Green Lake Jewelry Works staff gemologist works with cutters and suppliers to source gemstones , and is also a goldsmith and engraver.
What do you do? As the staff gemologist for Green Lake Jewelry Works, I work with cutters and suppliers to bring to our store everything from the average gemstone to remarkable ones for our customers. I catalog and maintain a database of all gemstones going in and out of the store. I examine and research a wide variety of stones and inclusions that come through the gem lab to ensure quality for the customer. I assist in education for the staff and seek out new gemstones and sources of material for the wide array of customer requests. When all of this is complete, I am also a goldsmith who fabricates and sets stones into gold and platinum jewelry. From time to time, I also engrave a little.
How did you get that job? After graduating from GIA (the Gemological Institute of America), I interviewed for several positions in the industry. Green Lake Jewelry Works’ Jim Tuttle responded very well to my inquiry into the company and welcomed an opportunity for an interview. After a tour and just a few minutes of time with Jim, I told him that I could tell that I wanted to work for the company. With such an impressive staff and workplace, I felt that the environment at Green Lake Jewelry Works would be a great place to work. An inside bike rack to promote health, the most advanced technology, excellent health benefits, a fun but hardworking atmosphere, and most of all Green Lake, all provide an environment where each person is appreciated for their hard work and talents they bring, artists and craftsmen alike.
What’s a typical day like? A typical day starts with making a few phone calls to cutters and vendors to fulfill requests from customers. … Staff members come to me with questions about stones, and [I examine] stones at a microscopic level for quality. Throughout the day, I look at stones, provide information to the staff, develop new contacts and resources and maintain the inventory. At any point, I may need to talk with a customer regarding a gemstone they may be purchasing or already have. After all this is completed, I may find myself on a difficult search for a stone or potentially setting one of the very stones I helped find into a mounting that the customer helped design for themselves or a loved one. At Green Lake, it’s a team effort to build unforgettable heirloom pieces of jewelry.
What’s the best part of the job? The best part of my job is either the continual education in geology, gemology, history and geography, or meeting gemstone cutters and artists. On occasion, I especially enjoy visiting a gemstone mine where the stones are brought straight from the earth. These are, of course, vacations.
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What surprises people about the job? Most people have no idea where their stones come from, what it takes to find them, and how much one has to know to bring a legitimate product to the customer. With education and fair business practices, we are able to provide quality gemstones to all of our customers. With so many treatments and synthetic stones, it’s difficult to find a good product. Since Green Lake is a member of the AGS (the American Gem Society), we do our best to supply ethically procured gemstones and provide disclosure of gemstone treatments. On top of this, we make top-notch custom jewelry, and provide killer service to our customers, not to mention that we use 100-percent recycled metal in all of our jewelry.