The best examples of these arts  30:24 The one place making modern hair art in Europe  32:01 Wearing someone's smile on a ring  34:38 Heads of Hummingbirds  HOST DETAILS Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Grainne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality. Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which led to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensures beauty, quality and fair prices. Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find. MORE INFORMATION For more information on Gem Pursuit or to browse the Courtville collection visit www.courtville.ie.  Where you can find modern hair art creation: https://www.visitdalarna.se/en/do/shopping/hair-jewellery-vamhus-mora Hummingbird earrings: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O86513/earring-emanuel-harry/  https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/guides/information-guides/endangered-species/  Check out this piece on our Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyd9dEOJRwz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io. SOCIAL MEDIA ● IG - @CourtvilleAntiques ● FB - @Courtvilleantiques ● Tik Tok - @matthew.weldon    ● YouTube - @courtvilleantique ● Pinterest - @courtville KEYWORDS #hairjewellery #taxidermy #victorian #necklace #deadart #teeth #jewellery

In this episode Matthew and Alyce dive into the dying art of enamelling. Although it's something we might all be able to find on items in our own homes, finding a skilled enameller who can create art to the standard of the past is next to impossible.  Enamelling can be found in many forms and today we look back on the 2500 years of the art, hear about some of the finest crafts people and their incredibly impressive colour palettes and, of course, some direction on where you can look to add your very own piece of enamelling to your collection.  THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT 01:33 What is enamelling?  03:22 Varieties of enamelling  10:24 Why enamelling is a dead art  13:04 The colour palettes of enamelling  14:53 How fashions change through history  23:32 Where you can find good examples of enamelling  28:59 The Dragonfly Woman corsage 35:44 The Colonnade Faberge egg HOST DETAILS Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Grainne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality. Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which led to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensures beauty, quality and fair prices. Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find. MORE INFORMATION For more information on Gem Pursuit or to browse the Courtville collection visit www.courtville.ie.  To see some of the pieces discussed in this episode check out our Instagram instagram.com/matthew.weldons/  Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io. Social Media IG - @CourtvilleAntiquesFB - @CourtvilleantiquesTik Tok - @matthew.weldon    YouTube - @courtvilleantiquePinterest - @courtville QUOTES Enameling is a form of glass work, which has additives introduced to it to increase its stability, and to reduce a melting range that allows it to set on top of a metal surface. - Alyce Ketcher There literally are so many types of enamelling, because it really is like an experimental art, especially when you think about glass work. - Alyce Ketcher  This was considered one of the most important art forms (and jewellery is art that you wear) up until really the 20th century. And then the question begs to be asked is why is this a dead art? - Matthew Weldon  One thing to really think about when we're talking about these art forms is that they may have gone out of fashion, and then they come back into fashion, but we can't find them anywhere. So we have to look at antique jewellery. - Alyce Ketcher  Carl Fabergé's workshops had 130 colors of enamel. So you could choose from 130 different color palettes that they had created. That is a huge feat. - Alyce Ketcher  KEYWORDS #enamelling #enamel #jewellery #metal #faberge #artform

In this episode with visual artist, art historian, and writer Alessandro Keegan, we have magical dialogue around esoterica, alchemy, and spiritual practices in relation to visual art. We learn about Alessandro's thought process and approach to his magical paintings.  We talk about the emergence of this genre of artwork into the mainstream and what that could mean about the deeply transformative times we are living in.   --------------------- Alessandro Keegan (b. 1980) is a visual artist, writer and art history professor with an MFA in painting and drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MA in art history from Brooklyn College. Keegan, who has training as a gemologist, worked at the Gemological Institute of America in New York until 2012, while completing his education. He currently lives and works in the Hudson Valley town of Walden, New York. Keegan's paintings have been exhibited in New York, Chicago, London, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Macau, The Hague, and many other cities around the world. His art can be found in the permanent collection of the College of Psychic Studies, in London, alongside historical artists of the occult. In 2023, Keegan had his first solo exhibition in New York City at Waterhouse and Dodd Gallery. His most recent exhibition was at the Macau Museum of Art, as part of the Macau International Art Biennale, on view from July 28th-October 29th, 2023. Writings about his work have appeared in Artsy, ArtMaze Magazine, Artforum, Cultured Magazine, Elephant Magazine, and Masthead Magazine as well as journals such as Helvete (Punctum Books, Brooklyn) and J'ai Froid (Castillo/ Corrales, Paris). Keegan's art practice and ideas are the subject of a short documentary film called “The Matter of Mind”, released in 2020 by Full Moon Films. Keegan is also a writer, and will have a forthcoming essay in "Enchanted Pedagogies: Archetypes, Magic, and Knowledge", an anthology edited by Kari Adelaide Razdow, published by Brill publishers. website: https://www.alessandrokeegan.com/ Substack: https://alessandrokeegan.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alessandro_keegan/ Gallery: https://www.waterhousedodd.com/ Matter of Mind (documentary): https://vimeo.com/482193743 See More from Martin Benson *To stay up on releases and content surrounding the show check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *To contribute to the creation of this show, along with access to other exclusive content, consider subscribing for $0.99/month on Instagram (Link above) Credits: Big Thanks to Matthew Blankenship of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sometimes Island ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the podcast theme music!   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-l-benson/support

To celebrate over 50 episodes of Gem Pursuit Matthew and Alyce are taking you through a journey of their top five episodes.  It was no easy task deciding on our top five but you'll hear stories of Godly gemstones, the lost city of gold and the brutal standards of one very famous jeweller.  We'll also be looking ahead to Season 8, which will be in your ears this October and is all about the dead arts.  THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT The Godly glow of precious emeralds Alma Pihl and the unfortunate journey of one father's gemstones The lost city of gold Influential jewellery designer Suzanne BelperronThe brutal hammer of a very iconic jeweller  GUEST DETAILS Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Gráinne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality. Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which lead to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensuring beauty, quality and fair prices. Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find. MORE INFORMATION For more information on Gem Pursuit or to browse the Courtville collection visit www.courtville.ie.  Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io. QUOTES "You can value jewellery in two ways, and when it transcends from one of these ways to the other, it's when you really reach these gem qualities and you value them based on their intrinsic parts. So the diamond, the gold, sapphire, garnet, it is evaluated on the part, but if you're valuing jewellery based on the craft, the skill and the beauty, that's jewellery on a different level." ~ Matthew Weldon  "He was able to actually revolutionise the way people look at jewellery, instead of looking at it as a tangible asset and looking at it as a piece of art. There wasn't any other jeweller in his time period who did what he did. It really was a turning point in jewellery creation." ~ Alyce Ketcher  "A lot of jewellery houses, when they make something, much like an artist, they will actually put their name on the bottom or they'll sign it. In jewellery, it's exactly the same thing. But Suzanne Belperron said ‘I don't even sign my pieces, you should know they are mine just by looking at them'." ~ Matthew Weldon   KEYWORDS #jewellery #gold #faberge #gem #history 

In this episode I speak to Emma Louise Dyson, an accredited crystal practitioner, a shamanic witch and earth medicine practitioner. By blending the magical energy of crystals, herbs, and plants, she weaves a tapestry of enchantment, infusing her practices with layers of transformative power. We discuss shifting from being a people pleaser to creating healthy and powerful boundaries as an adult.We talk about:How to show up as your authentic selfThe importance of stepping away from being a people pleaserCreating healthy boundaries and the results of following this pathStepping back to natureFacing our 'good girl' fears To hear the next part of the conversation you can subscribe to the patron part of the podcast where we dig even deeper. This week's episode is called 'Success is Surrendering to a Soul Led Life' and we talk about her giving up her beautiful home, and successful business 'because Soul said so'... It's a beautiful story of surrender and trust.If you are a MAVEN HAVEN®️ member you'll have access to that for free, if not it's just £5 a month. Find out more about the podcast and the perks of becoming a patron here: https://www.ebonieallard.com/podcastAbout Emma:As an Earth Medicine and Magic Practitioner, shamanic witch, and feral rebel, I bring a unique blend of wisdom and experience to the realm of crystals and holistic healing.For six years, I had the privilege of working as a TV presenter on esteemed UK and US channels such as Gems TV, Rocks TV, JewelleryMaker, and Hochanda. During this time, I honed my craft and shared my passion for gemstones and crystals with a diverse audience.Venturing beyond the screen, my wanderlust led me to explore the world as an international shopping specialist, representing renowned luxury jewellery brands like Cartier and Mont Blanc on six continents. This journey took me to extraordinary places, including the bustling diamond district of New York and the mesmerising gemstone mines of Tanzania, where I immersed myself in the wonders of these precious treasures.Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, I sought to expand my expertise in gemology. Through rigorous training with the Gemological Institute of America, I acquired a wealth of knowledge and earned distinguished credentials, proudly sporting letters after my name.Yet, my exploration didn't stop there. I delved deeper into the metaphysical and healing aspects of crystals, becoming a qualified crystal therapist. My passion for sharing this sacred wisdom led me to create my own crystal practitioners course called The Wild Child Crystal Practitioners Diploma, empowering others to unlock their innate healing abilities.In addition to my crystal endeavours, I have successfully run my own crystal business Rock Chic, fuelling my entrepreneurial spirit.Presently, I find myself on a captivating journey, seeking to purchase land and embark on a fulfilling off-grid lifestyle, where I can further connect with nature and live in harmony with the Earth.Nature has always been my sanctuary, and I find solace in foraging for herbs and connecting with their potent medicinal properties. By blending the magical energy of crystals, herbs, and plants, I weave a tapestry of enchantment, infusing my practices with layers of transformative power.Find Emma here:Facebook Page - Wild and Untamed https://www.facebook.com/wildanduntamedway Free FB Group - The Wild Child Crystal Collective -

J Parkerson Jewelers, located in College Park in Starkville, MS is more than just a Jewelry Store... It's an experience.  Jamie started his career with the Jeweler's Bench at the age of 19.  During his 30 plus years of hands-on experience, he also acquired his Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America.  Any time you talk to Jamie, you will find a recurring theme of the importance of relationships.  Jamie always says, "I have always strived to treat people the same way I would want to be treated. "J Parkerson Jewelers has a huge collection of beautiful diamonds and jewelry, does jewelry repairs, and Jamie specializes in custom and heirloom designs. 

What you'll learn in this episode:   How the internet has changed the way people research and shop for jewelry  Why even antique jewelry should be appraised with today's market in mind Why lab-grown diamonds are becoming increasingly popular, even if they aren't necessarily a good financial investment How to tell if you're working with a qualified appraiser, and what techniques they use to determine a piece's value Ed's advice for purchasing jewelry at auction, online and while traveling   About Ed Lewand  Edward A. Lewand, GG, ASA, AAA, is a professional, independent appraiser of fine and antique jewelry. He has earned a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America, is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America and a Senior Accredit Member in Gems and Jewelry from the American Society of Appraisers.   Mr. Lewand also teaches a course that he developed on appraising jewelry called the Art of Appraising Jewelry at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He lectures on appraising and antique jewelry. He maintains his insurance brokerage license in P&C and has a certificate in Paralegal studies from Adelphi University.   He specializes in antique jewelry appraisals and works with attorneys on estates, trusts, insurance matters, and copyright issues as well as appraisal theories and concepts. He is also an outside expert for the IRS and consults with numerous galleries and dealers in New York on antique jewelry.   Mr. Lewand is also the director of Jewelry Camp (JewelryCamp.org), now in its 43rd year, held at PHILLIPS Auction House in New York, an international conference on antique jewelry and art pertaining to jewelry.    He does work for international accounting firms as well as appraisals for the sale of major companies.  Additional Resources: Jewelry Camp Website Consultant Appraisal Service, LLC Website www.independentlychecked.com   Instagram Facebook Twitter Photos available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: A good jewelry appraiser can give you much more than just an estimate of what your jewelry is worth. As a professional, independent appraiser of fine and antique jewelry, Ed Lewand draws on his historical knowledge of jewelry and his connections in the industry to give his clients a deeper understanding of what they have in their collections. He joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how to know you're working with a qualified appraiser; why less expensive jewelry, like lab-grown diamonds and art jewelry, is on the rise; and why you should always read the fine print when making a purchase. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.    Today, our guest is Ed Lewand, who was one of our first podcast guests several years ago. He's a professional independent appraiser. Welcome back.    Ed: So, I do recommend product knowledge. As far as theories and concepts, a lot of places like to make appraisals more important than they really are. As long as you do your research and your documentation, provide whatever is needed for that particular assignment, explain what you're doing in your scope of work, and maintain all your files and notes, you've pretty much got it. [End of repeat of first part]   It's also establishing the right market for somebody. I don't know who wrote the books a long time ago. There are 12 principles about appraising and theory. I always put every little note down. I'm valuing the second retail. The model is no longer in current production. The value is based on auction comps and comps on the internet from sites such as 1stDibs. I put that in my notes. I don't put the actual comps in; those are in my notes, but I put that on the appraisal just so people understand where the numbers are coming from.    One of the misconceptions—I just ran into this last month in Nashville; I don't run into it in New York—is that everybody is like, “Why isn't the item appraised for double?” It's a real item. It exists in the real world. Appraising it for double isn't doing anybody any favors. It's misleading. The appraisal should reflect a real number that exists and that the piece sold for. This way you understand that it's the value of the piece. It's just like when you're buying a house. The appraisers value it based on comps in the marketplace, the location and everything else. They're not going to give an appraisal for double on the house, because the bank's only going to give you money based on that loan and what they could sell it for if they have to take over the house and you default. The same thing with an engagement ring. If everybody in the area sells the ring for $5,000 for a comparable ring, then the price of the ring is going to be $5,000 on the appraisal. How is it presented? If the color and clarity are correct, this is a $5,000 ring. “Well, my mother always taught me to appraise for double.” Well, if it was worth double, why weren't they selling it to you for double?    Now, when we get down to value, a lot of people don't understand value. I don't fight people on value. I fight people on documentation. I fight people on research, on comps. Value is whatever somebody wants to pay for something, whatever anybody wants to charge for it. There's nothing wrong with that. If you feel this ring is worth $10,000 and somebody buys it from you for $10,000, even if all the appraisers say it's worth $2,500—but I really love the ring, so to me it's worth $10,000—that's fine. The guy didn't do anything wrong. That's what he wanted for it. That's what you paid for it. It's just like with certain things I collect. If I want it badly enough, I'm going to pay what they're asking for it. Even if they think it's high, I'm not buying for investment; I'm buying it for my own enjoyment. As you can see from the background, I have a lot of things in the house on the walls, the bookshelves and everything else. This is my private office. The wife is not allowed to go past the door of my office. I enjoy collecting weird little tidbits here and there. You have to understand; there are certain things you argue, certain things you can't argue. It's basically representation.    Now, if you're buying a new piece—in fact, a situation just came up. I can't mention the names, but the salesperson represented the price with four numbers. She never added the zero. She had said 1625. She said to them, both the husband and wife, 1625, and they took that to mean $1,625. I think anybody would. Now, if you said 16250, that's $16,250. You never add the zero on this particular item. The people came back from their cruise and took it to a local jeweler, and the local jeweler said, “Oh, it's only worth $8,000.” So, they called me. I said, “Well, there's a conflict here. I can't physically give you an appraisal. This firm is connected to an accounting firm and a bank that I do work for, so I can't do that; it wouldn't be fair.” It affects all the companies and businesses too. So, I suggested and recommended that they call the company and see what they can negotiate. I looked at the earrings, the item, and I agreed they were only worth $8,000. Actually, between $6,000 and $8,000. I think they had a very valid thing, and they'll end up getting money back or being able to return them.    What I always advise people is know what the rules are before you buy something. When you're traveling it may seem like a good deal, but jewelry is jewelry, no matter where we go in the world. It has a certain value and that's it. Sometimes you can negotiate. Maybe somebody has things marked higher so they're expecting you to negotiate. It just depends on what region of the world you're in. Always check. Is it a returnable item? Are there no returns? If you're traveling, I also suggest—I'm not an expert or anything, but from my own personal experience, I strongly recommend that you use a regular Amex card, not a credit card, because there is a difference. Some companies have rules that you can't dispute anything more than 100 miles from your home. You've got to be careful with what you do and read the fine print. Unfortunately, today, the fine print is 30 or 40 pages on some things. So, you've got to be very, very careful with that.   Sharon: I missed something, or I didn't understand. If you have a platinum card, let's say, and it's not a credit card, or you use a green Amex, what's the difference?   Ed: It's a charge card. Amex is a charge card. It's an international bank. It's not a local bank. With Visa and Mastercard and some of these others, you have to see what the rules are for disputing something beyond a certain range from the address of the card. Some companies don't do it. Amex is an international company, so they handle things everywhere you go. They're very, very good to their members—they call us members. That's something I always tell people. Do a little research before you buy something. It takes you five minutes to Google, read the fine print, see what their policy is. In this way, if something goes wrong, you don't have a problem a month later. It's always a good thing, even here in the States. If you buy something and the pricing is too good to be true, it probably is.    Sharon: Have you ever bought anything in your travels that you thought was a good deal and then you came home and found it wasn't?   Ed: No, because when I used to go the islands or to Europe and I'd find something for myself or the family, it's basically some souvenir. I like antiques. I collect Sorcerer's Apprentice, Mickey Mouse paraphernalia and stuff. I know what the markets and the values are, but sometimes I'll overpay. If I'm down on the islands and I go into one of these little shops with the balloons and stuff, I'll buy the kids those; they're a few bucks.    Have I ever bought anything overseas where there was an error or mistake? No, luckily, I haven't. I never did. I think when I started, I had some very good teachers who I used to travel with, and they would say, “Oh, don't do that. Don't do this. Don't do that.” We flew to Europe right after 9/11. They took away my tweezers at the airport, but we got on the plane. We're flying business class and first class. When we got on the plane, they gave us steak knives with the dinnerware, and we're going, “Wait a minute. They took my tweezers away as security, but you're giving me a real steak knife? That's classic.” We're sitting there trying to understand this concept.    I think on the trip back, we flew out of Geneva. The people I was with, we all bought Swiss army knives, and we said, “O.K., make sure we put it into our checked luggage, not in our carry-on.” One left it in his carry-on, and we were sure it was going to get confiscated. They called him over. They took everything out, looked in his bag, took everything. We get to the gate and there's a duty-free store. What were they selling there? Swiss army knives. Remember they used to have the little clerks that would go around the plane and sell souvenirs and things? What were they selling? Swiss army knives.    Sharon: You did better than I did. They took away my plastic steak knife and I couldn't believe it.    Ed: I'm telling you, it's weird. It's very, very strange. Our government has developed TSA PreCheck. They've developed Global Entry. There are all different things you could do. There's Clear, which I strongly suggest people use. It makes life so much easier, and it moves so much faster. But you're always going to run into a problem traveling. Like I said, if people take five minutes to read the fine print, they avoid a lot of problems later for themselves. That's what I suggest. That's the story.   Sharon: Yeah, I can believe that. What should we look for in a good appraiser?    Ed: That they have kept updated with the latest USPAP, the Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices, that they have obtained a certain level in one of the appraisal organizations for gems and jewelry, that they're providing you with an adequate description of the item with a photograph, and that they're charging a fair price and explaining the value to you. In other words, they're not just saying, “O.K., here's a ring. It's worth $3,000. Thank you, goodbye.” No. “It's worth $3,000. We checked the internet. We made a few phone calls. We looked at the Rapaport List. We looked at the guide. This is the number we came up with for you, and here's the reason why.” It takes a few minutes to explain it to people. Your explanation should be a narrative of the report, or for a standard retail replacement appraisal, it should contain a very good description for replacement purposes. It should have a fair value on it, which makes sense. Now, if it's not a new purchase, if it's an older purchase, if it was mom's engagement ring, it should still be based on information related to what it will cost you to go out and buy a new ring in a store in this area or nationally.   I take into account the internet because I see a lot of diamonds coming off the internet still. Remarkably, you can buy some very large, expensive stones on the internet. I'm shocked; five, six, eight carats. I'm fascinated that people spend that kind of money, but they do. The other thing, too, when you're buying diamonds, is making sure you have an accompanying GIA web report. They're not certificates; they're reports. A certificate in different states means warranty, but they're lab reports. GIA developed the system we use today. They are still the premier lab that everybody wants to use for identification and grading. I think you solve a lot of headaches for yourself that way.   And, be forthcoming with your appraiser. If you're going to have jewelry appraised or if you're selling something, the appraiser is going to ask you certain questions. Do you have the original box and papers for this watch? Do you have the original receipt? What type of store did you buy it in? Are there problems or situations? Professional appraisers are there to work for you. I can do a standard engagement ring in about 10 minutes. The more information you give me, the better I can research everything you're looking for and help figure out if there's a problem. So, don't withhold the certificate. It's not a game. We're here to work for you. We're charging anywhere from $150 for a ring under a carat to $400 or $500 for something that's five carats. We're charging you a lot of money to sit there, talk to you and explain and investigate your piece of jewelry so we can derive a value that's in the correct marketplace.   Sharon: Do you look for a hallmark on a piece or something that would be a manufacturer's signature?   Ed: Just to clarify something, a hallmark is a government-issued stamp for taxes and content for the gold. A trademark is the seller's mark or the manufacturer's mark. They're two different things. One of the best people that knows about that is—I just forgot his name. He used to teach at Jewelry Camp. He's a good friend; I talk to him all the time. It's Bill and Danusia, who do a great class. They wrote the World Hallmark Book, which is right behind me.   Sharon: I didn't know Danusia wrote a hallmark book.    Ed: Danusia is going to be mad at me if she listens, but Bill, Lindy and Danusia wrote World Hallmarks. It's a great book. They put so much time and effort into that. It was never about profit; it's just about education. They have the most information. They are the top people in identifying marks, and Bill is a walking encyclopedia. If you ever get to hear them lecture—I think this summer they're lecturing for Gail Levine at her NAJA Conference. If you have a chance, you definitely have to hear them talk. They're fantastic.    That's another good little jewelry organization that just specializes in jewelry, the NAJA. Gail tries her best to bring people the best information they can possibly get. The difference between a jeweler appraiser and a professional independent appraiser is not much. If the values are there and they do the work correctly and their report is defendable, then they're doing a good job. Niklewicz, that's Danusia's name.    Sharon: So, a hallmark is like a Tiffany mark?   Ed: No, that's the manufacturer's mark. Hallmark is like the eagle's head for 18-carat gold in France, the wolf's head or dog's head for platinum, whatever you use. You could date a piece with it. You could date an antique from the cut of the stone. You could do a lot of things from understanding products. When was platinum first used? When did it develop? When did the torch come, which combined oxygen and gas to give a hotter, higher flame so you could work in platinum? When you see black platinum pieces, it's because it was a white metal. They used to back silver in gold; otherwise, it would rub on your skin and everything and turn black. They were doing that with platinum early on. Platinum stands by itself, but by understanding hallmarks you can understand if the piece is all platinum. If the piece is platinum in 18-carat white gold, you can understand the country or where it comes from; you can understand a timeframe.   Understanding history is very important if you're an appraiser. I tell people I don't authenticate. It's not my place to do that, but I will value something. If the stamps and everything are correct, I will value something based on those markings. Do I guarantee them to be genuine? To the best of my knowledge, they might be, but again, I'm not authenticating it.    To this day, with the major houses and the major pieces, you still have to go to them to get the best authentication. From what I'm told right now, they're not doing it. There's a new service out there that will verify, I think, Winston, Cartier, Tiffany and Van Cleef. They do those four houses. I think auction houses are finding them quite useful. They're still not the company itself, but they're accepted. They are very intelligent, knowledgeable people who are doing it. They've all worked for those companies. Like I said, you may have to hire someone or find other people who know more than you do, but the sign of a good appraiser is they will ask other people who have more knowledge than they do about something. I do that all the time, especially with antique and aesthetic jewelry. I always ask a dealer I know, who's like a walking encyclopedia. I ask for their opinion, their thoughts, their input, what their prior sales were, so I can provide the best information, not only to cover myself, but also to protect the client. That's important. You're there to protect your client no matter what and to be honest and truthful.   Sharon: Yeah, that would be very important.    Ed: I think so.   Sharon: One last thing I wanted to ask. I was going back and reading the transcript of the very first time you were on the podcast. You talked about the fact that brooches originally were heavier, and people don't want them now because they stretch fabric. What do you think today?   Ed: It's still taste. They're not as popular as they once were. People would wear them because you could wear it with a scarf; you could wear it with a jacket; you could put it on a hat. There were a lot of different things. I do see some designers and people still making a brooch or two, but it's not something that's a mainstay. People don't want heavy things on their clothing. Clothing is lighter. With some people, it's less clothing. So, they're still not super-popular, but they're still there and collectable. A lot of times they're worn on a chain, or they're made with a pendant attachment.    A lot of people don't realize jewelry was sometimes made for several purposes. I've seen pieces made by some of the finer houses where they could be attached onto a bracelet, they could be a brooch and they also had a pendant fitting. Some of them even had tiara fittings to be worn as a tiara back in the day. But as times, styles and people's choices change, so does the jewelry industry and the art world.    Right now, I know that art jewelry is very popular. It's a hard item. There's a lovely lady—I'm getting old; I can't remember her name. She's going to hit me when she sees me, but she represents artists, and it's fun jewelry. Is it super-expensive? Yes and no. If it's a noted artist, it could be worth $20,000, $25,000, but most of the time it's not. She's been to Jewelry Camp a number of times. Some of this stuff is so amazing, how they can concoct it and how they make it and design it. It's a lot of fun. People should consider art jewelry. It's a statement, but it's fun to collect. It's not super-expensive, and it's a piece that when you wear it and walk into a room, people go, “Look at that ring. Oh my god, I've got to ask her about it.” It may be made out of tin. I've seen some weird stuff, but it really is interesting. Not to show my age, but as we used to say, it's really cool. People love to wear it. Some of the finer houses have just now started seeing auctions. I know Heritage had one on art jewelry. You don't see them a lot, but they are starting to come about a little bit more.   Sharon: That's interesting, just became I happen to like art jewelry and it's been behind the scenes for so long. Ed, thank you so much for being with us today. I really appreciate it.   Ed: My pleasure. It was great seeing you and talking to you. Hopefully somebody can use this knowledge. If people contact you with a question, feel free to forward it to me and I'll help them out anytime I can.   Sharon: Thank you very much. We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

What you'll learn in this episode:   How the internet has changed the way people research and shop for jewelry  Why even antique jewelry should be appraised with today's market in mind Why lab-grown diamonds are becoming increasingly popular, even if they aren't necessarily a good financial investment How to tell if you're working with a qualified appraiser, and what techniques they use to determine a piece's value Ed's advice for purchasing jewelry at auction, online and while traveling   About Ed Lewand  Edward A. Lewand, GG, ASA, AAA, is a professional, independent appraiser of fine and antique jewelry. He has earned a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America, is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America and a Senior Accredit Member in Gems and Jewelry from the American Society of Appraisers.   Mr. Lewand also teaches a course that he developed on appraising jewelry called the Art of Appraising Jewelry at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He lectures on appraising and antique jewelry. He maintains his insurance brokerage license in P&C and has a certificate in Paralegal studies from Adelphi University.   He specializes in antique jewelry appraisals and works with attorneys on estates, trusts, insurance matters, and copyright issues as well as appraisal theories and concepts. He is also an outside expert for the IRS and consults with numerous galleries and dealers in New York on antique jewelry.   Mr. Lewand is also the director of Jewelry Camp (JewelryCamp.org), now in its 43rd year, held at PHILLIPS Auction House in New York, an international conference on antique jewelry and art pertaining to jewelry.    He does work for international accounting firms as well as appraisals for the sale of major companies.  Additional Resources: Jewelry Camp Website Consultant Appraisal Service, LLC Website www.independentlychecked.com   Instagram Facebook Twitter Photos available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: A good jewelry appraiser can give you much more than just an estimate of what your jewelry is worth. As a professional, independent appraiser of fine and antique jewelry, Ed Lewand draws on his historical knowledge of jewelry and his connections in the industry to give his clients a deeper understanding of what they have in their collections. He joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how to know you're working with a qualified appraiser; why less expensive jewelry, like lab-grown diamonds and art jewelry, is on the rise; and why you should always read the fine print when making a purchase. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week.    Welcome back to the Jewelry Journey everybody. We've had about a month-long spring break. It's really good to be here again. Even though I missed all of you, I'm always hearing your suggestions. I also want to know who you want to hear, the speakers that would be of interest to you or whatever ideas you have. Please write me at Sharon@ArtsandJewelry.com, or you can send your ideas to me via Instagram @Arts and Jewelry.   Today, our guest is Ed Lewand, who was one of our first podcast guests several years ago. He's a professional independent appraiser, and he's had a lot of experience. He's worked for banks. He's worked for all the big houses. He's travelled, I would say the world, but I know he's gone to New York. Today he's going to be talking about the importance of appraising. I think that's something we all want to hear about. I know it's so important; especially living in California, you have wildfires when you wake up in the morning or you have a mudslide in the backyard. Whether it's fire, theft or something else, appraising is important, especially when you have to prove to somebody else what something is worth.   Ed is also the director of what is colloquially known as Jewelry Camp. The Antique Jewelry and Art Conference is its real name, but it's known as Jewelry Camp. It's really where I got my start. I learned very quickly that I could sit through a whole day of jewelry-related meetings and not even think about the time, but if it was anything else, if it was work-related, I didn't have the patience. It really helped point me toward what I liked and what I thought I should like, but I found out I really didn't like. So, I have homed in on jewelry. Without further ado, I'd like to welcome Ed to the program.   Ed: Thank you, Sharon. How are you doing?   Sharon: I'm doing O.K. It's good to have you since you were one of our first ones. One thing I wondered is how you kept your business going through Covid.   Ed: That's very interesting. One, I still flew, believe it or not. I got on planes and flew. Yes, you wore a mask, and yes, you sat in alternating rows and everything else like that. Not many people were traveling. New York, where I had an office—I still do; I share an office now—was on lockdown, but essential businesses were still allowed to operate and see people. Guess what? Appraising fell under banking and accounting. So, I was still able to see people. We did a lot of Zoom work for the accounting firms and banks. Of course, that was mainly verifying investments. As long as I saw the piece, I was O.K. with figuring out what was needed for that particular assignment. It wasn't that bad. I didn't see a lot of private people like I normally do, but I was still doing work for the companies.   Sharon: When you were traveling, it was a lot easier I suppose.   Ed: It wasn't crowded. I had to go to Florida for a client and see my sister. That was the first time I was ever on Delta Airlines, in the terminal in Orlando, and I was the only person there. There was nobody else there. I was like, “Whoa, this is like the Twilight Zone. Orlando, Delta Terminal, no one there.” Four or five other people finally trickled through, but I was still able to do stuff remotely for people. One of the weird things was if I was going live in person, I carried a UV lamp with me to scan everything. Supposedly the UV light was killing the Coronavirus. So, I would scan everything before I touched it, and I would scan it again before I gave it back. I would tell people, “I can't wear a mask while I'm working, looking in a microscope with a mask on.” I just couldn't do it, and nobody had a problem with that. So, business still went on; it was at a different level or a different procedure.   Sharon: I'm really surprised to hear that appraising came under banking and accounting as an essential service.   Ed: Well, you've got to understand, you actually get values every day. You get an estimate to have your car fixed, and there's a number at the bottom of the page. That's sort of like an appraisal. Your house gets appraised for a loan or a mortgage. Your insurance company comes in after a car accident. They're valuing what the car is going to be. Appraising is a general term, and it's very important. It's not proof of ownership, but it does help establish that you are in possession of the product. It establishes a value and identifies the product; it's not necessarily always authenticating.    Sharon: I'm learning something then, because I always thought if you have the piece, then you own it. I guess you could steal it and have the piece.   Ed: Yeah, something could go wrong. You could lose it. It's good to have a record. That's what an appraisal basically is; a record. I do a lot of work where people aren't insuring their jewelry. They're just keeping a record for themselves in a safety deposit box. As a matter of fact, with some of my better clients now, the kids decided they don't want the jewelry. They're my high-value clients, and we're doing a value of what the jewelry could be sold for after their time of death, so the kids don't have to go crazy. At first, I thought it was nuts, but I understand it better. I've been getting a lot of calls from my high-value clients to do that.    Sharon: I can see how that would eliminate a lot of bickering afterwards.    Ed: A tremendous amount. So, appraising is used every day. Besides jewelry, which is my specialty, I still did floor plans for some companies and manufacturers for another firm that would call me in. A lot of stuff is looking at numbers and checking and doing the research and valuing it in that aspect. Appraising is basically a lot of research and comps and documentation. You don't always have to put everything into the appraisal, but you do have to keep it in your notes.   Sharon: If you were doing all of this during Covid, was there a change in what you were appraising? Was it one-offs versus a whole estate where somebody had died?   Ed: No changes. The only change was the research. It was very limited because people weren't in. Things stopped, so I couldn't research or make calls or do anything as much as I normally would. I had to put a disclaimer in their reports saying, “This is during the time of Covid, there's a national lockdown, blah, blah, blah,” and that research, which might be necessary, is not obtainable at this point.    Sharon: Today do you see a change in terms of the things you're seeing?   Ed: That's very funny. A change in procedures, no. When things go back to pre-Covid and things are moving smoothly, people again want an appraisal for insurance. They may still want an appraisal because they're looking to get an occasional order to be sold or just for their own knowledge. So, procedures are back to pre-Covid.    What is different now is that people are learning. The internet has become very, very big in the jewelry industry. You could find almost any piece of jewelry you want on the internet, and you'll probably find it for a very good price. There are so many sites that sell loose diamonds—and if you're in the trade, you'll understand what I'm going to say—and there's a price list of things, and they're discounted. Some of these sites are literally wholesaling diamonds for the public, sometimes better than a jeweler can pick them up for.    In my opinion, it's created a problem in the industry and for me. Do I use those sites as a comp, or do I have to take into reality what a jeweler might put on the price to make his fair markup? Which isn't much on a diamond. A fair markup on a diamond today could be 5% to 20%. In some situations, it's more, but there are reasons why, price points, things like that. When you're appraising, it's a lot of market research. As a matter of fact, a lot of organizations now require that the appraiser put in a market analysis for the appraisal. Is it really necessary? Yes and no. In some appraisals it is and other ones it isn't.   Sharon: Have you had anybody come back and argue or dispute an appraisal that you've had?   Ed: I've had people come back and say, “I had it appraised in 2008 for more money,” and I explain to them and show them that times have changed and markups have changed. Once it's explained to a person, they understand that. I can only value something on a certain date. I can't predict the future or anything like that. So, is it sad? Yes.    We just got done with a situation where one report from a government agency, who will remain nameless, said that the diamond business increased in value from 2013 to 2020, and I'm like, “No, it didn't.” I used one of these lists, the Rapaport List, and I showed them the decline in the marketplace. Why are you saying it went up 30% when it declined? I do a lot of reviews and a lot of work within the trade for estates and trusts of people. There's a lot to it, to establish certain markets and things like that.    I think today, what I'm seeing at the little office in Nashville I use—the appraiser there got ill, and she can't work anymore. So, I go up and take care of clients and give her a percentage of everything, so she can afford to pay her bills at least. What I have noticed there is an increase in sales of lab-grown diamonds.   Sharon: I was just going to ask you about that. Do you see more of those?   Ed: I'm seeing more, which is unusual, but then again when I go to Nashville, I'm dealing with the public. I really enjoy going to Nashville. The people up there are great. I have such a good time appraising and having conversations. I do see more and more of it coming. I have to admit that, even with friends of mine, even though some people disagree and there are reasons why they don't like LGDs, but to me, it's a diamond. It will test as a diamond. It is a diamond. You can't pick up a loupe and look at it and say, “This is lab-grown.” It's a real diamond, and they're very, very inexpensive.    We've got to look at these things. You'll have reports coming out saying, “Well, they don't hold their value.” O.K., is a person really buying a diamond engagement ring for value? Because if you pay $10,000 and you go to sell it, you're only going to get $4,000, so it has lost value. Are you buying the ring for value or an investment, or are you buying the ring for love and a symbol? I think a lot of younger people—and I hate to say this, but even us older people are realizing it's for enjoyment. It's for fashion, and it's a symbol. It is not a symbol of, “Look, I spent $25,000 on a two-carat ring.” I have a two-carat ring, but it only cost me $4,000.   I have a very dear friend. His son wanted to get a stone, and he asked me for the lab-grown. I said, “Fine, what do you want?” He said, “Well, on this website it's $15,000. Dad said you could do better.” I said, “Let me make a call to a supplier I know.” Yes, I got him a five-carat D VS1 oval cut for $5,500. The equivalent stones can be very, very expensive, tens of thousands of dollars more. Is he happy? Yeah. Will anybody realize the difference? The guy's in law school. Daddy has money. No, they'll probably think it's real or a natural stone.    I even recommend them to my family. My son, my daughters, they all end up doing lab-growns because you're wearing it on your finger or your ear. If you spend $2,000 on something, it's not the same as spending $15,000. So, yes, I do recommend them. As a matter of fact, a lot of people I know recommend them now. I'm seeing an uptick. Even secondary market jewelers who do things for their clients are starting to get requests for lab-grown diamonds. They're taking their market share.    Sharon: I can understand that.    Ed: It's funny. Originally, I was trying to get something going where there had to be fines and things like that for lab-growns. Going back five or six years, most people were saying it was just a fad that wasn't going to develop into anything. Well, guys, it's developed into something very fancy. I don't have the stats right now because I haven't checked in a while, but I'm sure if you called JA or one of these groups that monitors things, we'll see a large increase in the sales of lab-growns.   Sharon: That's interesting. It took me a while to get used to it, but you're right; it's exactly the same as the diamond. What does it matter?   Ed: Exactly. Again, like I say to people, you're not buying it for an investment; you're buying it as a symbol of love or devotion or whatever you want to use it for. I've seen women buying themselves diamond studs that are lab-growns. They're like, “Well, why should I wait for my boyfriend to buy me one?” It's not $20,000 anymore; it's $2,000, $3,000, and they're taking it upon themselves to buy it for themselves.    Now, don't get me wrong. If the average person who wouldn't have the money for a five-carat diamond buys a five-carat lab-grown, yeah, people wouldn't know it's not a real stone, or a natural diamond I should say. It's still a diamond, but people would not suspect this person could afford it. They would think it's CZ or moissanite or something like that. But as long as you stay within the realm of what your circle is, nobody would ever suspect that you have a lab-grown diamond.   Sharon: That's interesting. It's worth a second thought.    Ed: Yeah. I strongly recommend them.   Sharon: I know you do a lot of teaching, too.    Ed: I don't teach regularly. I host classes down here every two years because we all need to get our seven-hour update. Between you and me, not much changes, just the wording, but I have an old friend, also from Jewelry Camp, who comes in and does it. She's a certified instructor and does the seven hours. To be honest with you, it's really done for selfish reasons, which is mainly so I get my time in and I get to travel somewhere.    Believe it or not, business down here in the southeast is quite plentiful; it's quite important. Do I see large, 20-carat diamonds? No, that's New York or Florida or California, but I do see a lot of people. One of the things about appraising, you have to have a good bedside manner. You can't insult people. I had one instance where I said to a gentleman, “These items are going to be appraised for less than a certain price point at $1,000. I don't think you need to have them appraised and spend $150 an item on me, but if you want them appraised, I'll do it.” I said, “It's your prerogative.” He said he had a strand of pearls worth a lot of money, and I didn't see a strand of pearls worth a lot of money. Standard cultured pearls under five or six millimeters is not a $20,000 necklace, but whatever. People are told things from relatives.    Funny thing: I had one person once, when I lived up in New York, and I looked at the string and said, “This is a textbook example of a synthetic sapphire.” “Oh no, my grandfather told me it's a real sapphire and it's worth a lot of money.” “I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no, it's not.” I didn't charge for the appraisal. A few weeks later, a colleague and close friend of mine, Barry Block, gets the same stone and said, “Ed, it's a synthetic.” I said, “Yeah, I know.” “I'm trying to explain to her it's synthetic.” I said, “Barry, don't.” From what I understand, later on she took it to the GIA. They called it a flame fusion synthetic sapphire, and she still didn't even believe them. You get people, when they're told a story, they believe it. You can't prove anything wrong because they believe it, even though you're showing them pictures in the book and showing it through the microscope. They don't quite want to hear what's right or wrong. It's interesting human nature.   Sharon: You brought up an interesting point. Last night I was watching a rerun of Antiques Roadshow. I was wondering if you look at the jewelry on there and think, “That's not really the appraisal,” or “They never mention a buyer's premium,” or that, if somebody gets something for $500, they're going to pay at least more than half in fees.   Ed: Yeah, as I tell people, if you're buying at auction, you've got to see what the fees are going to be. If you're selling at auction, are there going to be fees? An estate I did here, after several months, the family decided to sell it. I had an auction company from New York I knew would do well with it come down and look at. It had some interesting pieces in it. Some of the pieces were not correct, and the client knew that, but they got some strong cash offers for the collection.  As a matter of fact, the sale is coming up in Phillips this June. They decided to do that, and I was like, “That's great.” I don't care. I'm not making money on it. I did my fee for the appraisal, and I made the introductions and I was there. I was paid for my time, so it didn't matter if they sold it for cash or sold it through auction. In that particular instance, there were a lot of pieces; it was a great collection. The client is paying nothing, but there are situations where the client does pay 15% or 20%.    When you're figuring value, you've got to figure in the buyer's premium when you're buying at auction. Some places are as high as 20%, 25%. If you don't figure that into your purchase price, you may overpay for something. Auctions are great because they're a lot of fun, especially live when you're in the audience. You watch people bidding, and then somebody really wants something. The auctioneers do their best to represent the best they can get for anything. They try to make sure what they're giving you is accurate, but as I tell everybody, if you want to buy at auction, check the rules. Check what they have disclosed, check what they're liable for, read the condition reports, look at the piece yourself, try it on. They all have previews. Decide that way, because that's the best way, especially if you're spending a lot of money.    You could save money on diamonds—natural diamonds; I can't see putting a lab-grown up for auction—but you should be able to save a considerable amount of money buying something at auction. Again, like I said, going online to buy a diamond, you can save considerable amounts of money. I don't recommend buying colored stones online because color is a personal preference, so you want to see that in person. But with diamonds, the normal person is not going to notice too much difference with their naked eye. As a matter of fact, I don't notice too much either anymore, unless I have my glasses on. That's about it on that, but I do recommend people are aware. Like I said, buying at auction is fun and educational for people.   Sharon: I'm surprised when they give a price and say, “The retail price would be this,” or “I think this would be conservative at retail.” I always want to jump in and say, “Oh, that's retail,” but it isn't really.   Ed: I know some smaller auction companies do that. I know some online sites that are selling people's merchandise for them will say suggested retail, what the retail price is, and what they're selling it for. It's not misleading in my opinion. It's just letting you know that the price was originally $7,000, and today you're able to get it for $2,500. If you went into the store and bought it, you'd pay $7,000, but right now, it's used; it's in excellent condition; all the boxes and papers and everything else you need are here; it's complete for $2,500.    Now, people who sell on those sites also have to keep in mind what the site is charging you as a fee for selling, because there are no buyer premiums there. The seller is paying that commission to those sites. You've got to keep that in mind when you're doing something like that. People will go, “Well, I'm going to go have it appraised,” and I say, “Well, if you're selling, why are you having it appraised? I'm not buying it.” In certain situations, I do the appraisal because there's a reason. But if you're selling something, I recommend you go to several places to get estimates. You'll see the comparison, and the estimates will be very close to each other, and you've established a guideline.    Paying for somebody to appraise it who's not buying it, I'm not putting my money where my mouth is. I could tell you, “You should be able to see up to $4,000,” and you go to four different jewelers, and they all turn around and say $1,800 or $2,000. I'm not buying it. I'm not working off a formula. I'm actually making calls to dealers, seeing what they're offering, what the market is bearing. That's how I come up with a price if somebody wants to sell something for them. I normally don't recommend it because you're paying me for my time. Like I said, if you go to three legitimate, honest, old-world jewelers, they will all be within the same range and be willing to work with you and get you a price. That's what I suggest to people.   Sharon: That's interesting. I wouldn't think about not having it appraised. It makes a lot of sense. What kind of licenses or training do you need to do this?   Ed: There's no licensing for personal property appraisers. There is licensing for real estate appraisers. If you want to appraise, you should take a class. Some of these organizations offer excellent classes to give you a background in valuation theory. There's a number of books one can read. There are one or two schools that still teach valuation theory that I recommend, depending on what you want to go into. If it's jewelry, the group ASA offers several good classes. AAA, another appraisal group, offers very good classes. ISA offers some very good classes.    One of the more important things a lot of people forget is product knowledge. How are you going to appraise something if you don't have knowledge of the product? That's where places like Jewelry Camp come in, where other lectures and talks come in. They are very important because, without product knowledge, you could hire an expert to look at it and tell you, yes, it's real, but you should be able to do a lot of that yourself, unless you have a suspicion something's not right. So, I do recommend product knowledge.    As far as theories and concepts, a lot of places like to make appraisals more important than they really are. As long as you do your research and your documentation, provide whatever is needed for that particular assignment, explain what you're doing in your scope of work, and maintain all your files and notes, you've pretty much got it.   Sharon: We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to The JewelryJourney.com to check them out.

Olivia Landau is the Founder and CEO of The Clear Clut, a digitally native natural diamond brand that's revolutionizing the diamond industry. Although growing up in a family of jewelers, Olivia never thought she'd be in the business and if anything, her family discouraged her to get a job in the industry. After a few years of being lost and confused about her life, she decided to go to the Gemological Institute of America and from there, her path took a turn. She worked for other companies from Tiffany & Co to the Real Real, but realized there was an opportunity to connect with consumers in a different way. The Clear Cut empowers the next generation to design and create perfect hand-crafted diamond e-rings.In our episode today, we talk about the step-by-step approach she took to turning her educational blog into a business and how she developed the confidence to quit her job & income to go all in. We also talk about how to build your business by being scrappy and doing things that are unscalable, which is so important when starting out, and how she's created organic awareness & built a strong brand through social media. Olivia also opens up about going against her family's wishes of starting her business with her husband and the pushback they had along the way, and so much more. In this episode, we'll talk to Olivia about:* How waiting until everything is perfect can hold you back from taking the first step. [03:16]* Her relationship to content creation and the surprises it brings. [04:47]* Her unexpected path to the diamond business as a fourth-generation jeweler. [06:18]* What she needed in order to leave her job and commit full-time to her side hustle. [12:57]* Pursuing the business despite discouragement from the family. [18:03]* Her experience at the Tech Stars accelerator. [18:54]* Unscalable beginnings of the company and why they still implement new features unscalably. [22:13]* A year-by-year overview of the company's growth [24:13]* Creating awareness and community in the early days. [25:11]* Key takeaways for creating content on different platforms. [28:40]* Common social media mistakes that Olivia observes others making. [33:40]* Challenges Olivia has experienced as a leader of a larger business. [35:27]* The company's relationship with investment following their initial seed round. [36:45]* The whirlwind story of Olivia's 2020 experience. [44:21]* What keeps Olivia sane amidst the challenge of building a business. [46:45]* Advisory and peer relationships that they have maintained since the business began. [48:58]* What's next for The Clear Cut and what Olivia is most excited about. [50:34]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Olivia:* Olivia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivialandau/* The Clear Cut Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearcut/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About Jeremy Shepherd, Hisano Shepherd and Pearl Paradise: Jeremy Shepherd is a leader, innovator, and a disruptor. From an early age he struck out on his own to satisfy his fierce independence, need for adventure, and a more satisfying way of life. As a teenager, he traveled to Japan alone and stayed to attend high school. He is self-taught and fluent in Japanese, Spanish and Micronesian. Through college, Jeremy worked for Passport to Languages as an interpreter of all three languages. To continue his world travels, became a flight attendant in 1996 and soon began importing pearls during his runs to Asia. In a sector dominated by generations old family businesses, Jeremy endeavored to become a first generation, self-taught pearl importer, dealer, and internet reseller. Over the past 20 years, he has traveled to pearl producing areas all over the world creating relationships with pearl producers, exporters, and people dedicated to support the pearl industry. He is an entrepreneur and e-commerce expert who has spent more than 25 years in the digital space. My experience includes developing, curating and launching direct-to-consumer, televised deal segments for NBCUniversal and TelevisaUnivision, and building one of the largest direct-to-consumer pearl brands in the world. Hisano has been fascinated by the art of jewelry making since early childhood. In pursuit of this passion, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from California State University of Long Beach and then followed this with a Masters of Fine Arts in Jewelry at State University New York at New Paltz. After graduation, Hisano put her passion and education to work in the jewelry industry as a designer and educator, finding a part time position at PearlParadise.com, Inc, and teaching metalsmithing and jewelry design at two separate colleges. Today, Hisano is a permanent, full time member of the team and has since become the Chief Creative Officer overseeing all design, production and purchasing. Hisano also launched her personal line, little h, in 2012. Her pieces have won tremendous acclaim and have found fans from the First Lady of the United States to superstar Taylor Swift and many others. Founded in 1996 and brought online in 2000, Pearl Paradise has grown into the world's largest online pearl company. With a custom-built, 1,300-cubic-foot vault filled with pearls, we offer a selection of pearls unlike any other pearl seller, online or off. Our commitment to offering prices 80 percent below retail has accelerated our growth. With more than a quarter million satisfied customers to date, we have benefited greatly by word-of-mouth advertising. Our commitment to quality, customer service and unbeatable pricing and selection has helped us become the Internet's premier source of pearl jewelry. The reputation we have built based on the quality of our merchandise has attracted the attention of journalists around the world. We have been blessed with glowing articles in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur Magazine, Investor's Business Daily, and Inc. Magazine, to name just a few. The pearl and jewelry industry has followed our growth and featured us in respected industry publications like Modern Jeweler, Jewelry News Asia, and JCK.At Pearl Paradise, we are all world-class pearl experts. Every team member is required to complete the Gemological Institute of America's pearl diploma program. In addition, our entire team has completed the Pearls as One, Cultured Pearl Association of America's Pearl Specialist Certification. This course was written and created by our own CEO, Jeremy Shepherd.

In this episode of The Magic Spark, a personal wellness witch and her guest, a prolific witch, explore the four questions of vulnerability to uncover the protagonist's true bravery and spark healing in the dark space of trauma. You will learn: 1. What is Judy Ann Nock's magic in the world? 2. What is the power of manifesting generators? 3. How does Judy Ann Nock embody the wildly swinging scales of Libra? "Healing is not linear. Healing is a continual curiosity." "We just need to give ourselves permission to be passionate about ourselves even when we're changing." Judy Ann is a prolific witch, best-selling author of five books on witchcraft, a musician, a metalsmith, a member of Mensa, and graduate of the Gemological Institute of America. She is a Manifesting Generator in Human Design, polymath and single mom to her daughter who she calls a masterpiece. During the episode, we discussed our shadows and how we can use them to help and support others. Judy Ann also shares her sun rising and moon signs and how they help her navigate the human mess playfully and well. Her magic in the world is finding ways to bring dreams to life and using her talents to help others."Healers, practitioners, teachers, coaches and mentors, we don't really know more than anyone else. We're just up ahead on the path with a flashlight and a first aid kit, shouting back tips and tactics and warnings of fallen trees and pointing out rest areas and prime photo spots. We aim to not let our shadows be in vain, and we hope that they serve a purpose of helping and supporting."Connect with Judy Ann Nock: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trancesister/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyAnnNock Pre Order Her New Book : Crystal Magick Explore All Her Books on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Judy+Ann+Nock Other episodes you'll enjoy:Spring 2023 Tarot Forecast + Aries season Shadows & Wounds with The Skeptic Metaphysicians Shadows & Wounds with Ashley Michelle of Star Seed ShadowsConnect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tandy_gutierrezFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/unicornwellnessstudioWebsite: https://www.unicornwellnessstudio.com/Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating on Spotify and Apple! And don't forget to share this episode with your community!

Diamonds have long captured the imagination and interest of people across the globe. Each stone has a unique story to tell, and those stories are only becoming deeper and more fascinating with the latest advancements in geoscience, social science and consumer activism.  This week's episode looks at two different facets of diamonds.  Evan Smith is a Senior Research Scientist at the Gemological Institute of America. He introduces us to superdeep diamonds, a small subset of diamonds produced globally that have both exceptional monetary and scientific value, especially when it comes to learning about processes that operate deep inside Earth's mantle.  Gemological Institute of AmericaAbout 2 million women and men globally are involved directly in mining for diamonds, primarily at artisanal and small-scale (ASM) operations. Cristina Villegas is Director of Sustainable Markets at Pact, a Washington D.C. based NGO. She sets out how ASM today contrasts with the often-tainted picture from popular fiction and discusses recent innovations involving the ASM and big-business community that are bringing life-changing, positive transformations millions of diamond miners around the world.Pact - Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining  Theme music is Confluence by Eastwindseastwindsmusic.comSEG 2023, the Society of Economic Geologists flagship conference is August 26-29th, 2023 in London England. The conference will address the major challenges presented by the accelerated consumption of energy transition and other strategic metals. The context is global, but with a spotlight on Europe. Early registration ends June 30th. See you there!!

Support Cosmic Scene with Jill Jardine and be eligible to win a free reading with Jill Jardine, Professional Astrologer!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/958528/supportBOOK YOUR 2023 ASTROLOGY READING:  www.jilljardineastrology.com/shopMAKE 2023 your most Prosperous Year Yet!SHIFT INTO PROSPERITY CONSCIOUSNESS for 2023!  PROSPERITY PROGRAMMING, is a proven system which incorporates metaphysical and time tested techniques to attract more prosperity and abundance.  This is a powerful tool for shifting into a new vibration for a successful life:https://jilljardineastrology.com/prosperity-programming-sales-page/Jill's guest is Jack Hauck, a certified gemologist, and Certified Vedic Astrologer.Jack  explain sthe power and practice of wearing Vedic Gems. This helps planets in your Vedic chart so one experiences their positive effects. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out how to get your Vedic Gem consultation.Jack Hauck,  speaks about the benefits of wearing Vedic Gems, and how they can help up improve our life experiences.  Vedic Gems are considered a remedial measure in Vedic Astrology to help mitigate planetary problems.  But simply said, they are a form of energy medicine!  The art of wearing Vedic gemstones is an ancient practice that goes way back to ancient times in India, where Vedic Astrologers and their wisdom was revered, and actually still is by some in modern day India. This ancient practice can help us in your contemporary life!  From Jack Hauck's website “There is a practical side to the study of astrology that involves the use of certain remedial agents that act to protect the body and mind.For thousands of years mankind has known that certain gemstones, metals, and plants can have a positive effect on the body and mind by nullifying or mitigating the harmful influences of the stars.” Jack Hauck has a background in metaphysical studies for over 35 years.  In 1996, he founded Healing Gems in Phoenix, Arizona.  He has studied extensively in the field, including gaining two key professional degrees, focusing upon Vedic quality gemstones:  2002 Certified Gemologist by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).2004 Certified Vedic Astrologer by the American College of Vedic Astrology.Jack has also lectured at Astrology Conferences, most notably two American College of Vedic Astrology conferences and the 2008 United Astrological Conference (UAC). His lecture was entitled “The Healing Power of Gemstones”.  Jack's website is www.healingems.comJack's wide ranging interests and practices, including those related Hindu disciplines and culture, add depth and perspective to his Vedic quality gemstone expertise and dealings with the public.  He's an MBA currently doing corporate accounting, is a piano tuner and is well traveled internationally.  Jack is also a long time meditator, yoga practitioner and is accomplished on the harmonium, a pump-reed keyboard used for Indian devotional chanting .Jack is dedicated to offering clients the highest quality Vedic gems at fair prices from a wide ranging inventory.  And, if he doesn't have the Vedic quality gem you need in stock, he will use his network of trusted suppliers to locate that gemstone for you.  Contact Information:www.healingems. com 480-763-0132jhauck@healingems.com

Support Cosmic Scene with Jill Jardine and be eligible to win a free reading with Jill Jardine, Professional Astrologer!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/958528/supportBOOK YOUR 2023 ASTROLOGY READING:  www.jilljardineastrology.com/shopMAKE 2023 your most Prosperous Year Yet!SHIFT INTO PROSPERITY CONSCIOUSNESS for 2023!  PROSPERITY PROGRAMMING, is a proven system which incorporates metaphysical and time tested techniques to attract more prosperity and abundance.  This is a powerful tool for shifting into a new vibration for a successful life:https://jilljardineastrology.com/prosperity-programming-sales-page/Jill's guest is Jack Hauck, a certified gemologist, and Certified Vedic Astrologer.Jack  explain sthe power and practice of wearing Vedic Gems. This helps planets in your Vedic chart so one experiences their positive effects. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out how to get your Vedic Gem consultation.Jack Hauck,  speaks about the benefits of wearing Vedic Gems, and how they can help up improve our life experiences.  Vedic Gems are considered a remedial measure in Vedic Astrology to help mitigate planetary problems.  But simply said, they are a form of energy medicine!  The art of wearing Vedic gemstones is an ancient practice that goes way back to ancient times in India, where Vedic Astrologers and their wisdom was revered, and actually still is by some in modern day India. This ancient practice can help us in your contemporary life!  From Jack Hauck's website “There is a practical side to the study of astrology that involves the use of certain remedial agents that act to protect the body and mind.For thousands of years mankind has known that certain gemstones, metals, and plants can have a positive effect on the body and mind by nullifying or mitigating the harmful influences of the stars.” Jack Hauck has a background in metaphysical studies for over 35 years.  In 1996, he founded Healing Gems in Phoenix, Arizona.  He has studied extensively in the field, including gaining two key professional degrees, focusing upon Vedic quality gemstones: 2002 Certified Gemologist by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).2004 Certified Vedic Astrologer by the American College of Vedic Astrology.Jack has also lectured at Astrology Conferences, most notably two American College of Vedic Astrology conferences and the 2008 United Astrological Conference (UAC). His lecture was entitled “The Healing Power of Gemstones”.  Jack's website is www.healingems.comJack's wide ranging interests and practices, including those related Hindu disciplines and culture, add depth and perspective to his Vedic quality gemstone expertise and dealings with the public.  He's an MBA currently doing corporate accounting, is a piano tuner and is well traveled internationally.  Jack is also a long time meditator, yoga practitioner and is accomplished on the harmonium, a pump-reed keyboard used for Indian devotional chanting .Jack is dedicated to offering clients the highest quality Vedic gems at fair prices from a wide ranging inventory.  And, if he doesn't have the Vedic quality gem you need in stock, he will use his network of trusted suppliers to locate that gemstone for you.  Contact Information:www.healingems. com  480-763-0132jhauck@healingems.comSupport Cosmic Scene with Jill Jardine and be eligible to win a free reading with Jill Jardine, Professional Astrologer!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/958528/support

Welcome to today's episode of the ‘Crack The MBA Show' with Gourav Soni, who graduated from the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS) in 2016. Gourav holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the College of Business Studies, Delhi University and a certification from the Gemological Institute of America or GIA. Prior to pursuing the MBA, Gourav was a founder in the credit card loyalty and rewards space. Thereafter, he worked in his family's jewelry business – 64Facets, taking it online. At CBS, Gourav was involved in the leadership teams of the luxury marketing group LEF, family business group and entrepreneurship group. Through his MBA and since graduating, Gourav has expanded the firm's operations to eighteen US locations, including many Neiman Marcus stores. Through our conversation, we discussed Gourav's Pre-MBA experiences, MBA admissions journey, re-application strategy, MBA experience at Columbia, academic experience, involvement in activities, and more: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:28 Why MBA 00:02:57 Application Process 00:04:05 GMAT Strategy 00:05:42 School Selection 00:07:32 Why Columbia Business School? 00:10:18 Re-application Strategy 00:13:16 Introspection Process 00:14:30 Gourav's Essay Anecdotes 00:19:35 Demonstrating Leadership in Essays 00:21:13 Identifying Post-MBA Goals 00:26:40 Advice for Student Outreach 00:31:52 Acing Your Interview 00:36:38 CBS's Evaluation Criteria 00:41:42 CBS's Unique Identity 00:47:59 Masterclass: Luxury Strategy 00:51:07 J-term & Career Switch 00:54:44 Early Decision: When To Apply? 00:55:55 Academic Highlights at CBS 01:02:30 Club Activities 01:04:37 What Would You Do Differently? 01:06:19 Biggest Challenge Faced at CBS 01:07:23 Deriving Value as an Alum 01:09:16 Advice for Incoming MBA Students Thank you for watching! — Nupur Gupta is the founder of Crack The MBA (https://crackthemba.com), India's leading MBA admissions consulting firm. Every year, Crack The MBA's clients attend ivy league, M7 and other top MBA programs globally. Nupur is a graduate of the full-time MBA program at The Wharton School. She has been recognized by Economic Times among the 'Most Promising Women Leaders', by Business Insider among the 'World's Leading Admissions Consultants', along with other honors. Nupur serves on the board of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) - the primary industry association in MBA admissions. Nupur has also served as two-term president of AIGAC. Follow Nupur and ‘Crack The MBA' on our social media platforms for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nupurgupt/ https://www.facebook.com/CrackTheMBA/ https://www.instagram.com/crackthemba/ Disclaimer: The opinions shared by guests in this video in no way, shape or form represent advisory provided by Crack The MBA. Each candidate's circumstances may vary and our advisory is always provided specifically based on an applicant's specific profile.

Nellie Barnett, corporate communications manager for the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), co-founder and communications chair for the Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) and founder of NellBells Fitness discusses equity in the jewelry industry. In this episode, Nellie sits down with host Courtney Gray to discuss the history of BIJC and its Together by Design competition. “I think, when it comes to storytelling, the most important aspect is authenticity…That's what keeps them coming back,” Nellie shares. Tune in to an amazing story about a couple's love, an artisan's talent and the bridge that connects them together in the latest For the Love of Jewelers podcast.

Today's guest worked for Club Med from 1988 to 1991. His first season was in Club Med St. Lucia in 1988 as a Carpenter. From Potomac, Maryland, please help me welcome, Lee Siegel! Lee worked in the villages of St. Lucia, Copper Mountain, Eleuthera, Playa Blanca and Punta Cana. He may have started out as a carpenter, but he worked his way toward Bar G.O. and then Chef de Bar. Even though Lee had never bartended before Club Med, he became so good at it that his “Goombay Smash” cocktail beat out several locals in a contest in Governor's Harbour in Eleuthera! Lee met his future wife Lisa in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1990/1991 and I am happy to report that they recently celebrated their thirty-year wedding anniversary in November 2022! Before Club Med, Lee was working as a Bouncer/Doorman at Bennigans in Westminster, California. One of his co-workers went to Club Med on vacation to Turks and told Lee that they really should be working there! Lee applied and was sent to St. Lucia as a Carpenter. As an 80s G.O., Lee has a lot of great stories and he is kind to share some of those with us. Want to hear a New Year's Eve fireworks celebration gone awry in St. Lucia? We have you covered! Never heard of a Scorpion Bowl before? (me neither!). Did his future wife sabotage her AC unit in Playa on purpose just to see Lee? Tune in to find out! After Club Med, Lee became involved with the jewelry, diamond, gemstone and high-end wristwatch business and graduated from the Gemological Institute of America. We end the interview with the three things he misses most and how he would not be where he is today without Club Med. **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts. Please check out Lee's website below: Sell Jewelry, Diamonds & Gold For The Best Value & Immediate Payment | Just Jewels USA  

Join in the cool and super fun conversation of Southern Jewelry News anchors with the bubbly Dawn Kessaris, owner of Diamonds by Dawn.  Dawn is one of the few jewelry store owners who was not born into the jewelry business although at an early age she has an obsession with diamonds. To the young Dawn, crystal and similar items were diamonds.  Although Dawn did not know anything about jewelry, at 14 years, she started working in a local jewelry store in New Jersey selling watches. Back then she earned a dollar for every watch she sold.  She took on a job in the accounting department when she was older but got bored sitting in front of the computer all day. Returning to the jewelry store where she first worked, she was told that she needed to be a Gemologist. Dawn packed her bags and studied Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America in Sta Monica.  After graduation, Dawn moved back home to New Jersey and worked for several small and big jewelry stores until she decided to open her own jewelry store.  Dawn says, the jewelry industry is not all about selling jewelry. She has brought the business to a different level by treating her customers like family.   Eavesdrop as Dawn shares her hilarious stories on the many ways she has helped her customers other than helping them choose the right piece of jewelry. Get ready to laugh out loud with Guy and Elisa as they listen to Dawn's riotous stories as a jewelry store owner. Have you heard of a jewelry store owner that would help you with your marriage contract? That's Dawn!  Brought to you by: Southern Jewelry News: https://southernjewelrynews.com/ Jewelry Store Marketers: https://jewelrystoremarketers.com/ Learn more about the Pearls of Wisdom Jewelry Podcast https://southernjewelrynews.com/podcast Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcast = https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my.-.. Amazon Music/Audible = https://www.audible.com/pd/Pearls-of.-.. iHeartRadio = https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-pe... Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/6IU1OHw... Google Podcast = https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...

Killer bee authority, and removal expert Reed Booth is recognized around the country from his appearances on Fox, National Geographic, Discovery and the Food Network. Booth's award winning honey products have caused a stir in kitchens around the country… and around the world. Booth, Killer Bee removal expert for 25 years, was born and raised in northern Wisconsin. Realizing at an early age that he was not covered with fur, he set out in search of warmer climes. His journey took him to almost every state and almost every town, including extensive travel in Latin America. Booth settled in Bisbee, Arizona, in 1985. This gave him a base from which to work and the ability to pursue his numerous interests. Being a home brewer and mead (honey wine) maker, it was only natural that removing bees would soon follow. Besides having been a sign painter and an accomplished musician, Reed is also a gemologist with a degree from the Gemological Institute of America. In picking up the pen and the camera, Booth has shed a humorous and informative light on a very pertinent subject — Killer Bees. His book Confessions of the Killer Bee Guy (sorry, now out of stock) is sure to delight and educate all who venture within its covers. Website killerbeeguy.com

We're joined by the brilliant jewellery conservator Bill Hawkes for a dazzling episode about the history of gems, the usefulness of pretty stones, and the intriguing secrets of the jewellery industry. Also tune in for an interview with geological conservator Kate Andrew about the hidden dangers of rock samples and why you should never bin an old label! 01:43 What are minerals? 03:00 Uses of gemstones – light, fading, and lasers! 06:14 Famous diamonds and their history 10:38 Cutting gemstones now and in the past 14:09 More gemstone chemistry 26:27 Hardness vs toughness 33:05 How do you identify gemstones? 41:41 How mucky jewellery gets and cleaning strategies 46:59 What to do if you don't know what you've got 48:43 Pigments and other uses of minerals 52:22 Organic gemstones 56:35 Interview with Kate Andrew Show Notes: - S11E02 Metals (Part 2): https://thecword.show/2022/05/18/s11e05-metals-part-2/ - Bill's website: https://www.williamhawkes.co.uk/ - Lasers and gemstones: https://www.illinoisscience.org/2019/01/surprising-uses-gemstones-ruby-laser/ - Koh-i-Noor diamond: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor - Cullinan diamond: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinan_Diamond - Black Prince's Ruby: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Prince%27s_Ruby - Mohs scale of hardness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness - Gemstone colour chemistry: https://www.compoundchem.com/2014/06/29/what-causes-the-colour-of-gemstones/ - Gemmological Association of Great Britain: https://gem-a.com/ - National Association of Jewellers: https://www.naj.co.uk/ - Gemological Institute of America: https://www.gia.edu/ - Icon's guidance on geological specimens: http://natsca.org/sites/default/files/publications-full/care-and-conservation-of-geological-specimens.pdf Reading recommendations from Bill and Kate: - Gemstones by Cally Hall: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gemstones-Cally-Hall/dp/0241436184/ - The Retail Jeweller's Guide by Kenneth Blakemore: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Retail-Jewellers-Guide-Kenneth-Blakemore/dp/0719800331 - Care and Conservation of Geological Materials by Frank Howie: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Care-Conservation-Geological-Material-Meteorites/dp/0750603712/ Support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/thecword Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey, and William Hawkes. Intro and outro music by DDmyzik, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. A Wooden Dice production, 2022.

What you'll learn in this episode: What's included in the Jill and Byron Crawford collection that will be auctioned by Bonhams on November 10th, and how they developed such a sweeping collection Why buying jewelry at auction is one of the best ways to find real treasures Tips for first-time auction buyers Why working at an auction house is the best jewelry education How collectors determine it's time to say goodbye to a piece   About Emily Waterfall Based in Los Angeles, Emily Waterfall is the Director of the Jewelry Department for Bonhams Auction House. With over 16 years of experience, Emily is responsible for business-getting, client development, appraisals and sourcing property for jewelry sales in Los Angeles and in New York. Emily began her career as an intern in London at an auction house where she caught her first glance of exquisite things in 2004. Once completing her internship, she worked in New York as a jewelry cataloguer for a leading international auction house for seven years working on several important jewelry auctions including the jewels of Kelly and Calvin Klein, Eunice Gardiner, Lucia Moreira Salles and others. Prior to joining Bonhams, Emily worked for a prominent jewelry buying firm based in Atlanta, GA from 2012 to 2018.   A native of San Diego, CA, Emily graduated with an undergraduate degree in Art History from Brigham Young University and has completed courses at the Gemological Institute of America and published articles in the American Society of Jewelry Historians newsletters. Additional Resources: Bonhams L.A. Website Bonhams Instagram Emily's Instagram   Photos are available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: Auctions can seem intimidating to first-time buyers, but they are the best way to get a deal on a true, one-of-a-kind treasure, and auction house staff, like Emily Waterfall, Head of the Jewelry Department at Bonhams Los Angeles, are there to help buyers through the process. Emily joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about what to expect at Bonhams' upcoming auction of the Jill and Byron Crawford collection of artist jewelry; the most impressive pieces she's seen during her career; and how collectors can enter the world of auctions confidently. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com. Today, my guest is Emily Waterfall, who is head of the jewelry department in the L.A. office of the auction house Bonhams. Welcome back.    Tell us more about this auction coming up. You're previewing online. How do you handle everything? If you're the auctioneer, how do you handle it when—this is one reason I'm a little frightened by auctions, because there's the bid on the line and there's yours, and there are about five different people from all over the world. How do you handle it? Could I have a chance, basically, is the question.   Emily: Absolutely. There are various ways to bid. You can register a bid online. You can bid on our app. Maybe you have a busy day and you're running around. You can register to bid on the telephone on the Bonhams website, or you can leave an absentee bid. I get carried away at auctions. I'll do an absentee bid when I want to put myself on a budget and say I will not spend above this, regardless. That's a fantastic way. Or come and bid in person.    Nowadays, we are very digital. Most people are bidding online. The days of auctions being full and everyone dressed to the nines are kind of over. Now, we're more online based. I'll be auctioneering, and I'll have bids from absentee bidders; I'll have telephone bidders; but I see a lot of activity online. It's funny to me, because I always say when I'm auctioneering, “I see you out there.” I don't see them, but I know they're online, and I want to give them presence because they're just as important as any bidder in the room. I hope that explains that.   Sharon: Yeah. You say, “I see you out there.” Do you have a computer? Is everybody on a computer, and you can see that this person has bid five times and their name? How does that work?   Emily: Everyone has a paddle number, like you'd have if you were in the room. We see those paddle numbers bidding on a computer screen in front of us, so I can track this person's bid a few times. Maybe we have a new bidder entering online. It's fascinating. For me, I love every second of auctioneering. It's exciting to see who's going to jump in and bid, and sometimes it's really nerve-wracking.   Sharon: Do you get flustered? When you say nerve-wracking, do you get flustered?   Emily: Absolutely. There are moments when I feel like my heart is racing. We all make mistakes, so I try to brush those off because it's a pretty intense moment. We have to give ourselves some grace, but in general, we're well-trained. We all go through very similar training, and it takes years to perfect the craft of it.    Sharon: What kind of training do you go through to become an auctioneer?   Emily: It depends on your house. Everybody's different. They have their different styles of training, but you usually go through an intensive training where you just practice auctions over and over and over. You have people come in and observe you. They record you. You can see if you have any weirds ticks or anything like that. It's an interesting process. Then you're given an opportunity to start selling, but for short periods of time and just to start practicing. It takes years. It takes years to feel the flow and the energy of it, to know what to anticipate, to know how to engage an audience. We also have to engage them. So, there are a lot of layers to it.   Sharon: If a piece comes up and you know the history, will you say, “It comes from the collection of X, Y, Z, but the history is that they bought it in Mexico 40 years ago”?   Emily: I typically just say which estate it's from. We like to mention the provenance, but we definitely don't do anything historical. At that point, everyone who's bidding has heard me singing its praises, so we just notate the important provenance and that we're so excited to sell it, and then we go on to sell it.   Sharon: I have a friend who's really big on getting a deal. I don't feel so much like that. I feel like you're getting something one of a kind; there's not another one. Is it because it's one of a kind that people should be participating in auctions? I realize dealers sometimes do it for a deal, but why do you think people should participate in auctions?   Emily: There are all types of buyers at auctions. I think it's just particular to your taste. Absolutely, it's a great value. I cannot argue that enough. Jewelry at auction is substantially less than retail. We're determining the market daily, but what I'm covering typically has not been seen on the market for 20 to 40 to hundreds of years. It's the time to find true treasures. We have a lot of repeat buyers in every sale, and I love to see what they lean towards, what they love and want to buy. It shows me their personalities. We all have a different item that might our eye, right?   Sharon: Right.   Emily: And it's the hunt of it; it's the excitement of the auction. I think a lot of different things bring people to auctions, but we're uncovering property that genuinely has not been on the market. That's the best part of it.   Sharon: You can do that because people call you and say, “Hey, my grandmother died and she left all this jewelry I have no interest in.” I bet you get a lot of those today.   Emily: I do. I wish I remembered this quote. There's something about how the new generation foolishly laughs at the past. It's interesting; there are always amazing collections that the next generation has no interest in. It happens often.   Sharon: That's true.   Emily: So, our job is to help protect that story, sell it well, promote it as well as we can to help the family. Our job is to help people. It's funny; a lot of people forget that. Our job is actually to work for the consigners, to help them and make the most amount we can for them.   Sharon: It's interesting, too, when you say that about the past generations. It's so amazing to me that people didn't like Art Deco or Tiffany and were like, “Where's the garbage can?”    Emily: I think they should adopt me, all of them. I love history. The history of jewelry to me is the most fascinating part of this job. Every generation has its own amazing personality to it, and we have to learn how to appreciate that.    Sharon: How is the history the most fascinating?   Emily: I love the stories of who owned it. I love the stories of how it was acquired. I love the stories of the makers and the periods of time that they were made. Jewelry is hand in hand with cultural events and fashion. Everything has evolved together. Jewelry has not been in a bubble by itself; it's a reaction to what's going on globally, and every area has had different events occur.    Jewelry, to me, embodies artistic expression, and I love different periods of expression. Studio jewelry art was amazing when it was coming out because everyone was reacting to boring diamond jewelry. Then again, French Art Deco was very much a reaction, and the amazing results of creative thinking were happening together from poets and artists, interior designers and architects and jewelry. It's all hand in hand, and that to me is extraordinary.   Sharon: People can look at jewelry and say, “Oh, it's so dated,” but you can look around the corner, let's say. Can you see what's next? Do you identify it? You don't have to say it, but can you identify what's next when you look at pieces?   Emily: I can't find out exactly what's next, but to me, it's funny that yellow gold is king right now, whereas 15, 20 years ago, it was all white gold platinum. Again, this is the generation shifting from what their mothers had or what everyone was wearing. Tastes are changing, so it's always evolving. I think there's room for all of it. I don't think anything should be neglected, because anyone who is expressing themselves expresses their view differently. It might be a chunky, 80s Bulgari gold necklace, or it might be a Graff perfect diamond necklace. Everyone has their different view of expression.    Sharon: It's interesting; there are some pieces I'll avoid because I remember they were all trying to get rid of it 40 years ago, and now it's the hottest thing around.   This auction that's coming up on November do you have a favorite?   Emily: I don't think I can pick a favorite at all. To me, it's a great collection across the board. It's this idea that it's not about the monetary value of what's constructed; it's more about the theory behind it and what was made. I have some pieces by Claire Falkenstein which are really interesting. We have some great Zuni Tunes pieces, which are wonderful, magical, Disney-inspired rings, quite a large collection of those. I'm excited to be selling those, and that in particular I'm going to have my eye on. Then I have Spratling and Pineda which I loved selling. Some Jensen—   Sharon: So, Claire Falkenstein, the artist who did some jewelry.    Emily: Yes.   Sharon: You're selling some of that. O.K. And then the Disney rings, you said Zuni Tunes?   Emily: Zuni Tunes.   Sharon: Were they made by Disney or by different makers?   Emily: No, this is Native American. This is made by Native Americans selling on the side of the road. These are interesting pieces. We see them on the secondary market. We've not had any international auctions, so this is our first attempt, and I'm really excited about them. They have a wonderful collection of Zuni Tunes. So, for any Zuni Tunes collectors out there, please contact me. I'm so excited to sell them.     Sharon: You said William Spratling and Antonio Pineda?   Emily: Yes. I'm just looking at my list now. Los Castillo, Aguilar. It's quite an amazing collection of Mexican silver. One private collector in particular is a wealth of knowledge. I can't mention the name. I wish I could, but a very important buyer in that world is now selling their collection with me, and I'm honored to be selling that.   Sharon: Why would somebody sell a collection if they've spent years putting it together?   Emily: I think it depends on if we're wearing it, if it has use to us. They might have moved on. It's not ours to say. It's all per collector and where they're at. Like you were saying, there are some pieces you are willing to say goodbye to. This time, this client is prepared to say goodbye.    Sharon: That's what I'm talking about with the hidden stuff. You mentioned a person in Orange County, which is not so far away. How do you find out about these things?   Emily: A lot of times people are recommended, which I'm honored by; I love those referrals. A lot of people saw how well we did with the Jill and Byron collection last October, and we are selling some pieces just because of that sale. We were contacted because it did well on an international market.   Sharon: Was that the first international modernist sale, you said?   Emily: It was for us. That was the first sale, and I believe that was the largest single collection to come to markets internationally at any house. It was an extraordinary event. We definitely broke records for certain artists like Betty Cooke. We had great sales for Native American of Laloma and Monongya and Spratling. Across the board, we commanded very high prices for some of those pieces. It was wonderful.   Sharon: As a buyer, I could understand that. If it's a Spratling, there's only so much Spratling around. I'm just using that because he's a known name. You say there's great value. Is there value because it's one of a kind? Is it something that a normal person on the ground should consider? What should I consider, and do I have a chance?   Emily: You absolutely have a chance. It just depends on how many people are interested in that one lot. If you're the only buyer, you're going to get it at a fantastic price with little competition, or there will be quite a bit of people bidding against you and you need to be prepared to fight for it. Every lot we don't really know who's going to be interested and who's going to bid until the auction starts, but it's absolutely worth fighting, hands down. My best advice is to be prepared, know what number you're going to spend, and just go for it. How exciting! It's a great story to tell when you wear it. You can say, “Oh, I bought this at auction.” It's a great conversation starter, and jewelry sparks a lot of conversation.    Sharon: I've only really looked at auction catalogues and online. Is it something where, if I talk to you or the specialist, you could say, “There's been a lot of interest in this piece. I've had a lot of calls about it,” or “You're the first person I've talked to”?   Emily: We don't typically talk about interest because obviously we try to keep people's interest private, but we can say to you the importance of it. We can talk about it. Sometimes they're not one of a kind. With Spratling, there are several versions of some designs. So, we can speak on that for you.    We can advise you, not necessarily on how much to spend, but what to anticipate. Our job is to be helpful. Our job is to help guide you through it. We can be on the phone with you and cheer you on, be with you, and make sure we don't let you go over a certain amount. We can be your buddy through that part of it.    Sharon: Is it best to go through Bonhams for an auction, or is it better to bid online? There are usually about five different places.   Emily: We love it when people contact us. We want to be helpful and answer questions you might have. Some people are being honest and just want to bid online, and that's fantastic. Honestly, there are multiple ways today, but always ask an expert your questions. We definitely don't want buyer's remorse. We want to help you through the process and make sure it brings you joy. It should be a great experience.   Sharon: For example, let's say I won the piece. Then you wrap the piece up and send it out? What do you do?   Emily: It depends on what you'd like to do. You can either pick it up from us at our office, which we love—we love to see what people bought—or we can do shipments. There are all sorts of ways we can make it happen.   Sharon: What do you want to accomplish with the preview at Art Jewelry Forum on October 4? It's online. What do you want to do?   Emily: I want to express the breadth of all the amazing jewelry we have, let people know about it and discuss certain areas of it that are of interest. It's letting people know what we have. That's the most wonderful part of it, speaking to the importance of it. Again, I have an art history background. I know a lot about fine jewelry. I've been fortunate enough to have some phenomenal mentors in my crew, but art jewelry, to me, is a new market in terms of international recognition. I think it's time for it to be considered as valuable. It's time for it to be on the market on a regular basis. There are buyers all over the world for this, and I've seen that first-hand.   Sharon: Because art jewelry means so many different things to different people, are you talking about—is historical art jewelry different than Manfred Bischoff, who's still alive? What are you talking about?   Emily: It's across the board. It encompasses quite a large audience, being from different areas geographically, different time periods. I would like to encompass all of it. I would like it to be its own entity for auction and have regular sales and have property coming up for sale, because sometimes they're hard to find. It's a little more of a hunt. I would like to have artists that are here and artists of the past. I'd like to encompass all of it.   Sharon: Do you think Bonhams is pursuing art jewelry, in the sense of becoming the house you go to?   Emily: I'd love that, but I realize there's room for everybody. We tested the market last year. We saw a great response. This year, we already had a Clifford Mexican silver sale. I think we're just starting to step into the ladder of it and see what it is. I hope it evolves to where people choose Bonhams, absolutely.    Sharon: What is my next step? If I am listening to this, what would the next step be for somebody like me? Do I go online to your site or go online to place a bid? I've never done anything like that. What would somebody do?   Emily: Yes, go to Bonhams. The sale will be published online around October 4. So, go on there and just shop. Look and see what you like. Contact us. All our information will be available for you online. See what you like. We aren't printing catalogues anymore. I've noticed that people that are very savvy to jewelry are looking on their phones, their iPads or computers. We'll have additional shots of the items. We'll have model shots so you can understand size and scale. From there, you can register to bid. And always ask us, the experts, for that sale. We want to help you.    Sharon: I'm laughing because when you say it's online, who looks at a computer? I do if I'm at my desk, but I'm on my phone on Instagram. Some of the auction houses promote their auctions on Instagram. It's the only way you hear about them sometimes.    Emily: Absolutely. Everything's now really digital, which is great because it gives us more room to reach out to more people. I love looking through attractions. I love looking at different angles of the piece, looking at model shots, reading the descriptions. It's very enjoyable.   Sharon: I bet it would be. I'm always surprised when there's only one angle of a piece showed. You're like, “Where's the back?”    Emily: For modern studio jewelry, you need to see signatures. The signatures really matter. So do different angles, understanding scale. You want to know how that necklace will fit. You want to understand the scale of a brooch or a ring. You need to see it in proportion. That's very, very important.   Sharon: Emily, I really appreciate you telling us about all of this today. I will remind everybody that the auction itself is November 10th. It starts Los Angeles time, or does it start New York time?   Emily: Los Angeles time. It starts at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.   Sharon: And it goes until everything is sold?   Emily: Yes, until the very end.    Sharon: You have your work cut out for you. Then on October 4, I don't know about the other previews, but for Art Jewelry Forum, if you go online, you can sign up there. It's free. Thank you so much for being with us today. We greatly, greatly appreciate it.   Emily: Thank you so much. I loved all your questions today. It was great speaking with you.   Sharon: Thank you so much.   We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

What you'll learn in this episode: What's included in the Jill and Byron Crawford collection that will be auctioned by Bonhams on November 10th, and how they developed such a sweeping collection Why buying jewelry at auction is one of the best ways to find real treasures Tips for first-time auction buyers Why working at an auction house is the best jewelry education How collectors determine it's time to say goodbye to a piece About Emily Waterfall Based in Los Angeles, Emily Waterfall is the Director of the Jewelry Department for Bonhams Auction House. With over 16 years of experience, Emily is responsible for business-getting, client development, appraisals and sourcing property for jewelry sales in Los Angeles and in New York. Emily began her career as an intern in London at an auction house where she caught her first glance of exquisite things in 2004. Once completing her internship, she worked in New York as a jewelry cataloguer for a leading international auction house for seven years working on several important jewelry auctions including the jewels of Kelly and Calvin Klein, Eunice Gardiner, Lucia Moreira Salles and others. Prior to joining Bonhams, Emily worked for a prominent jewelry buying firm based in Atlanta, GA from 2012 to 2018. A native of San Diego, CA, Emily graduated with an undergraduate degree in Art History from Brigham Young University and has completed courses at the Gemological Institute of America and published articles in the American Society of Jewelry Historians newsletters.Find One-of-a-Kind Additional Resources: Bonhams L.A. Website Bonhams Instagram Emily's Instagram Photos are available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: Auctions can seem intimidating to first-time buyers, but they are the best way to get a deal on a true, one-of-a-kind treasure, and auction house staff, like Emily Waterfall, Head of the Jewelry Department at Bonhams Los Angeles, are there to help buyers through the process. Emily joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about what to expect at Bonhams' upcoming auction of the Jill and Byron Crawford collection of artist jewelry; the most impressive pieces she's seen during her career; and how collectors can enter the world of auctions confidently. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week.    Today my guest is Emily Waterfall, who is head of the jewelry department in the L.A. office of the auction house Bonhams. They will be having their second auction of modernist jewelry from the collection of Jill and Byron Crawford. This includes many masters of silver jewelry. We will hear more about this from Emily today and her own jewelry journey. Emily, welcome to the program.   Emily: Thank you for having me.   Sharon: So glad you could be here. Give us an overview of your jewelry journey. Did you like jewelry when you were young? Did your education lead you to this?   Emily: I loved jewelry when I was little. My mom had some fun pieces, in particular a butterfly necklace that I always coveted. It was a simple gold necklace. I remember when she wore it, I would play with it. Since then, she's gifted it to me, so it's a very sentimental item for me.    My journey actually began in art history. I studied art history for many years and was given an internship with Sotheby's in London and moved myself across to the U.K. I worked there for many years and then made my way into the jewelry department where I truly found my calling.   Sharon: So, you weren't studying in London; you moved to take the internship at Sotheby's.   Emily: Yes, I was very lucky. A gentleman, who was a scholar of archiving, helped me make my way to the 19th century, which was hilarious because now obviously digital archives are everywhere. When I started, it was the days of cutting and pasting from printed catalogues using glue sticks. My job was to basically archive all the recent sales of any paintings that were important because we didn't have search engines. We didn't have those things, so my very first job in the art world was cutting and pasting and gluing.   Sharon: You're bringing back memories. I remember working with a cartoonist who worked the old-fashioned way, and I thought, “Oh my god, O.K.”    So, did you study at GIA after? In art history, you don't really study GIA, right?   Emily: I studied at GIA after. I was fortunate enough to do that during my time at Sotheby's when I was a cataloguer in the department in the New York office. I took my courses then.   Sharon: So, you moved from London back to New York?    Emily: Yes, my visa was about to end, and Sotheby's offered me a job in New York. So, I moved there and was working in several different departments. I started getting into jewelry and truly found love. I studied a lot of 19th century sculpture, and with jewelry, my art history background just blossomed. I was so excited to see all the pieces I was seeing. As a cataloguer in the jewelry department, every piece we sold went through my desk, so you can imagine the type of education I got. It was extraordinary. It was a very special time in my career.   Sharon: There are a lot of jewelers or people in the jewelry industry who study art history. Jewelry history isn't really taught, so they study art history and either continue in that or they segue into jewelry.    So, why should I consider Bonhams? If I had art or jewelry to sell, why would I consider Bonhams?   Emily: There's definitely room for every house in the world. That's one thing I've learned. But in particular at Bonhams, we've had exponential growth over the last three years. In Los Angeles, we went from four auctions a year to 13, speaking to the fervor of which we're growing. We've also invested a lot into art jewelry, Mexican silver, and other areas in the international market that weren't necessarily being addressed.    Seeing a collection, if I'm not enthusiastic about it and I'm not enthusiastic about selling it, I'm doing a disservice to the collection. So, my advice to people is when they're picking a house, make sure whoever is selling it for you has energy and the fervor to sell it well. That's what my key is.   Sharon: So, you went from four to 13 auctions?   Emily: Yes.   Sharon: That's a lot. Are you in charge of most of them? Is that just in jewelry, or is that art and jewelry? What is that?   Emily: That's just jewelry in Los Angeles.    Sharon: Wow!   Emily: That's my department. We run 13 auctions a year. It's pretty exciting.   Sharon: You have to have passion to do something like that.   Emily: Yeah.   Sharon: Would you consider that Bonhams has a modernist bent? If somebody has a modernist collection, should they consider Bonhams?   Emily: Yes, I would say the sale we had last year for Jill and Byron Crawford was a huge success. That was across the board, from modern to Mexican to Scandinavian jewelry artists. We really covered the gamut with that sale and showed what we can accomplish with that.    A lot of what we're doing is taking in collections, because collections come us. We hunt for them as well, but we have to take what we see and figure out how best to sell it, who's the best market for it, how to speak to other departments or other areas, because every buyer at auction is interested in jewelry. Jewelry is the most common denominator. You might not collect Chinese works of art or cars or Impressionists, but everyone has jewelry.   Sharon: Wow! How is that? Let's say if I collect Chinese export stuff, how is it that I come to jewelry through that?   Emily: Again, we reach out to clients that have shown interest in our area from other departments and we promote that, but a lot of people know to come to us with jewelry because they see on our website our sales. They might have been looking at the Chinese work. Right now, it's Asia week at Bonhams in New York. They might see on the site that we've just had two big sales, one in Los Angeles this week, one in London, so they know to come to us for jewelry as well.   Sharon: You're having a second auction of the Jill and Byron Crawford collection. Is that what's left over?   Emily: Jill and Byron have been amazing to work with. They're such amazing collectors, not only for the type of properties, but for the quantity. So, we'll still have plenty to sell for them. We're so excited to be selling it. The whole sale is not just Jill and Byron; a portion of it is. We also have an important collection of Mexican silver from an important collector from the Orange County area. We also have a collection of John de Spray jewelry which I'm really excited to sell. French jewelry, very industrial, right?   Sharon: Yes.   Emily: And we also have similar Scandinavian pieces, some studio artists. There are over 1,500 pieces, so we'll be selling it for quite some time.   Sharon: And the next major sale for this particular collection is? What is it?   Emily: November 10th   Sharon: You're also previewing it for Art Jewelry Forum in October. I don't know if I'll be able to watch, but who else are you previewing for? There's so much.   Emily: Just you two. I'll be previewing at Bonhams and digitally on our website.   Sharon: Wow! That's interesting to know that you have an interest in modernists. There are not many houses that one would think to bring their stuff if they have a modernist collection.    What is it that you like about the auction business? You like jewelry; I understand that. What is it that you like about the auction business?   Emily: I tried to leave it many times. I truly love it because of the speed of it. It's a very rapid, fast-paced place to be. I love auction day. There's nothing better than auctioning property you fought for, to see it do well on the auction block. I'm an auctioneer as well, so it's very rewarding standing up there selling it on behalf of a client and doing well on it. I love the quantity of property we see. We're on the front line. We're the sale market value, right?   Sharon: Yeah.   Emily: We're on the front line of it. We're seeing thousands and thousands of pieces a year, and with that comes the education through osmosis. There might have been benchmarks I hadn't seen or another studio artist I hadn't known about. We're seeing more and more daily than you would see anywhere else, and that's my favorite part of it.   Sharon: I think that would be very hard to match in any other profession, the excitement, the action. I could understand feeling like, “Let me try something else,” but that would be very hard to match. Do you think you'd be as happy if you were auctioning something else, like art jewelry or rugs?   Emily: Yesterday I was auctioning a furniture sale, and I didn't feel as much pressure because it wasn't clients I had consigned. It was a different feeling. I love auction. I would work in any part of it, absolutely, but my passion for jewelry will never be subdued. I love it. I love every part of it. I love screaming from the rooftop when a collection is selling. That's just my personality. I probably wouldn't be as happy, but I'd be happy to work anywhere in the auction world.    Sharon: What's the best thing you've ever auctioned, maybe the highest price or the most interesting? What's the best thing you remember?   Emily: There are maybe two of those. I can split those up. My favorite collection was a collection of Lady Ashley. It was in our main New York sale, and it was a collection of fantastic Art Deco jewelry. This was a treasure trove. She was married to a lord, then Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable next, another lord, and then a prince. She had amazing Cartier Art Deco boxes, compacts in their cases. Some I'd never seen in that style before. One in particular was a polka dot pattern, and it was black and white. It was amazing. She also had some impressive Cartier aquamarine bracelets, which we all know those are rare to find. That was such an amazing collection because it was an amazing story; it was an amazing property, and it sold exceptionally well at auction.    By value, though, it's the sale we did last year. We sold an emerald bracelet. It was over 107 carats of emeralds perfectly matched. It's most likely they were cut from the same stone. This one was from the Crocker Fagan family from San Francisco. We are so excited to work with them again. We also sold a Cartier egret from them. The emerald bracelet was estimated at $1.8-$2.2 million and we sold it for $3.2 million.   Sharon: Wow!    Emily: So, that was a joy.   Sharon: Do the numbers scare you when you're auctioning? Do they mean anything when you put the hammer down and you're at $3.2?   Emily: It's exciting. At that point, you're just full of adrenaline when you're selling higher value lots. There's a lot of elegance in part of it. There's a lot of communication of bidders either on the phone, on the internet or in the room, so there's a lot of conversation going on about value. It's a very exciting moment. I smile. I'm the worst at bluffing. You can see what's on my face 99% of the time, so in those moments, I have definitely a big smile on my face.   Sharon: Are you given auctions from New York? Do they tell you the things that are going to come? If you have a sale in London, Hong Kong and, by the way, we're going to do it in Los Angeles, can you preview it or tout it? Is that part of your work?   Emily: Yes, the New York office and myself work hand in hand. I source property for both sales as well as my New York colleague, Caroline. We work daily together, and we both preview our sales in each other's offices. I just previewed our September sale in New York. She previews every New York sale in L.A. We also preview up in San Francisco. We love our San Francisco clients. It's a fantastic place to be. So, we're making sure we're everywhere we can be, and we work together. In terms of property, though, let's not discount the West Coast. My goodness, I found the best property of my career on the West Coast.   Sharon: I'd like to know where it is. I was talking to somebody yesterday, and I thought, “Where's the jewelry on the West Coast?” It's all so bling. There's no history.    Emily: There are major hidden gems on the West Coast. We have found extraordinary collections. Again, Lady Ashley was acquired in California, Crocker Fagan up in San Francisco, Jill and Byron Crawford here in Malibu. There's amazing property in California. We have such phenomenal heritage and history here, and with that there are major, major collectors. They just might not be wearing it to the grocery store.   Sharon: I had never heard of Jill and Byron Crawford. They had an amazing collection and, yes, they're not wearing it to the grocery store. Is part of your job developing new business?   Emily: Absolutely. I've worked with some clients for years. Sometimes they might not feel comfortable yet. They might want to see where the markets are, or it's sentimental. Jewelry is the most sentimental category, absolutely. A lot of times, clients need time to part with pieces, but they know they have to say goodbye. It's my job to make sure I'm writing whenever they say want to sell it.   Sharon: That's a good way to think of it. There's somebody I know who will ask me, “Are you finished with it?” and I'll think, “Yeah, I guess I am.” I've only had it for a couple of years, but I'm finished with it. I've worn it. I'm not going to wear it more for whatever reason.    When it comes to larger auctions, do you handle them differently? This is a big auction. Is it being handled differently than the smaller one?   Emily: Every sale takes a different nuance to it. It depends on the property we have. We're definitely not like a jewelry store, where we have a ton of one lot. We have just one, and every sale has different property, so we have to cater to every sale as its own entity.    We just had this September sale, where we had property from a motion picture director, Mankiewicz, who directed All About Eve. We also had a collection of Disney in there, art jewelry. Shifting to art jewelry is entirely different. We have to create a new narrative for the sale, how to handle it, how we can do the best for it. I love that part of it. I love the storytelling. We're the keepers of these stories. When these collections are given to us, it's our job to tell the story, get people excited and get them registered to bid, basically.   Sharon: I think that's very important. When you buy something, who cares who it used to belong to? But still, it used to belong to somebody, a name that people recognize.    Do you work with dealers? Do you work with lawyers? Do they call and say, “Hey, Emily, have I something for you”? How does that work?   Emily: Every day is different. I guess that's another part of the job I love. I can be called by a trust attorney tomorrow. I could be called by a tax attorney, dealers. On Tuesday, we had our jewelry auction—this is just to give you context.    Sharon: Yes, please.   Emily: I was auctioneering all day until about 2:30, and then I got an email from a colleague about a collection that someone wanted me to pick up that day. So, I jump in my car, go pick up the collection, back to work. Every day is super different. We get a lot of interest through attorneys, through dealers, through other colleagues, through friends. My favorite interaction is by word of mouth. I love when people recommend me. It's very, very important for me, not only for selling, but for buying. Whatever you're looking for, let me hunt for it. I'm a hunter. That's my job. Let me find it for you. Let me help you sell it.    Sharon: Do people call you and say, “Please let me know if there's an emerald ring or an emerald bracelet”? I never see them, but do people call you and say, “Call me if something comes up”?   Emily: Yes, we have wish lists. I think I have my own personal wish list. We're constantly working on those. We try to make sure we can help and find those pieces for anyone.    Sharon: What's on your wish list?   Emily: I have quite a big one.   Sharon: What's at the top or near the top?   Emily: Obscure French Art Deco is at the top. Now I have a much better love for some studio jewelry, in particular Betty Cooke. I'm really obsessed with her. They were in the Crawford sale. Those are on my wish lists right now.    Sharon: Betty Cooke is still alive, isn't she? I think she's still alive.   Emily: Yeah. She's another of these dynamic women that I adore because she started a business. These were the times when we weren't necessarily allowed to have bank accounts and credit cards. She started a whole business for herself that's still running today. I love having pieces of history like that.   Sharon: And she's affordable too. It's expensive, but it's affordable.   Emily: She's in my price range.    Sharon: As opposed to a huge diamond. I'm not saying you couldn't buy a huge diamond, but it's more affordable than buying a huge diamond, I think.   Emily: Yeah, exactly. It's more like the jewelry I can wear daily going to my son's baseball game, things like that.   Sharon: Is that why you have come to like modernist jewelry, because it's wearable?   Emily: Yes. Again, having my art history background, I love concepts. I love intention in design. I love expression. For me, art jewelry really embodies all of that.   Sharon: Does it make a difference to you if you're looking at a piece—I might look at a piece of art jewelry, modernist jewelry, and not understand it, but then I understand it better if somebody explains it. Does that happen?   Emily: All the time. It's funny; when I first started out in art history, I always ran into people who would criticize contemporary art and say, “Oh, I could do that.” I think it's similar in art jewelry. “Oh, it's too crude,” or “It doesn't sense,” but once you explain it, their eyes light up, right?   Sharon: Yes.   Emily: They completely understand it and embrace it. Art Smith, he was making jewelry that was more about form. It was more about dynamic shapes and lines, and that wasn't being done before. It was different from the Harry Winston diamond necklaces at the time.   Sharon: That's true. You have to recognize what's coming next, what's around the bend, what's around the corner. And it's hard to wear a diamond to go grocery shopping.

What you'll learn in this episode: Why brand recognition and signed jewelry have become so important in the last 20 years What sets fine jewelry houses apart from other jewelers How antique shows have changed, and why it has become more difficult to find quality jewelry at shows What a jewelry wardrobe is and how to create one How Doyle adapted its auctions during the pandemic About Nan Summerfield Nan Summerfield joined Doyle New York as Director of the California office in Beverly Hills in 2014. Ms. Summerfield, a GIA Graduate Gemologist, has been in the appraisal and auction business for forty-two years. Nan began her career at the Gemological Institute of America in New York as a Staff Gemologist in the GIA Laboratory and later as an Instructor in the Education Division, before spending thirteen years as a Vice President in the Jewelry Department at Sotheby's, first in New York, then in Los Angeles. Nan continued to develop and direct Sotheby's jewelry auctions in Beverly Hills for eight years. For twenty years before joining Doyle, she owned Summerfield's, a successful firm in Beverly Hills that specialized in buying and selling estate jewelry. Additional Resources: Nan's Instagram Doyle's Website Doyle's Instagram Transcript: After more than four decades working in estate jewelry as a dealer and at auction houses, Nan Summerfield knows a thing or two about how to select the best jewelry. Now Senior Vice President of California Operations for the auction house Doyle, Nan joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the pros and cons of purchasing jewels from the major houses versus lesser-known jewelers; why the auction industry began to court private buyers in the 80s; and when it makes sense to take a risk on an unsigned piece. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. Today, my guest is Nan Summerfield, Senior Vice President of California Operations for the auction house Doyle. Welcome back.    I wanted to ask you about something you said earlier, when you said that Doyle had decided they wanted to get out there more and get more private clients.    Nan: It was Sotheby's that wanted that.    Sharon: I'm sorry, Sotheby's. That's right. Was it by opening more offices?   Nan: No, at that point, when I had joined Sotheby's, they'd already done a big expansion worldwide. They were well-established. That was in the early 80s. What they did, and what Bain & Company suggested doing, was to reach out to the private clients and start adding auctions in California again so their private clients could come in. They tried to demystify the process and be more transparent about how it worked and the commission structures, that sort of thing, and to really make a concerted effort. I think that may have been when we started advertising in Town & Country and magazines like that, that were geared toward bringing in the private clients. That's when it started building, at that point in time.   Sharon: Why private clients? Were they bringing in pieces that were in their safe deposit boxes that you weren't seeing?   Nan: No, we were actually looking for private clients as buyers. Up until that point, it had been almost exclusively dealers that bought at auction. That's a whole other thing that was happening at that point. The dealers used to have what they called rings, and they would agree not to bid against each other in the auction. Then following the auction, they would have what they call the knockout, where they'd bid amongst each other and decide who gets what piece and that sort of thing. New York found out about that and outlawed it.    They clamped down on it, but we'd always gotten jewelry from private clients. Most typically, I would say, it had been the estates that had come in and been sold at auction. With the new private clients, we wanted to bring them in as buyers but also as sellers, which they had been, but on a quieter exposure. It was good, but I think it was geared toward bringing the private clients in as buyers.    Sharon: I love the word you used before, which was helping people decide what they wanted to have for their jewelry wardrobe, as opposed to their jewelry collection. I'm still trying to find that elusive definition of what collector is. When you talk about the jewelry wardrobe, can you talk about that? Is it that they have earrings, they have a ring? How do you look at the wardrobe?   Nan: I would say most people typically start with the basics, maybe their engagement ring. They might buy a pair of diamond-studded earrings and maybe get a diamond bracelet along the way. Then they go through life, and they're making a little more money and have a more sophisticated lifestyle. They start building it as you have your basics in your wardrobe. For example, I had diamonds that go with everything. In my case, I started buying things that were color coordinated. I love blues and greens, so I bought things that with emeralds or sapphires. I love pinks and purples. I have a fabulous Raymond Yard bubblegum 20 carat pink tourmaline ring that I love. I bought that way back in New York a million years ago.    Anyway, with the wardrobe, it really is like getting dressed. What are you going to wear? You want earrings, a necklace, a brooch perhaps, a bracelet and rings. You want things that work together well. With necklaces, we can get a lot of variation with what's in trend. Right now, we've seen a lot of long necklaces. The long Alhambra chains that are Van Cleef or long pendant necklaces have been the trend where we were. Back in the 80s, the collar necklaces were what everybody was wearing. I think we're going to start moving back into that trend in the next few years, but it's always changing. Then the trends also change from white metals to yellow metals, and the swing happens in 10 or 15-year cycles. In the jewelry wardrobe, it's everything from color-coordinating and if gold is in or not.    I also personally have nighttime jewelry, so if I'm going out to an event or black-tie thing, I've got platinum and diamonds or colored stone jewelry that's dressier. Then the daytime jewelry is a little more casual, but it also depends a lot on where you live. It's building what you personally love and what you're drawn to. It's a piece-by-piece adventure, and it's fun. It really is. It's exciting when you've been looking for the perfect pair of earrings to go with the necklace and bracelet you have, and then you finally find it. It's fun, and it's always treasure hunting. If you're a true collector, I think you never stop collecting.    Sharon: I'd say that's probably true. It's interesting, some of the things you said. Yes, your style changes; you become more sophisticated. You say, “Well, that was me 30 years ago, but that's not me today.”    Nan: Exactly.    Sharon: It's interesting to think about it more in a wardrobe sense, as opposed to, “I already have a Berlin iron, so I want to add that to my collection.” Actually, my Berlin iron sits in my drawer because I'm afraid to wear it.   Nan: That's a very rare category too, the Berlin iron. It's such an interesting segment of history.   Sharon: Yes, some people would probably die, but I don't mind adjusting or modifying even a signed piece. I want to fit me. I want it to work for me. The next person can decide if they don't want the soldering I had done. I feel like that's fine. I don't give a hell if other people feel that way. It has to fit you, right?   Nan: Absolutely, but if you have to alter a piece, hopefully you can do it in a way where it might be able to be put back together. If you have a necklace you want shorter that has some links come out of it, or rings, which so often need to be sized to be worn, yeah. If you have a good jeweler that does it, then it should be less detrimental.    Sharon: You talked about the fact that you left having your own business as a dealer, which you were in for 20 years.   Nan: 20 years. It was wonderful.   Sharon: Wow! And that things had changed, and that was one of the reasons you thought maybe it was time to go back into the auction house. What changed in that time?   Nan: It was very interesting, because as I mentioned earlier, probably the first 10 or 15 years I had my own business, it was so easy to find jewelry and beautiful things. I used to go to the flea markets, I'd hit all the tradeshows and I had private clients bringing me things all the time. What changed everything was the entrance of the internet right around 2000. In the beginning it was new, and people were still trying to figure out to how to navigate it. Then, probably in the last five to eight years I was in the jewelry business, we started seeing an increase in people doing things online.    You had different platforms. I think eBay was one of the first to start selling things, and then 1stDibs came along. There were various platforms like that, where people started selling their jewelry online as opposed to bringing it to the tradeshows or the antique shows to sell. I think that was when it really started shifting, because we started finding less. When we would travel and go looking for things, whether it was at the flea markets or at the Hillsboro in the Bay Area, the antique shows or the big Miami show, it was just harder to find.    It was an interesting period and I recognized that. Really, the way it happened with Doyle is that they reached out to me. They were interested in opening up a west coast division, and I had worked with the woman that is the head for jewelry for Doyle in New York. She and I had worked together at Sotheby's, so we had known each other for a long time. They reached out to me to see if I would be interested in opening up the west coast for them. They felt a jewelry person was probably the best direction to go because jewelry has a very broad reach. Everybody has jewelry. Not everybody collects old master paintings or impressionists or antique furniture or silver or whatever, but jewelry tends to cast a pretty wide net with people. Everybody has a mother or a daughter, somebody that has jewelry or loves jewelry. It was very timely that they reached out to me because my business was fine, but I could sense the changes that were happening.    I loved the 13 years I had spent at Sotheby's. The auction world is really fun and interesting. You have such a huge volume of property that goes through your hands, and you meet the most interesting people that are both buyers and consigners. I find, like what I said before about working for Sotheby's, is that in the auction houses, generally the specialists are very generous with their knowledge and share it. In the trade, people are very close to the vest, because knowledge equates to money. If you know why something is special, you don't want to tell somebody else because you might lose your advantage.    Anyway, for all these different reasons, the time was right, so we went back and forth, and I ended up going onboard with Doyle. It started in May or June, I think, and I ended up signing a contract with them in October and haven't looked back. It's so much fun, and we've had fabulous success on the west coast. It's interesting, because Doyle very much reminds me of the way Sotheby's used to be. It was like a family. At that point, John Meriam was the Chairman of Sotheby's, and he was such a wonderful man. Doyle has that same not-corporate feeling you have in so many companies these days, but more of a family that works there. It's been a wonderful experience; it really has.   Sharon: It sounds like it. You mentioned the office is moving. Doyle's office in Beverly Hills is moving from the upper floor to a ground floor.   Nan: Yes, we're very excited. We originally took over my old office that I had in Beverly Hills, and our business has just grown. It was again where the stars aligned. We'd opened a street-front gallery in Palm Beach, Florida, and New York was interested in opening a west coast branch in Beverly Hills on the ground floor. The head of our company had been out looking at colleges with her daughters over Labor Day weekend. They walked around Beverly Hills and noticed that a jewelry store in Beverly Hills had a sign that he was moving, and the space was available. She asked me to take a look at the space, which I did. He was so nice and took me on a whole tour and showed me that it was an enormous, beautifully built-out space. It was a small fortune in rent, but I went back.   As I was walking up to look at his space, there was a space downstairs in our building on Camden Drive, and it was closed. It was a gentlemen's clothing store, and they had a sign on the door that it was closed. I thought, “Well, let me go peek in the window and see what this space looks like, because this could be good for us.” As I was looking in the window with my hands up on either side of my eyes, one of my old neighbors from when I was on the penthouse floor in our building was walking by, and he said, “Hey, Nan, what's going on?” I said, “Well, we've outgrown our space and we're exploring options.” He said, “A friend of mine has this place. You need to call him,” and he gave me his telephone number. After I had gone to look at this other space and videotaped it and sent it to New York, I called him up. He was the nicest man, and he told me he wanted to open another store. He had a son that was in New England in a cute little town, and his wife told him that if he was going to open a new store, he would have to get rid of another one. He had been through the pandemic, which had been stressful for everybody, so the space wasn't even on the market.   I had spoken to our real estate broker, and he had said, “Nan, I'm sorry. I know New York asked you to look. There's nothing on the ground floor level in the triangle. You're going to have to go south of Beverly,” which in mind is no go; we only want to be in the triangle. We ended up signing a lease on that space. Another thing that makes it really wonderful is that we are located on Camden Drive, and two doors up from us is Christie's. There's Mr. Chow's, a restaurant, and Sotheby's is on the other side. So, we're on auction row for the entire west coast. We're thrilled about that too, because the auction house is on New Bond Street in England, the way when you're doing a road trip and all the fast food and gas stations are clustered together. It's sort of one-stop shopping. It feels like the jewelry district in New York. When you have similar businesses together, it drives business for everybody. So, we're very excited.    Sharon: That's great. It sounds exciting. Would a private client bring a piece to you and say, “What do you think about this? What can I get for it at auction?” and then go to Christie's or Sotheby's? It seems like people would be walking the street saying, “What does everybody think? How much can I get for it?” What do you think about that?   Nan: Yes, I think that is certainly a part of the equation. Both Sotheby's and Christie's tend to be geared to try to get the very high-priced items. That leaves a lot of room in the mid-range and below where they won't handle property. We handle everything, from soup to nuts. We feel like when we're handling estates or clients, we don't want to cherry pick their best things and tell them, “You're on your own.” We try to accommodate our clients, so we have different levels of sale. I think a lot of times it's about where you feel the most comfortable when you go and meet with different auction houses or specialists. I think it's a very personal decision for people.   Sharon: How many times a year does Doyle have jewelry auctions on the west coast?   Nan: We were doing jewelry auctions up until the pandemic. When we went into the pandemic, everything changed. We'd already had our May sale put together, photographed and catalogued and everything, when we shut down. It happened so quickly that we were scrambling. We had to ship all the jewelry to New York. At that point, we implemented quite a few changes in how we did auctions going into the pandemic. We recognized that when people are locked in from the pandemic, their only way of communicating with the world was their telephone, their television or their computer. Gone were the days that people could go wandering into a store and buy what they wanted.    So, with that came a number of changes we made. We decided to make smaller sales. We typically had had about seven or eight jewelry auctions a year, and they would run maybe 500 lots for sale. We realized that people were looking at the sales on their phones and they would glaze over at 500 lots. So, we recalibrated it and started doing more auctions but smaller sales, about 200 lots per sale, which is more manageable.    We also implemented another change where we started photographing the jewelry being worn. I will tell you that in the 20 years I had my own business, one of the most frustrating things for me was when I bought at auction. I remember buying a pair of earrings, and when they arrived, they were enormous. I thought they would be the size of not even a quarter. Having a sense of scale when you're buying online is very important, so we started having our shots photographed on some of our younger staff members—they're more photogenic—so people would have a sense of scale and could see how big that pendant necklace is, or how the earrings look on the ear or the ring on the hand. That was also very helpful for people to bid online. They got more information and had a better sense of what they would be buying before they had to commit to it.    Now we're doing auctions more than monthly. We usually run an auction pretty much every month. There are a number of months where we'll have two or three auctions at different levels.    Sharon: Online or in person?   Nan: The way it's structured, we have important sales, fine sales and online jewelry sales. The online sales are the less expensive things, group plots generally, things that are under $1,000. There will be some signed pieces. The online sales are handled only online. There's no public auction that goes on. You can bid on your computer in real time. You can bid up to that time. If you bid on something just before it closes and somebody comes in and outbids you, it gives you another couple of minutes to go back and raise your bid, so it's structured a little bit differently than our fine and our important sales. The online sales are virtually every month.   The fine and the important sales, now that we've come out of the pandemic, we're doing public exhibitions. We're doing previews in New York, and we try to do the previews in California as well. Once we open our gallery space, we should be getting all the fine and the important for previews for our California clients.   When people want to bid on the auctions, they have four different ways they can buy. They can come in person to the auction in New York and bid there. They can arrange to telephone bid. If they call us ahead of time, we'll set it up. On the day of the auction, we're all roped in on our computers, on Zoom calls, on the phone calling clients saying, “O.K., I'm going to be bidding with you on this lot that's coming up in four lots,” and then we bidders sit there in the room. They can also leave an absentee written bid saying, “I like this bracelet. The estimate is $3,000-$4,000. I really love it. I'm going to bid up to $4,500.” Then we will bid on their behalf against the competition until there's no competition, but if they get outbid, they won't get it.    The last way, which has become so popular, is that people can actually bid on their computers in real time. Once the auction starts, if they go to Doyle.com, at the top there will be a banner that says, “Join the live auction now.” You click that. You can see the auctioneer. You can see the piece of jewelry. You can see the estimate and description, and then you can see if the bids are going. It's a constantly scrolling thing. An auctioneer will be calling, “Yes, we have a bid at $8,500 from Nan in California. We've got a bid at $9,000 in the room” and so forth. So, people have four different ways they get on those sales.   One of the important things that's good for people to remember when they're bidding at auction is that, as is the standard in the entire auction business, there is a buyer's premium. The buyer's premium is on top of the hammer price it sells for, and it ranges from 25% to 30% depending on the auction house. At Doyle, it's 26%. It's really fun. It's very easy. We also do condition reports on everything so people can see what the quality of the diamonds is, what the size of the ring is, how long the bracelet or the necklace is, how much it weighs. We give a lot of information on our auctions, which gives people more confidence in buying things. If they have extra questions, they can reach out to us and we will follow up with them and give them more detail.   Sharon: There are a lot of different ways, a lot of different perspectives. It is very interesting. Some of the reasons that seem to excite you make me say, “Forget it,” just because things are coming at you from so many different ways: online, in the room, on the phone, whatever.    Nan: I can see how it would seem overwhelming, but I would say choose the avenue that's most comfortable for you. Just focus on that and let the rest of it fall away.   Sharon: That's good advice. I know it's the way of the world in terms of auctions, and the world has changed so much. Even as we're talking, the jewelry world has changed so much.   Nan: Dramatically, it has.   Sharon: Thank you so much, Nan, for being with us today and telling us about it. I've learned a lot and it's been really enjoyable. Thank you so much.   Nan: Sharon, thank you so much for inviting me. I really enjoyed it.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.    

How much do you know about your engagement ring? In this episode, Kristin sits down with Betsy Baird, owner of Betsy Baird Jewelry, to talk all things fine jewelry. We talk about the 4 c's, why you should never sleep in your ring, lab grown diamonds, and the process of creating a custom ring. She is a Diamond Graduate and Colored Stones Graduate from the Gemological Institute of America, and is your go to girl for custom jewelry! Reach out to Betsy on her website here: betsy.co Visit her instagram: @diamondprgirl

What you'll learn in this episode: Why brand recognition and signed jewelry have become so important in the last 20 years What sets fine jewelry houses apart from other jewelers How antique shows have changed, and why it has become more difficult to find quality jewelry at shows What a jewelry wardrobe is and how to create one How Doyle adapted its auctions during the pandemic About Nan Summerfield Nan Summerfield joined Doyle New York as Director of the California office in Beverly Hills in 2014. Ms. Summerfield, a GIA Graduate Gemologist, has been in the appraisal and auction business for forty-two years. Nan began her career at the Gemological Institute of America in New York as a Staff Gemologist in the GIA Laboratory and later as an Instructor in the Education Division, before spending thirteen years as a Vice President in the Jewelry Department at Sotheby's, first in New York, then in Los Angeles. Nan continued to develop and direct Sotheby's jewelry auctions in Beverly Hills for eight years. For twenty years before joining Doyle, she owned Summerfield's, a successful firm in Beverly Hills that specialized in buying and selling estate jewelry. Additional Resources: Nan's Instagram Doyle's Website Doyle's Instagram Transcript: After more than four decades working in estate jewelry as a dealer and at auction houses, Nan Summerfield knows a thing or two about how to select the best jewelry. Now Senior Vice President of California Operations for the auction house Doyle, Nan joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the pros and cons of purchasing jewels from the major houses versus lesser-known jewelers; why the auction industry began to court private buyers in the 80s; and when it makes sense to take a risk on an unsigned piece. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is a two-part Jewelry Journey Podcast. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it comes out later this week. Today, my guest is Nan Summerfield, Senior Vice President of California Operations for the auction house Doyle. Nan has extensive jewelry experience, having worked with several major auction houses. In addition, for 20 years she had her business as a jewelry dealer specializing in estate jewelry. We'll hear all about her own jewelry journey today. Nan, welcome to the program. Nan: Thank you, Sharon. It's great to be here. Sharon: So glad to connect with you. Tell us about your jewelry journey. You've covered a lot of ground. Were you a child when you started liking it? How did you get into the jewelry profession? Nan: I think I came out of the womb loving jewelry. When I was little girl, my favorite thing was to go through my grandmother's jewelry and try things on and look at them. I was that child that when I would be out with my parents at a mall, I'd see a jewelry store and I'd put my fingerprints and nose print on the windows to look at all the jewelry. I think I was just born loving jewelry from the day I came out of the womb. Sharon: Did you know you were going to go into jewelry? Did you think about making it? Did you want to sell it? Did you just want to be around it? To have it? Nan: It's so funny. I knew I always loved it, but I came back from a six-month backpack trip in Europe, and I had been invited to a Fourth of July party up at Lake Tahoe, where I was from. At that party, I was playing with a necklace my brother had given me with a small gold coin on it. This man that was at the party looked at me, and he said, “I sell jewelry like that. How would you like to work for me?” I thought, “Oh, my god, I love jewelry. I could actually work in it?” That's how it all started. He turned out to be kind of flaky, but I credit him with giving me the introduction into the business. Sharon: Flakey is a word. It's serendipitous. Nan: It certainly is. He veered off in other directions shortly after I got my introduction into the business, but I credit him with opening that door for me. Sharon: From there, how did you segue into auction houses? Nan: First, I had my own business for about a year. Through some people I met, I found out about the GIA. I applied and went to the GIA. When I finished, they offered me a job working for them in New York or Los Angeles. I thought, “Gosh, I've never been to New York. I've read all these books, like ‘The Catcher in the Rye' and ‘The Great Gatsby.'” It sounded so romantic to me. I thought if I didn't have a job, I wouldn't move to New York, but if I had a job, why not? So, I moved back to New York, and I worked in the lab doing certificates on diamonds for a year. Then they asked me to be a permanent instructor in the education department. I switched over to education and taught the residence program, the one-week classes. I feel very lucky because these strange coincidences happened that have led me to where I am. I had a colleague I was working with. He was a friend of mine, and he had taught the new head of the jewelry department all of these things. He had taken a one-week course with him at the GIA. He really liked my friend, and he offered him a job to work for Sotheby's. But my friend had fallen in love with this girl in California, so he was moving out there. He said to this gentleman, “I can't, but I've got the girl for you,” and he gave him my name and number. Then it all started. I went for an interview, they hired me, and I ended up spending eight years in New York with Sotheby's. Then I wanted to move back to California, so things finally worked out well. Part of what was happening at Sotheby's at that time was that Al Taubman had hired Bain & Company, the consulting firm, to look at the jewelry department worldwide and see how they could develop it and bring in more private clients. That was very interesting point in auction, too, the shift from dealers to embracing private clients. One of the recommendations Bain had come back with was that we start doing jewelry auctions in California again. We had them before, in 1981. In the crash of 1981, they closed down the big gallery we had. Anyway, I spent eight years with Sotheby's in California. It was a wonderful opportunity, and I had very generous people that I worked with. One of the things I found was that when I worked at the GIA, I had a number of friends that went out and worked for estate jewelry dealers in the business, but they were very close to the vest about the information they had. They didn't share why something was special, what made it important, what to look for. I was extremely fortunate because the other specialists that I worked with in New York were very generous with their knowledge. This is when the first reproductions of Deco and Edwardian were coming out, and they taught me so much. I'll be forever grateful for them being so generous with their knowledge. That's a long answer to your question. Sharon: It's an interesting answer. I'm still on the fact that you had your own business for a year before you started doing anything else. What were you doing? Were you buying and selling jewelry? Nan: Yeah, exactly. The gentleman that first brought me into the business, he took me to a sort of buying center of jewelry, a building that had multiple levels and booths of people selling. I would go down and choose the things I liked and then bring them back to Tahoe, and then I would sell them to my friends. Sharon: Wow! When you were talking about the auction houses, I never thought about the fact that some are selling to dealers, and some are more about developing private clients. Can you talk a little bit about that? Nan: Yes, absolutely. Initially, when I first started there, it was almost entirely dealers that bought at auction. Another thing I look back on now is that when we would have viewings and dealers would be looking at the jewelry, it didn't matter to them if something was Cartier or Van Cleef or Bulgari or any of the big names. It was, “Oh, that's nice,” but they never paid a premium or saw it in a substantially more valuable way. That's something that has dramatically changed from when I started to where I am today. As you know, anything that's signed by the big houses is going to bring a big premium today. During that period we had some private buyers, if I remember, but it was almost entirely dealers that were the buyers, and as I said, that started shifting. I think Al Taubman purchased Sotheby's in the mid-80s, and that's when he implemented these changes to make jewelry in the auction world more accessible to private clients and to demystify it. It was an interesting period. It was very transitional and very much a growth period in the auction world. Sharon: Was Al Taubman a catalyst in terms of moving everybody to look at signed pieces? Did he care? What happened there? Nan: No, that really wasn't his thing. He was all about getting the auction world out to private clients worldwide, which is where we are today. It's an enormous part of the auction market and the competition that we get. He was not focused on signed jewelry per se. I think that's something that happened—really, I started seeing that more in the 90s and going into the 2000s. It's been an upward trajectory since then with the really good names and the values they're bringing. Sharon: What do you think changed? What propelled that? What are your thoughts about why names are more important today? Nan: I think it's a combination of things. The really fine ones, Cartier, Van Cleef, Bulgari, Buccellati, David Webb, all of those have a level of quality you don't always see in other jewelry companies. I will know, for example, if I get a pair of earrings that are Van Cleef, they will always sit beautifully on the ear. A lot of jewelry that's not signed may look good, but it won't lay as well on a woman when she wears it, whether it's earrings or a necklace. It's that thoughtful design in the jewelry. What I really think happened was that over the last couple of decades, we've had a real push toward brand recognition. I even think back to Calvin Klein and “Back to the Future.” There was that scene where she said, “Oh, your name's Calvin,” because he had underpants that had a Calvin logo on them. I think that's when it really started, and it's not just in jewelry that name brands have become important. It's also in purses. You look at what Chanel purses sell for, or Birkin bags and how desirable they are. I think we're much more focused on that these days, and that's happened over the last couple of decades. With jewelry, there's also the estate jewelry. When I first got into the business, it was kind of up-and-coming. I think there are two jewelers that are credited with making estate jewelry desirable, and that would be Fred Leighton in New York and Frances Klein in Beverly Hills. Both of those people have died, but they were really the early ones that brought estate jewelry into the realm of being desirable and not old-fashioned or your grandmother's jewelry that you had to remake before you could wear it. You didn't want to be dated in our parents' day and age. Both of them also, I think, have a lot of signed jewelry. It's part of educating the clients. As more people learned about jewelry and learned about how fine a piece of Cartier jewelry is when compared with one that's not signed or made by an inferior jeweler, the appreciation for it and the desire for the signed pieces have grown exponentially. Sharon: That's interesting. I think I'll pay more attention to how a piece lays. There are lot of times when I'm on Instagram and a post will say, “I think it's a Mauboussin. It's not signed, but I can tell by the way it's done.” Do you think there's an amount of unsigned stuff out there that's quality? Nan: What I will say is that over the years, I've had pieces of jewelry come through my hands from clients that were not signed but had been purchased from the house, whether it was a Cartier or Tiffany or Van Cleef. With almost every jeweler, at some point in time, there have been pieces that went through that were not signed. But I always encourage my clients, especially when they purchased it from that house, to go back and ask them to sign it. In general, most pieces are signed, but one of the things we have to be careful of these days is that as the value has gone up on the signed pieces, so have the fake signatures. For example, I remember this beautiful Art Deco bracelet that passed through my hands when I had my own business. It came back a year or two later signed Cartier, and I 100% know that bracelet was not signed Cartier when I saw it the first time. That's one of the things we have to be very, very careful about. A lot of the big jewelry houses will do certificates of authentication that you have to pay for. That's become something that is more desirable as well, because nobody wants to buy a fake or something that's signed that's not correct. Sharon: That's upsetting, yes. In my early days I bought a beautiful tennis bracelet. I still love it. The cut of the stones is a little different; some were different shapes. I was told it was Art Deco, and I know that's what they thought I wanted to hear. When I brought it in later to an appraiser, he said they never cut the stones this way until the 80s. So, I thought, “O.K.” Nan: I know. What I will say, to insert this on the signed pieces conversation, is that there are certain jewelers that don't always have their pieces signed. One of them is Paul Flato, who was a wonderful designer who was big with the Hollywood crowd. Verdura actually worked with Paul Flato before he went off on his own. There are a lot of really wonderful Flato pieces out there that are not signed. In those situations, we try to check. For example, I'll check with the woman who wrote the book on Paul Flato. I'll send her a picture and say, “Do you think this is Flato?” They have references to the original drawings that Flato made on the pieces. So, there are times that happens. You can have a piece that's by an important jeweler that is not signed. Sharon: Are there things in the jewelry you recognize that make you think it's a Flato, even though it's not signed? Nan: Yeah, Flato was a wonderful designer; he made fabulous things. He had certain types of things you'll see a lot. He did things that were made with leaves that have wonderful curling edges, or very whimsical things he would do. He made a lot of custom things for people that had a great sense of humor to them. Probably the best place to get a sense of what his designs look like is the Paul Flato book that Elizabeth Irvine Bray wrote, so I would suggest that. He has a very distinctive style. His things were beautifully made and really dramatic. Years ago, I owned a big brooch and earrings that belonged to Ginger Rogers that were so wonderful. He was a creative genius. Sharon: That's interesting, because the first thing I thought of when you said Flato was the leaf and very large, over-the-top things. Just gorgeous, but it was the leaf that came to mind first, as when you said Calvin Klein, the first thing that came to mind was Brooke Shields. Nan: Exactly, the beginning of the brand. I want my brand. Sharon: Exactly, yeah. I'm dating myself, but O.K. I'm impressed that you left the auction house when you had been there a long time, seven or eight years, and that you went out on your own. To me, it's such a huge step. What was the catalyst for that? Nan: I actually ended up spending 13 years with Sotheby's, five with them in New York and eight in Beverly Hills. I really felt like if I was going to go out and open my own business, I needed to do it when I was still young enough and had the energy to do it. I was very fortunate when I went on my own that I had so many clients that came and brought me jewelry they wanted to sell. They came to me for help buying things or finding things they wanted to build in their personal jewelry wardrobe. It was a really wonderful time. Also timing-wise, it was a fantastic time to enter as a dealer into the business. The big shows, the Las Vegas Show, which is typically in the beginning of June, end of May, and then the big Original Miami Beach Antique Jewelry and Watch Show, which is normally held in late January or early February every year, those two shows were fantastic in the day. They changed a lot, but I can remember when I first started doing the shows, there would be two days of setup at the Miami Show, and we would go and walk the show. We wouldn't even set up our jewelry because on the setup days, a lot of the dealers would go and buy from each other. They would find out what new things had come in, and they would scoop them up before the private clients came in for the show. We would do that, canvas the whole show and buy these wonderful things. There were things where people didn't understand how great they were, how important they were. They didn't price them at their value. We would buy and sell so much on the setup days. Before setup even ended, we would make our expenses, our airfare, our hotel, our booth rent, the showcases, the safe. Everything would be paid for, and then we'd start the show, and we'd be selling more and meeting more clients. It was a really wonderful time to go off on my own. It was fantastic. Sharon: Is it because of the brands, whether it's Cartier or whatever, that the dealers weren't educated, that they just didn't know? They didn't have your background, so they didn't recognize things? How did you get these things? How could you identify them when they didn't know? Nan: I think part of it is that I was so fortunate to have seen so much jewelry over those 13 years at Sotheby's and to have worked with people that were very generous with their knowledge. I can remember going to a show up in Hillsboro, which is south of San Francisco. They used to do that show three times a year. I remember I was up there with a colleague at the time, and I looked down into this tiny, little case at their booth. They had a lot of other things, but there was a Buccellati bracelet in there. I remember asking, “How much do you want for the bracelet?” They didn't even know it was Buccellati. They wanted such a low price for it. I think that's the thing; a lot of people did not know, and it was before the internet had really come into play. Unless people tracked auction catalogues, there wasn't an easy way to know what prices were for things on the secondary market. I think we benefitted from the exposure I'd had in understanding what was good and how to look for signatures. Certain jewelers, when they sign things, their signatures are more obscure. Some are easily found and read, but others are like Van Cleef. A lot of their old things are so hard to see. Once you find them, you go, “Oh, it is Van Cleef. I knew it.” Sharon: I know when I've gone to some of the shows and expressed interest in a piece, the dealer would say, “Oh, I just bought that two days ago.” I was like, “Everybody's supposed to come to the show and be able to look at things.” Nan: That's exactly what happened. They probably bought it during setup day. They just bought it two days ago, and you were the next person to come along and find it. Sharon: Do you think knowledge had increased? I know dealers don't have any interest in doing research, and then there are dealers that research every little thing. Do you think knowledge in general has increased, or just interest? Some like to research and some don't. Nan: I would say in general that knowledge of jewelers has increased with the internet. I will say that probably the most helpful thing I've had, next to working with very knowledgeable people that shared their knowledge, was the library. I started buying books when I was working at the GIA and never stopped, and I used my library. I have library books, all jewelry-related, about all the different makers and periods. That in itself is a huge source of information, but a lot of information in the books in my library is not accessible online. So, it's a combination of things. You can find fascinating articles that people have written on jewelers or periods or movements. The other way to develop your knowledge is by accessing the various books that have been written on whatever given topic you're interested in. I think that knowledge is more readily accessible, and I think that that's helped a lot as well. The more people know and understand, the more comfortable they are buying that piece of jewelry or being drawn to a certain period or knowing what to look for or why a piece is special. Sharon: What about European makers that aren't as known here? Are there some that come to mind or that you recognize? Who would they be? Nan: There are a lot of wonderful makers that are not as known. The brands that everybody knows are the Cartier, Van Cleef, Tiffany, Bulgari, David Webb, Buccellati, those kinds of names. But there are a lot of fantastic, wonderfully talented makers that came out of Europe, and many of them were French. One of the things I was taught early on is that the French make—how would I put this? They put detail and time and thought into the pieces they make. For example, something in the United States might be made so you see all the beauty on the part that faces forward. With the French, they'll think about the back side of it, too, or the edges. It'll be as beautiful on the back as it is on the front, and it's a more thoughtfully made piece. The French are wonderful workmen and artisans. That's one of the things that's a big plus. When I'm going over a piece of jewelry and doing all the work on it, I'm always happy to see a French mark. An interesting thing to know about France is that they will not allow anything that's less than 18 karat to be sold. When you have marks on it—it's the eagle's head mark, which is a gold French mark—it guarantees it's at least 18 karat or higher. Then they have the platinum marks. If somebody wants to import their jewelry from out of the country into France and sell it, they also have to be 18 karat. In those cases, they get the stamp we call the hibou, which is like an owl that says it was sold in France but it was imported into France. The French have always had a higher level of expectation with jewelers, and their pieces in general tend to be really wonderful. Anything that's French is a plus in the jewelry world. Sharon: Today it seems like, when I'm looking Instagram, there are so many one-off jewelers. They're not just one-off pieces, but they're Danish or German or people you've never heard of. They can be American. Not to knock anybody, but is it the design that's more known as opposed to whether the earrings sit on the ear? Nan: It's a combination of those things. At that end of the day, we as women are the ones that are going to be wearing the jewelry, and if it doesn't look good on them, that's not going to carry it forward in a positive way. I would say the French designs are excellent. Generally, they're designed to sit well, but honestly, quite often you'll find that with the good but less-known jewelers, the ones that are not signed or the no-name jewelers, you still need to check. One thing I have noticed over the years is in the Art Deco period, for example in the United States, the jewelry was so beautiful, and there was so much money in the roaring twenties that no expense was spared in the workmanship and the quality of the stones that were used. But quite often over the years, I've seen these Art Deco and 1930s bracelets out of France that are set with very imperfect diamonds, old cuts, low-quality stones, often off-color, and it's interesting. I think Europe must have been in a different economic place than the United States when these were manufactured. Sharon: That's interesting. I was interested in Catalan Art Deco, and the dealers would emphasize to me that the stones weren't of the highest quality. They were used in the piece, but they weren't the highest quality. Nan: Yeah, there you go. Sharon: I'm interested in the overall piece. If the stone isn't the highest caliber, all right, as long as it makes the piece. Nan: Exactly. If it speaks to you and you love it, that's the most important thing. Sharon: Do you agree with the dealers or the people in the jewelry business who say, “It doesn't matter if it's signed if you love it”? What are your thoughts about that? Nan: I think good jewelry is good jewelry. I don't think it has to be signed to be a fabulous piece. The signature certainly helps in the overall value, and people are more aware of that these days than they used to be, but there's a lot of beautiful, beautifully made, beautifully designed pieces out there that are not signed. I'm a big believer in buying what you love. Don't buy what you're lukewarm about. Buy what you really love, and try everything on to make sure it sits the way you want and that you like it. If you really love it, I believe in paying more than you think it's worth. In my opinion, the pieces I love the most I paid so much for, more than I wanted to. I've forgotten about many, but to this day I still love and cherish those pieces.

Amy Ginsburg is Executive Director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, a fully professional orchestra that's based at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. She graduated from Ft. Myers High and attended Edison State College and University of South Florida as a fine-arts major. She then attended the Gemological Institute of America. After a career in jewelry design and manufacture, she co-owned and operated a marketing and media production company called Waddy World Productions before beginning her career with the Southwest Florida Symphony in 2013.

This week Dr Nicola Tallis explores one of the world's most revered jewellers - Atelier Torbjörn Tillander - with the youngest of the Tillander family - Jenny. The firm of A. Tillander was established by Alexander Tillander in Russia in 1860. After completing a seven year apprenticeship with a master goldsmith he went to work for Carl Becks who was a supplier to the Russian Imperial court.  Before long however, Alexander decided to go into business on his own and at just 23 he opened his first premises in the heart of St Petersburg.Whilst the firm remained relatively unscathed by the Russian Revolution of 1905, the same was not true of the one that occurred in 1917. Along with many other Russian jewellery manufacturers, the firm was forced to closed and the Tillander family moved their lives and business to Helsinki.  Here, in 1918 Alexander Jr. re-established A. Tillander and the firm is still in existence today and remains family owned.Jenny has been fully involved in the family business since 2014. In 2017, she graduated as a gemmologist from the Gemological Institute of America in London. Jenny is a natural-born customer service representative who, as the youngest in the family business, also naturally ensures that Atelier Torbjörn Tillander's product range follows trends. In spring 2020, Jenny launched her first jewellery collection – Transparency by Jenny Tillander. Check out the collection here.Join the conversation on social media and check out images of some of the jewels discussed by visiting @historygemspod on both Twitter and Instagram.

Learn about how diamonds can be an entrepreneur's best friend with diamond expert Olivia Landau, Founder of The Clear Cut, a concierge service selling and creating one-of-a-kind bespoke diamond engagement rings through personalized curation and expert education. Olivia is fourth generation Diamond expert who attended NYU undergrad before she pursued her passion in gemstones at Gemological Institute of America - where she met her husband and Olivia has experience working at Tiffany & Co. before she founded The Clear Cut. Olivia joined Techstars 2018 where she scaled The Clear Cut. Olivia has been recognized at Forbes 30 Under 30. The Clear Cut has been featured in Bloomberg Forbes, The New York Times, Vogue, Business Insider, Refinery29 and more. Learn more about Olivia and The Clear Cut here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivialandau/ https://www.instagram.com/olivialandau/ https://theclearcut.co/ https://www.instagram.com/theclearcut/ https://www.tiktok.com/@theclearcut

What's it like reporting to Warren Buffett? Well, our next guest, Susan Jacques, tells us. She reported to him directly for over 20 years as the CEO of one of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio companies before becoming the global CEO of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) headquartered off PCH in Carlsbad, California. Susan shares with us the leadership lessons she learned from him and brought with her to role at GIA. She gives us a fascinating look inside the diamond, gem and jewelry industry and how technology like blockchain and AI is transforming its mission into the future.