“When you put them all together and someone wants to wear this ring for the rest of their life and you have not so great diamonds in a not so great setting, it’s a not so great situation. ”
They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I’m more of a pet rock guy myself…but today’s guest has me considering expanding my horizons. Hannah Powers is a gemologist which is a person that looks at gems all day and, among other things, grades them on their value. She’ll tell us all about what makes a gem a gem, what makes said gem valuable, and why diamonds are in fact pretty darn cool.
“You’re buying a diamond because they’re the least likely stone to break which means that you can wear it all the time and you can bang the crap out of it.”
“Pawn shops, if you know at all what you’re looking for, are a great way to get a good price.”
Interview Contents
2:40 - The definition of a gem.
5:00 - Rocks as gems.
6:30 - How crystal gems form.
8:00 - Classifying various gems.
10:15 - New gem discovery.
13:30 - The 4 Cs of grading gems.
20:15 - The most expensive gemstones.
23:00 - Tools for grading stones.
26:30 - The Tucson gem show and the gem community.
30:15 - The diamond ring, engagement ring argument.
44:35 - Gems that the gem community loves.
46:00 - Birthstones.
48:50 - Becoming a gemologist.
51:00 - Advice for purchasing jewelry.
Links
The ring Blake got Asta (his wife) for their wedding/engagement.
Links from Hannah:
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
