3 minute read
Education
The Jet Set
Meet the two latest recipients of the JET Clarity & Success Awards – winners working in quite different sectors of the retail jewellery world.
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I had no clue my drive and passion for jewellery would lead me to where I stand today. I’m overwhelmed to have won this award and truly happy to be recognised for my work. of different cuts and grading systems to be challenging as it requires more precision and a keener eye for intricate details than I expected. This background gave me so much respect for our industry and an appreciation of its various methods and skills.
I chose to discuss designer Hannah Davies for my final project as she is inspired by nature, like me – it refreshes my soul. She inspires me to create unique artistic masterpieces and is a wonderful source of motivation.
Through JET, I feel more confident and appropriately informed. I’m glad I’m getting information from the right source. I intend to continue studying as my goal is to grow and develop within my team and support the Watches of Switzerland Group to continue providing the best service. I believe the JET courses will help me increase my knowledge, improve my skills and help me progress in valuing, my specific area of interest.
I thought Boodles would be an interesting company to research, and I was right!
I’m also happy it’s been noticed that my confidence appears to have grown as I’ve progressed through the course. It definitely felt that way to me. I was overthinking everything I wrote at first and would secondguess my knowledge on the subjects. I really felt my confidence grow with each assignment.
Taking JET has helped in my day-to-day work in the store – I feel more confident during consultations and far more prepared to answer any product-related questions from my clients and colleagues. I’d like to take JET 2 in the future and would love to study gemmology – it’s the most fascinating aspect of this career field. I definitely plan on staying in jewellery; I adore the bespoke side of my current role, so possibly something to do with design would be very interesting.
Bradley Stone, Pravins (July)
I’ve been working for Pravins for over two years, and I fell into it accidentally. I was initially helping out in the run up to Christmas, and I realised how much I loved it. I’m part of the senior sales team, so my two main roles are to assist my colleagues in their sales and focus on my own, keeping Being a creative person and having visited many jewellery stores in Dubai and workshops in India, I wanted to explore more and look further for related opportunities. I’ve always had a passion for jewellery, designing bespoke jewellery for myself and my family. Ultimately, I want to pursue a career in jewellery, art and design, and I’m moving closer to my goal every day.
I applied for my current role at Hallmark/ Watches of Switzerland Group and accepted this brilliant opportunity in September 2019. I engage with customers and talk about their treasured jewellery and watches, which feeds my passion. I work as a jewellery and watch claims consultant, with a career path into valuing starting in the coming weeks.
I loved many aspects of the JET course, such as learning about pearls and diamonds. Also, the in-depth finding and mining process of gemstones and how they are cut into beautiful pieces. I found the process
close relationships with my clients. I’d heard from colleagues how informative and interesting the NAJ’s JET course was, and I was intrigued. I wanted to deepen my knowledge and challenge myself, so I took the opportunity. As it turned out, I really enjoyed writing about the gemstones as this reaffirmed what I already knew, but also challenged me and taught me things I wasn’t aware of.
Another section I loved working on was for my project, which was about diamond facts. This was so fascinating, and I learned more about the system of warranties and the Kimberley Process. There were a few parts I found challenging, particularly the sections on hallmarks and legal standards across the EU.
It was great that the moderator described my final project as ‘noteworthy’! I chose to discuss Boodles as I’ve always admired the store and really looked up to their level of luxury and presentation. They design the most beautiful pieces, and the craftsmanship is incredible.
