Looking to start a new career in the Colored gem business.

[spencerq]

I have been interested in the science of gemology for many years now and have researched and purchased diamonds and, most recently, blue Sapphires. I have been looking for a career change for sometime now and believe that the gem business could be it. I am 36 years old and have been extremely successful in my professional career up to now but feel it is time to follow my own path. As far as I am concerned I usually know more about the stones then the local retailers that sell them due to my personal interest in educating myself over the last 5 years. Could I please get some advice on what steps I should take to start a new career in selling colored gems? Should I get a diploma in gemology or just take some courses on grading and pricing colored stones with a basic course as well. I am certainly not saying that buying and selling gems can be done by taking 1 or 2 courses, however the path needs to start somewhere and I would appreciate whom ever is in this profession and reading this now to give me their advice.

Spencer

 

[Edward Bristol]

Spencer,
it seems that the gemtrade attracts many people who have become tired of a normal ''career'' and would like to work with a product that in itself is thrilling and satisfying. Very understandable.
Hence the market is highly competitive and you will meet many very ambitious and highly qualified starters at any given time.
A successfull market entry is always subject to being able to open up a sales channel. Without a sales channel you may have the finest products but will not be able to get them to the buyer. Obvious enough.
BUT: The gem market also holds a hurdle on the other side of the supply chain: It is extremly difficult to find good stones (starting from the mine all the way down to NY 5th).
In most markets buying is the easy part. Here it is not. Good gem buying is more difficult than selling.
Thus whatever education you choose you have to learn how to buy. That I think, is best done by going to the sources.
And there buying rough is a real challenge and a competitive advantage (be it within a gem company or as an entrepreneur).
Have a look on my website in the know-how section - ''how2mine'' for a sight on how I did it. It was the hard way, but surely a live experience.

Edward Bristol
www.wildfishgems.com

 

[mogok]

Hi Spencer,

It seems that we have some common points: After some science studies, my passion for traveling turned me to become tour guide for several years. Then one days while I was backpacking in Burma I realised that gem business could be what I was searching for years... Thanks to the book "Ruby and sapphire" from Richard Hughes, I found that gemstones were the connection point of all what I''ve ever like.
I decided then to explore a way to devote my life to gemstones.
It was not easy, most people were not encouraging at all... After all I was from a country side French wine maker family.. I had no chance to become more than a sales guy in a jewelry store. I continued for 2 years in my job in order to save money and continue to learn as much as possible to be able to take the right decisions...
I guess that you are around this point now.
Well finally the things turned out not to be like the French jewellers or dealers told me few years ago.
I think that I took the right decision to move to Burma and then Thailand to learn about gems. There live is cheaper and there is much more gems and gem people.
There things were hard, but finally after studying gemology in Burma and then Thailand, I finally find a job and after several years of hard work, I have become the director of a reputable gemological laboratory in Bangkok. I had also several opportunities to join some friends in the gem trade, but I enjoy a lot my present job...

So all that to say that things are possible if you are ready to work very hard for it.
In gem business it is all about 3 things: knowledge, connections, and finally capital. Among these 3 knowledge is the easiest to get. Good connections take years of hard work to get especially if you are not coming from a gem trader family... To build a good reputation is long work and destroying it can be done within few minutes!
Finally money, well if you have the knowledge and the connections, then it is not that difficult to find investors or partners.So dont worry too much about that last point.

Edward Bristol is very right in what he is telling, if you want to become a dealer, you need serious customer and to make them happy you will need to be very competitive. I mean to have the stone they need, at the price they can afford and under the conditions they can stand... Not easy for a beginner...

But well as I said, nothing is impossible if you are a hard worker! many lazy people around with big money searching for some hardworker to make their money work... LOL

Anyway if you want to know more about how a young countryside french guy like me succede to find a place in the gem trade, you can follow this link:

How did a "countryside Frenchman" came to such fancy passion as gemology?

All the best,

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Get the knowledge first, the connections second, and the market third.

Connections will arise after you have the knowledge. The market will arise after you have the connections.

The most important first step is faith.

Like everyone says, it''s not easy. Usually nothing of value is. If you feel in your heart this is what you want, take the first step first and let God worry about the second.

I would recommend taking a gemology course either from the Gemmological Assocation of Great Britain or the Gemological Institute of America. That will begin to open doors for you.