Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
I think gemology is something to pursue out of passion, not necessarily the best direction for making a living wage after graduation. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Self employed or working for a gem/jewelry related company.
Look at some of the Want Ads in your area for gemological positions. What are the salaries offered?
One of the major problems I see in gemological education is that students get NO training in using the sophisticated spectrographic instrumentation which is now essential in proper identifcation.
I actually agree with you Barbara, I’m a young fairly new graduate, and I know for a fact I can’t make a solid go at life on just Gemology at this point. I studied appraisal to hopefully be able to build myself something doing what I’m far more passionate about, but in all reality, there’s a reason I still have a full time job as well.
I also discovered my passion for it before training - I got a job at a jewellery store in sales shortly out of high school, as I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Turns out I fell in love with jewellery and gems and started following that passion. Even if the majority of my time spent with Gemology ends up being hobbyist more than anything, I’m okay with that, because I love it.
I must say, if I manage to build something decent out of it, I’ll be beyond thrilled. I am in an area where those having studied this are fairly few and far between. So I’ll continue with what I’m doing for now. My heart still skips a beat when I see an interesting inclusion in any stone or I have the pleasure of getting to examine a higher tier diamond. I think that’s a good thing.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum