Hi,
Can anyone give me advice on where to look for jobs in the diamond field?
I am a graduate from the American Institute of Diamond Cutting. I can cut, brute, saw and mark diamonds. I have also done the rough grading course and therefore can sort and grade both rough and finished.
I am enrolled at Carlsbad in the Diamond Graduate and will be done at the end of February.
I am a US cititzen and willling to travel. After doing all this I feel that I am looking in all the wrong places for a job.

Thanks

I would ask the staff and career department at GIA to give you some leads.
Good luck!

HI there,

is that the American Institute of Diamond Cutting down in Florida? I am planning on taking some classes there once I get my GG diploma, hopefully by the fall. What did you think of the course? Is it worth the money? The best places to find a job in the field is the careers section on the GIA website. I took the diamond grading class already and unfortunately most of the jobs I found are looking for the GG diploma. If you live in LA the jewelery district in downtown might be a great place to look for work. I was not very successful because most people want a gemologist graduate not just the diamond grading. And I also noticed most are looking for someone with experience. You have a big advantage since you know how to work with rough.

The bit in bold is what matters.

I would give consideration to keeping that course money, and using it to support yourself while working for someone for nothing.

That experience would be worth 100x more to potential future employers than doing the courses.

Everyone and his dog has letters after their name, but experience is what will get you consideration for jobs.

I sent over 120 emails over two three-month periods in 2008 and 2009, and this has been the resounding conclusion from the feedback I received from them. Unless you are fortunite enough to have gem/jewellery family ties, experience not courses will likely be your only 'in'.

If you are lucky enough to live near a 'gem city' get into the jewellery district, show your face around, and offer your services for nothing. Unfortunitely I don't live near London, but if I did I'd be pestering in Hatton Garden every day.

"Fair heart never won fair job.."

With your diamond polishing training at the American Institute of Diamond Cutting you should have a pretty cool and unusual skill set with the GG. Did the AIDC offer any job suggestions or opportunities?

'Unless you are fortunate enough to have gem/jewellery family ties, experience not courses will likely be your only 'in'."

Yeap.. I kind of got that feeling too. It's much like a private club.

Well diamonds, for sure, will be very very tough.

With coloured stone, it's not really some big conspiracy. It's just that most gem-related entities in the West are small and family-run. It makes sense for them to hire 'in-house' for a whole multitude of reasons.

Make certain that you research what oppurtunities courses will open up for you before committing. So many people think "I can't get a job, I need to be more qualified", and get caught in a loop of course after course, while getting older and older and with large gaps in their employment history (not to mention the financial impact).

Having seen first-hand what a train-wreck the coloured stone job market is, I don't envy anyone trying to break into diamonds with no contacts and family ties.

Try some entrepreneurship. I've found the industry, especially in regard to coloured stones, quite welcoming.

Yes, maybe going self-employed is a route too.

It's certainly an entry option for these people, and a better investment in capital than many courses. Making decisons off your own back teaches you quicker than any other method of education.

PS: It's nothing to do with the industry being unwelcoming. People are, by and large, very friendly and willing to talk etc. These small entities are just too stretched to be hiring - especially if the hire is a 'green'.

I know someone looking for a cutter. Of course experienced would be preferable but if you have any proof of your work skill, I am prepared to get you in contact.

For how long have you gone about this job search Suja?

I also have been feeling I'm doing something very wrong. I try and get up early and discipline myself to send off maybe 5 original emails per 'session'. Then maybe doing two or three such sessions a day. Each email used to take maybe an hour to compose, but I've halved that now. Motivation is a big issue though. Especially as the autoreplies, rejections and non-replies start to take their toll on your esteem.

Then in the evening I try and do two hours gem study every day, plus still trying to learn Bahasa Indonesia to keep my brain ticking over.

I managed to get some old owed wages paid to me, so will make a journey into London to show my face around. I think potential employers can work more out about you in 2 minutes face-to-face than any email and CV combination.

Fingers-crossed...

mine are crossed as well for you, kyriakin, hope you are successful in your job- hunt with potential employers "in person." please don't forget to take your resume and possibly some references of people in the trade. good luck!! and please don't forget to follow-up with another visit, phone call, or thank you note, and keep records of contacts/job prospects.

Thanks GK. I delayed it a few days due to a nerve problem in my leg playing up.

Not a huge fan of London, but needs must.

Just saw this bit.

Is this maybe where the problem lies? I don't know a single person in the trade, let alone get a reference. Sure I talked to scores of gem-related people in Bangkok, but more like ships passing in the night tbh.

I've never done a job with even a remote connection to the trade. Until teaching this past year in Bangkok, I'd never even had a job which wasn't manual labour.

Even ignoring that, this reply seems typical:



Add to that the recession, UK unemployment (which has led to a massive surplus of experienced people out of work, and thus pushing green people way down the pecking order for jobs) and the very 'specific' and non-transferrable nature of gemmological knowledge and you have recipe for a loooong job search.

Trying new cities now. Birmingham has a well-known jewellery sector at Hockley I believe?

I did get an offer of an unpaid full-time internship with a well-known place in London for 3-6 months. However, they didn't realise I had no capital or proximity to London to work that long for nothing for so long. I'd have loved to have done it if I could.

Unpaid, full-time internship... ...sounds like Bonham & Butterfields.

You gotta love 'em.