Calling Pandora

Pandora has taken a permanent hiatus from Pricescope. Due to certain events she decided it was best to move along.
I know...I know...Pandora WAS one of the best contributors on Colored stones..
...but all is not lost...we will see bigger and better things in the future with Pandora. No more Pricescope for her but trust me she still has both feet in the world of CS gemstones

Written by Barrett » July 1st, 2012, 3:29 pm:Pandora has taken a permanent hiatus from Pricescope. Due to certain events she decided it was best to move along.

That's unfortunate. I was in London last month and tried to get in touch with her but my contact info was out of date. I wish her well with her future projects.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

Oh crap. That is really disappointing. I was worried that she was taking a hiatus, but I had no idea that for whatever reason, it is a permanent thing. That is very, very unfortunate. I will really miss her

Barret: do you know if we will find her elsewhere, like on other boards?

I wish her the best; she is knowledgable, willing to share it and her time, and always remained fair to everyone. I also hope her return to the trade will be a success!

Written by Chrono » July 1st, 2012, 7:59 pm:I wish her the best; she is knowledgable, willing to share it and her time, and always remained fair to everyone. I also hope her return to the trade will be a success!

Yes, she could return here as a trade member.

cheers--Sharon

Oh no! I had no idea.

I do wish she comes back one day...

Oh sob! Not the same without Pandora! She has my best wishes for whatever she has decided to do, but awww, gee, will miss her greatly. Please tell her hi, Barrett.

--- Laurie

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

This is NOT good news. Pandora is one of the most knowledgeable posters and her wealth of knowledge will be sorely missed. I do hope she's back soon.

Is it possible she could be lurking and see our pleas for her swift return? I don't like it when our "family" breaks up.

Oh no! She was my source of knowledge for a bunch of UK-issues. I wonder what drove her to this decision...

Oh no, I didn't realize the hiatus was going to be made permanent. I do hope she feels up to coming back at some time in the future - her knowledge and generous nature will be sorely missed.

I hope someone chimes in to help you Rosetta! Maybe page GG or someone of that type of background? I remember Nicrez was a GG and she would kindly answer peoples questions several years ago. I hope you get your answers, or maybe ask for a thread title change so you get some hits from people in the business. best wishes

Written by rosetta » July 1st, 2012, 1:25 pm:if you're out there pandora, I would really appreciate your advice.

I'm becoming increasingly disillusioned by my medical career (and admittedly, I'm also bored!) and am now looking for an alternative career.

I vaguely recall that you were trying to make gemstones a career, if I'm not mistaken?

I was wondering if you could share your experiences on this matter?

I will still work as a doctor as a locum on occasion, but I really want to do something else I enjoy more, if I can do both!

If anyone else has any advice on getting into the jewellery industry (particularly in the UK) then please chime in.

Thank you in advance!

In the absence of Pandora I can answer from a UK perspective and somebody who has been quite involved in gemstones. If you want to make gemstones a career there is typically not much income to be made (ie you're not going to be a millionaire overnight). If you are happy with that then you need to educate yourself. You can do this in London (and they also do a remote course but you have to attend some sessions in London or dotted around the country but they may not be near you). The outlay for the course is not cheap!

Once you're passed and are qualified - so then presumably you are equipped to identify gemstones and know if you're buying a natural or synthetic stone, then you have to establish contacts if you're going into business for yourself. This will mean travelling and you have to have the means to do that.

Alternatively you could see if you could get a job in the industry (although these jobs are not plentiful). Again, you would see your salary drop drastically as you would be considered a trainee!

Years ago I used to buy stones, have settings made and then sell the jewellery. However this was more of a hobby than my trade (I never gave up my day job). I took mainly commissions and did okay but it was time consuming and not lucrative enough to keep me in gemstones and food on the table! I haven't done this for years - apart from sourcing stones for friends and pointing them in the right direction for settings!