Back in the groove.
17th June 2025
One of the 1st rings to go out since my holiday.
While I was travelling on the motorbike for a month I was still doing some design work and ordering in materials for pieces on my return. The above ring was organised before I went away and was finsihed last Saturday.
Step cut on the left and brilliant on the right.
The main diamond is a 1.55 carat radiant cut of E colour and VVs1 clarity.. Normally an emerald cut gem, a rectangle (or square but usually a rectangle) with the corners cut off, is faceted in a step cut. A radiant cut diamond is the outline of an emerald cut shape but cut with brilliant facets.
The shoulder diamonds are princess cut (brilliant cut square) that come to a total diamond weight of .351 carats. The ring was created in 18ct yellow gold.
The ever increasing price of gold
Jewellery looking to be reborn.
Speaking of gold….. on this day just 12 months ago pure gold cost $3600 an ounce to buy. Today it costs $5230….and it keeps going higher. Because of this I expect to see more and more people coming to me to explore the possibility of recycling gold.
Some time ago now I started charging a fee to meet with people to measure up and examine their materials to be used for recycling. I had to as this process usually takes 1 to 2 hours of my time, sometimes more.
Article: Recycling jewellery: Cost benefit analysis
If I got 10 of these enquiries in a week (as I often had prior to the introduction of the fee) and half of them did not proceed either due to budget restraints or their materials not allowing them to do what they wanted (occurs a lot), then that would be 25% of a 40 hour working week that I had no income from.
On a sad note
I only repair and service jewellery I have made. It has been this way for many years now and I have an auto format reply that provides the names of other jewellers that they can contact.
On my return from my holiday I was informed that one of the jewellers on that list passed away over a year ago. Rest in peace Graeme Chibnall. I have never had much to do with other jewellers but do have some fond memories of interactions with Graeme.
The workbench my brother made for me and I have used my whole career.
It has got me wondering……how long do I have left and where are the next generation of jewellers going to come from? As I pondered this thought the latest edition of a trade journal came across my desk. In it they were discussing that very issue and a journalist was writing of a group that had formed to look at solving the shortage of skilled jewellers. I have not laughed so loud in a long time as I read who was involved.
Most of the jewellery sold in Australia is manufactured overseas. There are two large buying groups that source stock for a large percentage of jewellery retail/reseller stores. It is these buying groups that are looking into how to solve the trade shortage!
LOL I wonder if they stocked more jewellery created in Australia if that would increase the viability for jewellers to take on apprentices? In the end I feel that will not happen as the public will not pay for Australian made product. Most of the market is now used to low price disposable jewellery manufactured overseas.