; . . s- r , F n ro ra :-, By |eanne du Plessis While dogs aresaidto be a man'sbest friend,the finest companion for girls is saidto be diamonds, and Clare Appleyard, technical diamondspecialist, admits that she's alwaysbeen intrigued by these sparkling stones. lare began her career as a geologist at De Beers' diamond research division and worked in plafinum mineralogy at Anglo American Research,before she decided to escapethe corporate world, and start her own diamond and ' .= jewellerycompany. she relates, "Diamondshavealwaysheld a special appear for me and, during my time asa geologist, I found the polisheddiamondmarketfar more intriguing than the geology diamondaspect." Today, Clare is the co-founder of Katannuta, a company speciarising in diamonds, gemstonesand jewellery manufactured to specific client requirem.r,t"r. A, a company owner and entrepreneur, Clare is responsible for many aspects of the business. Se.suys, "I've doneeverything, from building u *.Urit", and liaisingwith diamond u.pplierland manufacturing jewellers, to discussing jen'ellen'deslps with prospective clients. I spenda lot of time communicating rrith clients aboutavailable diamonds, *. 1=' t\ t\ t\ 1t .:: : I t 1 I I l tt costing, jen'ellen'manufacturing arrd design. pror-iding a great service to my clients is critical. ^{s most of our business comes lrom rr ord of mouth, I have to ensure that clients are satisfied rtith all the steps of the je* ellen- purchase process.// l\hen asked about an average dar-in the life of a diamond specialist, Clare laughs, "Does an errtrepreneur have an ar day?A typical day could include -- -+------* "Follow "'.i: .ir, rnhat you're ii' wrtul yuu r( passionati about, not t1 uthat others thinkis 1 '? Uesr I0r you. uae y}ur dream and always be opent0 nexo -- : ff
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;
. .
s -
r , F n r o r a : - ,
By |eanne du Plessis
While dogs are said to be a man's best friend, the finestcompanion for girls is said to be diamonds, and ClareAppleyard, technical diamond specialist, admits that she'salways been intrigued by these sparkling stones.
lare began her career as a geologist at De Beers' diamond research division andworked in plafinum mineralogy at Anglo American Research, before shedecided to escape the corporate world, and start her own diamond and' .= jewellerycompany.
she relates, "Diamonds have always held a special appear for me and, during my timeas a geologist, I found the polished diamond market far more intriguing than the geologydiamond aspect."
Today, Clare is the co-founder of Katannuta, a company speciarising in diamonds,gemstonesand jewellery manufactured to specific client requirem.r,t"r. A, a companyowner and entrepreneur, Clare is responsible for many aspects of the business.Se.suys, "I've done everything, from building u *.Urit", and liaising with diamondu.pplierl and manufacturing jewellers, to discussing jen'ellen'deslps with prospectiveclients. I spend a lot of time communicating rrith clients about available diamonds,
*.1='t \
t \
t \
1 t.:: :It1II
lt t
costing, jen'ellen'manufacturing arrd design. pror-iding a great service to my clientsis critical. ^{s most of our business comes lrom rr ord of mouth, I have to ensure thatclients are satisfied rtith all the steps of the je* ellen- purchase process.//
l\hen asked about an average dar-in the life of a diamond specialist, Clare laughs,"Does an errtrepreneur have an ar day? A typical day could include
-- -+------*
"Follow "'.i:.ir,
rnhat you're ii'
w r t u l y u u r (
passionati about, not t1
uthat others think is1 ' ?Uesr I0r you. uae y}urdream and always be
open t0 nexo- - : f f
ReOd obout itDiamond Ring Buying Guide: How to Evaluate,Identify and Select Diamonds and DiamondJewelryAuthor: Renee Ner.pman
responding to online jeu"ellen-enquuies; liaisrng u'ithjewellery manuJacturers; Iiarsing rr ith diamon.l dealersregarding available diamonds and pnce=, pror iLiin:quotes for clients and doing follotv-up; compilinqinvoices; working on my website; submitting articles toonline article websites; writing educahonal artrcles;taking photographs of jewelleryi writing an e-mailnewsletter; and meeting with clients to measure ringsizes, discuss designs and deliver rings."
A big advantage of Clare's job is the flexibility, but thisalso requires some self-discipline. She says, "Owningyour own company allows you to be fairly flexible, butoften no work equals no pay! The advantage is that ifyou have an Internet connection and a telephone, youreally can work from anywhere!" Another perk is whenclients are satisfied: "Sometimes clients open a ring box,see their piece of jewellery for the first time, and itcompletely exceeds their expectations and leaves themspeechless. I thoroughly enjoy my work with diamondsand enjoy making clients happy. Un{ortunately, there arealso clients who are only focused on getting the cheapestprice they car; by playing you off against other suppliersand manufacturers."
\A4rile the cuffent economic crisis has affected thediamond induslry, Clare remains positive about thefuture: "Although the diamond industry is severelyaffected by financial constraints, such phenomenalmarketing has taken place over the past 50-60 \'ears, thatif s impossible to imagine engagements l ithout diamondrings, so I believe the diamond market is here to star-.
'
To become a diamond specialist, Clare recommen,ls agemmological qualification, coupled n-ith some praciica,experience in the realm of diamond classitication. Clareherself has a degree in Geology, which provided her u-iththe necessary technical knowledge for her field.
Essential personal characteristics are good conunun-ication and people skills, and, as an entrepreneur, youneed to be relatively outgoing and confident, as well asself-disciplined and hardworking.
Clare concludes with the following advice for the youthof today: "You don't have to pay attention to the mantraof 'study hard, get a good education and get a good job',if it doesn t work for you. A good education provides youwith more opportunities, but a job is not the be-all andend-all - you can start your own venture. Follow whatyou're passionate abou! not what others think is best foryou. Live your dream and always be open to newexperiences." I
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