Jewelry Store Employees Need Hands-On Learning, Too

Experience is a necessity when it comes to your specialty. Yes, you can go to school and learn a lot of facts about what you plan on doing for living, but without hands on experience, you may not realize exactly what it is all about. A perfect example is a surgeon. Although this person has had extensive education and formal training in the medical field, he or she will not completely realize everything the job entails until they get into a residency or other situation where they can do some hands on work. In a staged environment such as a classroom, everything is controlled, but in the real work there will be many variables that come into play on top of performing what you have learned in school.

Another great example is jewelry stores. Yes, it seems like jewelry stores would be a pretty controlled environment, but that is probably because you have not experienced a woman freaking out because her diamond ring has become chipped or she flushed her wedding ring down the toilet by accident. When you factor emotions into the equation, people will act differently and there will be more pressure to perform satisfactorily. Believe it or not, some people view jewelry as a life or death situation!

Loose Diamonds: The Four C's

Give me only 45 seconds and I will educate you on the four basic features of loose diamonds you will need to know before purchasing one. The four C's of diamonds are easy to remember and will make you sound like a professional when you enter your local jewelry store. The first C: Cut. Many people think this is strictly the shape of the stone. False! This also refers to the facets that are cut into the stone. Facets are little lines in the stone. The create edges within the stone and reflect light. Reflecting light equals bling and chicks like bling.

The second C is Color. This is pretty self-explanatory. Most are colorless or white, but diamonds can also be black, blue, or many other colors. The third C is Clarity. Diamonds are formed deep within the earth, so it is only reasonable for them to have some damage from being exposed to such extreme pressure and heat. Flawless diamonds are very rare and are even more expensive. The final C, and arguably the most important, is Carat weight. This measures the weight of your stone. The bigger the weight, the bigger the stone. All of these factors play a role in the value and price tag of your diamond. Happy shopping!