The Tradeshow in My Dreams

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It’s June, and my feet don’t hurt.

I’m not jetlagged or dehydrated, and I don’t have a lingering headache (or hangover).

There are no business cards to stack and sort and file, no follow-up emails to send, no orders to record.

My voice isn’t hoarse, my wallet isn’t empty (well, no emptier than usual), and I don’t even have any laundry to do.

For many years — almost my whole career — I considered tradeshows in general and Vegas in particular to be, in a word, unmissable. I have made some of the most valuable connections both personally and professionally at shows, and the idea of not getting that face time was nearly unthinkable. And of course, the finger-on-the-pulse information gathering I pursued added another critical factor.

And then, like so many things, 2020 happened and changed it up.

There was no Vegas show that year, and I did not attend in 2021.

2022 was a weird one, where I did go but had to squeeze Luxury, JCK, and Couture in half my usual time. It came at a professional crossroads for me as well, which added some extra spice. Industry sentiment was mixed at best, and there was an air of frenetic uncertainty that reminded me of shows from 2016.

This year… well, here I found myself fielding messages from friends and colleagues about dinners I won’t attend, charity miles I won’t run, and coincidental meetups that won’t happen. I admit it: FOMO was alive and well as I scrolled social media. I sincerely missed my people (friends old and new), the buzz, the energy. It felt pretty strange to simply not be there.

Instead, I’ve been reading every word both official and otherwise, listening to and observing not only the facts and figures but the tone, the sentiment, the things more felt than heard. I have the leisure to do that this year, from a vantage point I don’t often experience: an insider perched on the outside.

What’s the word? For one, optimism — cautious, in some sectors, but present nonetheless — is clearly present. The natural vs. synthetic diamond feud raged but took a back seat to discussions on sustainability, traceability, artisanal mining, the independent jeweler, and the up-and-coming designer. Diversity, inclusivity, global connections, strength in unified messaging, clarity for consumers… it seems these were all subjects given at least some attention. Hallelujah.

It’s possible I’m just hearing what I want to hear, and that the spin from the press is intentional rather than accurate. But sentiment from most sectors seems to genuinely reflect the core of what been reported, and that’s a refreshing take on what is often a more negative outlook.

So despite this year’s circumstances, I have once again elected to focus on what I can learn from tradeshows — even when I’m not there.

Dancing with Diamonds: a Decade in Review

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I don’t remember my first day. Not clearly, anyway. Some time in late winter or early spring of 2013 I walked in the door to day one of my future — not that I had any idea at the time. I was in a period of transition: living in a new town and state, a newlywed, my previous career plans blown to pieces by the change in location, adrift and in need of some terra firma.

It didn’t take me very long to realize I had metaphorically tripped and fallen over ass-backwards into an industry and career that would evolve into a passion, maybe even a true calling. The women around me in those early days — a career salesperson, a master bench goldsmith, a gemologist, and others — collectively formed a foundation so solid it’s carried me to the present, ten years hence.

From retail I sailed onward to technology and manufacturing, design, buying, analytics, planning, merchandising, and of course writing, writing, writing. I met more influential people along the way, building myself a set of ironclad moral standards, work ethic, and a broadened sense of purpose within an industry that so easily distracts from the lurking troubles and ugly truths with shining baubles and a frothy, PR-enhanced exterior.

It’s easy enough to fall in love with jewelry, but staying in love when the blinders are ripped off and you’re forced to confront the people and ideologies with whom you inherently disagree… that takes something deeper, more significant. I’ve had to dig deep within myself on more than one occasion, asking if I had the temerity to withstand the pressures and uncertainty a field like this can bring to bear.

Ultimately, it was once again the people who managed to bring my head around and keep me here. It is impossible to acknowledge and thank every mentor, executive, blogger, instructor, sales rep, designer, analyst, CEO, secretary, lapidary, benchie, and colleague (maybe in my memoirs someday, huh?) who has extended their influence and helped to shape my path. There are incredible people running outstanding organizations here, and their clear-sighted dedication never ceases to impress me as I work to follow their examples as best I can.

And don’t think for a moment there hasn’t been any fun — these folks know how to party. Year after year, the good times roll in Vegas or Tucson or Madrid or wherever else we gather for wining and dining (sometimes dancing, sometimes wandering the Strip at 2am only to run a 5K on it three hours later). We even manage to sneak in a few lengthy conversations about the state of the world, the weather, our homes and families, and whether or not the Red Sox will ever win another championship (obviously yes).

There’s plenty of virtual ink to spend on the tough times too, both as an industry and in our own lives. The cycle of good years, mediocre years, and oh-shit years is exhausting and occasionally baffling, but it’s our collective ability to pivot and roll with the punches that keeps the boats mostly afloat. I’ve learned to take the lessons from downturns and apply them when the sun shines again, which has proved to be a valuable skill in just about every job I’ve held. And I’m certainly glad I was able to lean on friends and coworkers during a personal rough 18-month patch (mom’s cancer, job loss, divorce), complete with commemorative jewelry and a not insignificant amount of bubbles (“in victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it” commonly misattributed to Napoleon).

Ten years in, and there’s still so much to do. My ambitions and goals have shifted over the years, but as I’ve been told countless times, a decade in this business is considered a young upstart at best. I’m here because of the potential: for women, for innovation, and for just me as a gem nerd who is constantly fascinated by the science, business, and beauty of this world. This stuff is a joy to write about, and at the moment, I’m very lucky to do that every single day.

And I’m here for the people, the countless opportunities to expand my education, the vast tangle of globally-interwoven entities, and yes, the beauty and wonder of taking a raw natural resource and following its complex journey to personal treasured memento. To all of the people I’ve encountered along the way thus far, I thank you and thank whatever fortune that crossed our paths.

Jewelry has a place in the human experience, and because of that, our humanity is our strength. Whether we’re celebrating a new love or an old one, perhaps a love that’s lost or love that’s ended, a love of a person, a place, a thing, maybe even a love of love (too much?), we’re eyeballs-deep in the emotional interplay of everyone who has ever reached for a sparkly thing and it made them feel something. Perhaps in the end, that’s really why I’m here.

Featured image: taken by me at the The University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum. It just seemed appropriate.

Viva Las Vegas, Again

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It’s been two years since I last made the annual pilgrimage to the shimmering lights of Paradise on the edge of the Mojave. Two long, world-altering, complicated, exhausting years of missing out on some of my favorite activities: listening to experts, meeting friends, checking out the latest designs and technology, and buying a drugstore’s worth of bandaids to soothe my blistered feet.

Well, maybe not that last one.

My personal energy levels might not be what the used to be in my early tradeshow days — vodka shots in the Vault and midnight walks along the strip just to watch the Bellagio fountains were fun, but getting a full night’s sleep is priority #1 now — but I can say unequivocally that the overall industry energy was at the highest I’ve seen in years. So, what was it like to be in the room where it happens?*

Buyers were buying, sales reps were smiling, and even the media and services booths were populated with folks standing or sitting together in small knots, heads leaning forward and body language indicating some business being discussed. I particularly noted that the tools and technology rows had heavy traffic, a signal that retailers and manufacturers finally had sufficient confidence and cash in hand to make big-ticket purchases for improving their production. That’s a very good sign.

Industry sentiment seemed to follow a central theme: things weren’t great, then suddenly they were, and we don’t expect it to last (but we hope it does). It’s been pretty well-established that the US stimulus payments, when combined with a moratorium on other luxury expenditures like travel, created a short boom atmosphere and bull conditions that might have landed the whole jewelry category in a much better position to stabilize in the future. We see a recession looming, sure, and that’s bad for all branches of the luxury tree — but it looks like many businesses are feeling better-prepared this time around, and weathering yet another economic storm won’t trigger the tornado of closures and market shrink that happened in the 2008 downturn.

Many designers and manufacturers have created simple, appealing lines in sterling and/or 14K, which will keep prices for the mid-tier and lower a bit more steady. Leaving our personal opinions at the door for a moment, it’s also possible that lab-grown diamonds (alongside lab-grown color) will find its place in fashion jewelry during this time, since the lower costs will also reduce the barrier for entry into fine and demi-fine jewelry. It’s possible the industry will manage to retain some of the market share it captured from travel and other accessories during two years of lockdowns, which will in turn provide a bigger share of repeat customers in the future. How’s that for long-term thinking!

And that’s more optimism than I’ve seen in awhile, with such positivity especially prominent over at the Couture Show. In those hallowed halls, high-end design and materials reign, presented by beautifully-turned-out people who know the best when they see it. These fine folks were confident that the higher end of the market would remain largely unscathed by economic uncertainty, and given the target clientele and the display of stunningly unique jewelry I spotted, I can’t bring myself to disagree.

My return to the scorching heat (110 daytime highs) was well-rewarded with new friendships, some exciting opportunities, and zero hangovers. I’d call that a success.

*The “Hamilton Remix” show for JCK Rocks was… an experience. Some extraordinarily talented people were tossed together with a few enormous egos, which made for some awkwardness alternating with ovation-inducing Broadway belting. The small but vocal contingent of Hamilton fans like myself certainly enjoyed those relevant numbers, and the rest, well, I’m happy to erase it from this narrative.

Deserted: The Tradeshow that Wasn’t (And My Vision for What it Could’ve Been)

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My suitcase is empty. Dresses hang in the closet, high heels and sandals remain neatly stacked in their boxes, and I can’t even find my bathing suits. Folders containing last year’s notes and floor plans and meeting schedules are curling at the corners. A thin layer of dust coats the badge flair pins from February’s Tucson trip.

The playground known as Sin City is dark, and it won’t be lighting up as it usually would for Jewelry Week 2020.

Part of me — a big part — is sad about the loss of the industry’s largest US tradeshow, normally a time for transacting business and socializing with old and new friends from around the world. For many it’s the only time we’re all together in the same place, this annual gathering of sparkling gems, bright lights, long days, and late nights.

Anyone who knows me has probably heard me wax passionate about how much I love tradeshows, because despite the aching feet and exhaustion, I always leave feeling invigorated by the conversations I have with people about topics that are relevant and important to so many of us.

But now I’m left to wonder: what would this year have looked like? What would’ve been the vibe, the gossip, the things learned and relationships forged?

Would the analysts and tastemakers have called it the “New Roaring Twenties” and commented on the welcome comeback of Art Deco style? Would synthetic diamonds still dominate the trade conversations, or would the rise of consumer demand for ethical mining and disclosure reign supreme?

Or perhaps we’d focus on the benefits of so-called “alternative” bridal trends, celebrating colored gems and women proposing and the nonsense of the term “mangagement ring.” We’d be thrilled to make better margins on unique jewelry and we’d endlessly debate the benefits of pushing custom design vs. the rise of cheaply-made “crafty” jewelry popularized by certain online pinboard websites.

Oh! And the panels and speakers and thought leaders would be a diverse and surprisingly balanced mix of genders, ages, nationalities, experience levels, and industry sectors. We’d learn from each other without judgement, teaching and talking and pushing the boundaries of how we operate as a luxury industry in a rapidly-evolving world.

We wouldn’t limit ourselves to telling Boomers how to market to Millennials or Gen X how to capture Gen Z. We wouldn’t say there’s no room at the table for virtual showrooms or 3D printing or photo-realistic rendering or holograms or scanning or Instagram Live or optimizing website for mobile or (deep breath) TikTok.

We would absolutely not insist that watches are doomed, natural gems and diamonds are doomed, retail is doomed. Instead, there would be productive conversation about how these sectors need to adapt in order to thrive, and just maybe we’d throw out some innovative solutions that would help businesses pivot and grow.

My vision for Jewelry Week 2020 is inclusive, holistic, and uplifting. It would be an inspiration, a banner year for positive thinking and optimism, growth and expansion.

When you imagine what this year’s show (or hell, the whole year) could’ve been, what do you see?

 

Not Another Vegas Recap

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We all do it: prep for tradeshow, go to tradeshow, recover from tradeshow, write about tradeshow.

Writers from all corners of the industry work hard to capture their experiences and share them with their various audiences. Blogs appear with everything from beautiful galleries of well-curated photos and thoughtful commentary to top-whatever lists of trends spotted, designers discovered, and cocktails consumed.

Along with the rest of the industry, I devour them all. The insights are universally valuable, each targeting its own niche and informing us of different perspectives and often a huge variety of experiences. No single person can be everywhere during Vegas Jewelry Week, so we rely on this somewhat informal network to piece together a bird’s-eye view of what happened in the ballrooms or back alleys we couldn’t see.

So what’s my contribution this year? No fancy photos. No lists (please, no more lists). No breaking news, earth-shattering insights, or delightful narratives.

My day job allows me the privilege of “walking the show(s)” in order to conduct business, so my version of flitting from booth to booth resembles nothing short of multiple, back-to-back marathons at record-setting pace in stilettos on deep-pile carpet. That’s not a metaphor, people. It’s what I do.

This means that I do a lot of talking, walking, loupe-ing, more talking, more running, standing, talking, fast walking, tweezer-ing, handshaking, slow walking, chatting, limping, croaking, squinting, band-aiding, and occasionally slamming back a hastily-poured scalding hot coffee so I can do it all again.

Glamorous and blog-feature-worthy, it ain’t. But it’s the daily ritual of reality for the legions of show attendees who possess exhibitor and buyer badges, as opposed to those coveted press passes that seem to shrink in availability every year.

My point is this: while I do get to transact business and occasionally spend a minute or two smiling with longtime friends and colleagues at their respective booths, my time is not my own. My observations involve the tenor and temperature of the working industry, the nitty-gritty buying and selling that takes place not just in the lush confines of high-ceilinged ballrooms upstairs but in the depths of the “basement” levels where booths aren’t beautiful (and sometimes the product isn’t, either) and nobody is offering you a glass of Chardonnay at 4pm.

This year, the outlook was universally that of grim resignation combined with a dash of pragmatic optimism. We as an industry have been through this before — some would argue that the doldrums have been ongoing since the recession more than a decade ago — and we will collectively be there on the other side. The feeling is that of a long, drawn-out conflict: we will lose comrades and battles, but ultimately will win the war and be stronger for it. The world of luxury isn’t go away, but the tidal wave of change is sweeping through and leaving quite the wreckage behind.

Just tell the guys in the impossible-to-locate loose gemstone mini-ballrooms not to lose hope. If I could find you (by accident, while looking for the restroom, but still), then surely someone else will, too.

Thanks for the memories yet again, Paradise. See you next year.

Count Your Diamonds

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When you are tired

And you can’t sleep

Just count your diamonds

Instead of sheep

And you’ll fall asleep

Counting your —

NO! Not this again! Well, there’s your earworm for the day, classic movie buffs.

I don’t think I’ve ever counted to ten so many times in one day. Or one month. Other than kindergarten teachers and personal trainers, who does that?!

Oh that’s right, I do.

When I’m not processing product, running reports, analyzing said reports, or sending emails, you’ll often find me thus: nose half an inch from the desk, tweezers in one hand and loupe in the other, sorting/counting/matching various gemstones. My old Russian ballet instructors would die of heart failure if they saw the posture I have to assume in order to complete these tasks. Ah, sacrifice.

Every time a friend or relative dares to ask me to explain (again) why fine jewelry costs what it does, I attempt to give them a rational and even-handed responses about the number of individual people, countries, and hours worked that even a seemingly simple piece requires. Invariably I highlight the hours of practice and study required to master each task related to every jewelry component, the miles every piece must traverse to reach its final home, and the often-dismissed need for all of these people to actually make a suitable profit from their respective businesses.

If you’ve been on the receiving end of this explanation, I’m not sorry for the inevitable deviation into the specifics of trade agreements, FTC rulings, benefits of small vs. large-scale mining operations, ethical sourcing, disclosure, and the pitfalls of not matching table sizes for a diamond eternity band if you want it to look right.

At least those people never ask me again, right?

In truth, I’m well aware that my passion for what I do tends to overflow at the most inopportune times, I’m unapologetically dedicated to what I do because I’m totally incapable of turning away the tiniest bit of knowledge or insight regarding my industry as a whole (and, globally, the entire luxury market). That childhood history of knowitallism** mostly means I really, really like to read.

Outside of my day job, the work I do for my business clients serves as both creative outlet and growth opportunity. When I write, be it ad copy, product descriptions, or ghostwritten blog, it’s a chance to express myself through my favorite medium and connect with other business in the industry. Working with my unique clients gives me access to all corners of the luxury world — and frankly, to call it work is inaccurate. It’s my calling (there, I said it).

So forgive me my soapbox diatribes on the state of Millennial shoppers in China or lab-created marketing fallacies or the 1,238th 1mm diamond that I just dug out of my computer keyboard with my tweezers. As my trainer likes to quote from dear old Zyzz, “Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.”

 

**Should I copyright that?

The Serpent of Serendipity

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I have always wanted a snake ring. <—Not a weird statement from a jewelry person.

The industry is full of them: classic Bvlgari, modern Temple St. Clair, biker-chic silver, antique 10k embossed motifs.

Over the years I’ve seen my fair share and coveted a few, but none of them have ever been quite right for me.

Why a snake, you ask? Throughout history, the serpent has been a symbol of transformation. It is often used to represent passion and rebirth, a story of life and death wrapped in a mythical creature who stands as a guardian of the sacred and oracle of cunning, wisdom, and healing. Found in history from alchemy to modern medicine and recorded in almost every culture ever to exist, this deadly and delightful animal winds its way into the subconscious the way a living version curls around a branch.

While I’ve never been interested in snakes as pets or guests in my sleeping bag, they have an undeniable power to fascinate (or enthrall – I’m not-looking at you, Kaa of the Jungle Book). It’s easy to see why they’ve been a successful adornment motif since the days of Cleopatra or long before.

So last month, as I acknowledged the first official anniversary of the closure to my very difficult year, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to stumble upon a new little friend.

Found in the course of my day-to-day work activities, this piece smiled up at me and asked to be saved from the rather final fate of the fires (um, literally). It needed some TLC. It called to me, and at just exactly the perfect time to commemorate my own rebirth of sorts, it was ready.

_____

It’s easy to get lost in the daily drudgery of work and life. While I spend my days surrounded by things that many people covet, I sometimes forget that a piece of jewelry represents (at its best) less of a “thing” and more of a moment, a feeling, a milestone.

The joy that this acquisition has brought me far outstrips its monetary value, and perhaps that’s the final lesson it needed to impart: after all the numbers and analytics, remember to treasure the memories.

I’ve laughingly called it my “divorce ring,” but perhaps the better moniker is the Transformation Ring. The symbolism – and of course the ring – just fits.

Stripped: A Vegas Story

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I’m a month late to the blogparty, but it’s high time I add my notes to the collection of tales from Jewelry Week 2018.

While this tradeshow extravaganza always moves at a fast clip, this year felt especially rapid thanks to working the show with a new company in a role that magically combines some of my previous jobs into one. I’ve been a buyer and an exhibitor, but this time I got to be BOTH! At the same time! The whole time, all day! IN HEELS!

While the show itself was an overall business success for some, many attendees felt a distinct air of uncertainty: attendance was down, selling and buying were up but not enough, and what the hell is going to happen next year when the whole thing picks up stakes and high-tails it back to the Sands?!

In addition to the 15-hour work days trekking the carpeted miles in my stilettos, I was also privileged to attend some wonderful events. The Jewelers for Children Rings of Strength 5K was a sweaty success as usual, the evening bowling/dance party we’ve come to hate enjoy wasn’t half bad, and sandwiched in between were some lovely off-strip dinners with handsome accompaniment.

My favorite industry event by far was an evening sitting among some of the best, brightest, and most influential women I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. From store owners and designers to lawyers and writers, the mix was better than my margarita. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet these women (and if only we’d had more time!) in the beautiful setting of the Four Seasons patio, and my only wish is to learn from their collective vast experience and array of talents (okay, and to get published alongside them in living print!).

This was a strange and beautiful desert trip, complete with Hassidic families walking on one side of the pool while groups of BDSM-styled adults capered toward their 3AM sex party,** a delightful secret find just outside Old Vegas complete with fire-breathing sculpture and frose, and some interesting games of LRC played on an improvised patio with borrowed dollar bills. I’ll leave that last one up to your imagination.

 

**Yes, our hotel hosted a 2-night sex party for the local chapter of an adult organization, complete with high-decibal DJ ’til 3AM and what appeared to be inflated plastic igloos that glowed. I’m still a little sad we never made it inside.

Missing Pieces

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A colleague of mine recently posed this question to a large and varied industry group: what’s missing from today’s jewelry market?

Deceptively simple, his query struck me rather forcibly because I had just begun to write a blog post (the one you’re reading now) as a brief study in what I felt has been underrepresented or even entirely absent from mainstream jewelry.

My response was internet-appropriately brief, but in this space I thought a little more elaboration was due. We tend to think of jewelry in terms of categories, so what follows is a sort of commentary breakdown, combining some unofficial bird’s-eye-view concepts that borrow heavily from my daily work with a dash or three of personal, yes-I’m-a-Millennial-get-over-it opinions. Ahem.

Engagement/wedding: I know you love it, but the halo in all its possible iterations has been done — and done very well — to death. The style I never see is a band, thin or wide, with beautiful engraving that goes far, far beyond the vintage flowers-ropes-vines trifecta. Little or no gemstones are needed, but instead, well-executed metalwork with designs that speak to clean, bold, or even whimsical patterns are nowhere to be found.

Fashion: give me sleek, modern designs that emphasize amazing color and perhaps clean geometric patterns. Give me dark and light, negative space, comfortable, and hefty. Show off the amazingly diverse rainbow of colored gems we have available, with non-standard cuts set deep into pieces that highlight texture and celebrate something, anything, that reflects personality.

Symbolic: more like a subcategory, but the idea of talismanic jewelry has always been both appealing and relatively scarce. Sure, the average consumer often takes any special gift and turns it into a symbol (that being the point, more often than not, of giving jewelry in the first place), but I don’t often see designers inventing completely new symbols for people to use in honor or celebration of something specific. And so help me if I see one more poorly-rendered Ribbon of Whatever dangling off a charm bracelet…

Looks Custom But Isn’t: okay, I made up this category, but go with it. If more designers did what only a select few have ever done — which is to say, blasted into the stratosphere high above the comfort zone — we’d have so much more clever things to wear. You all know I’m the biggest advocate for full custom jewelry, but often it’s best to let the creative geniuses around us take the lead and make a concept come to life. Sometimes a designer has created something that is so utterly perfect, so fitting for a person, that it looks and feels like it was custom made even when it wasn’t. That’s quite an achievement.

Now, naming names isn’t normally my thing, as I don’t accept payment in any form for this blog and I strongly prefer to stay as neutral as possible. But I’ll make an exception here by listing a few designers whose work I truly admire as being some combination of unique, progressive, and striving to rise above the commonplace. In no particular order, I’ve been very interested in the following**:

— Collette, for beautiful and edgy
— Retrouvai, for bold and graphic
— Temple St. Clair, for whimsical and extravagant
— Marla Aaron, for cool and inventive
— Wendy Brandes, for modern and irreverent

These folks are doing things outside the proverbial box more often than not, and you don’t have to fall in love with every single piece to appreciate the brilliance behind much of their respective works. These designers also have individual pieces or entire lines that are wholly, uniquely their own, which means a knock-off is very easy to spot. Imitation may be a form of flattery, but it’s also horrible and illegal and I’m really sick of the design theft that often occurs when big box stores want a designer’s look without actually paying them for it. (End rant).

For the record, that’s an incredibly incomplete list. Don’t message me with any form of “but HOW could you not mention my favorite designer, XYZ?!” or even “ABC doesn’t deserve to be named!!” All designers are striving and struggling and working and shedding blood/sweat/tears/diamonds in what they do. I have many, many designer friends whose work I find incredibly appealing, but I’m not in this game for the promotional benefits. This is just an informed opinion, folks.

For consumers and industry vets alike, I would really love to know: what do you think is missing from the market? What do you want to see, or wear, or buy, or design? Please chime in here, in this openly democratic forum.

**I won’t even put a link. Check them out, or don’t.

Tough, Hard, & Stable

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If you’ve ever discussed gemstone jewelry with a reputable and knowledgeable jeweler, you might have experienced a series of questions along these lines:

“How often do you plan to wear the ring?”

“What do you do for work, and what are your hobbies?”

“Do you typically take your jewelry off when you sleep, shower, or travel?”

He or she isn’t being impertinent or nosy, but rather attempting to find out what type of gem might be best suited for your lifestyle. Some gems can withstand a decent amount of daily wear and tear without any ill effects, while others are more delicate (some are extremely delicate) and require some special considerations.

A gemstone’s hardness, toughness, and stability are the three most important factors in determining its durability. Useful information for jewelry lovers, of course, but lately these three characteristics also seem to be relevant to conversations about human strength and resilience.

What follows contains a little cheese, so pour yourself some wine and indulge me, okay?

Hardness in a gem is measured by the non-linear Mohs scale, and indicates its resistance to scratches and abrasions. As humans I’d say our physical bodies can withstand a surprising amount of painful bruises and scrapes — pain and medication notwithstanding — but it takes much more practice to reach a state of mental grit. Unlike gems, of course, we can build up this tolerance over time through experience and repetition. Diamonds are the leader in the gemological pack, and resilience is a great indicator of leadership in people.

A gem’s toughness, or resistance to breaking and chipping, is due to the strength of the atomic bonds of the molecules that make up the gem’s essential crystal structure. If that isn’t the perfect metaphor for our human heart, I don’t know what is: truly it’s the strength of our bonds to one another, be they romantic or friendly or even basic human-to-fellow-human, that make us tough. The ability to withstand heartbreak, suffer through previously-broken bonds, and forge even stronger connections is something only people can do, and gems like super-tough jadeite will just have to go along as they always have.

The stability factor is most often an issue when a gem must withstand sudden or intense changes, or is exposed to extreme conditions. In the gemological world this means withstanding temperature or humidity shifts, certain chemicals, and exposure to various light wavelengths. For humans, this is perhaps the most subtle aspect, displayed only during periods of stress; people are more adaptable than gems, but some people are more flexible than others. Fortunately for us, change doesn’t have to leave us permanently damaged like a crazed opal or thermally-shocked tanzanite.

Like many gems, we can receive treatments that help us improve on some of these characteristics. Emeralds can be oiled, diamonds fracture-filled, sapphires re-polished, garnets re-cut. So too can people be healed both physically and mentally, restoring strained bonds, giving and receiving apologies, cutting negativity out and allowing a little more light inside. (Yes, that last one applies to gemstones too.)

No two gems are ever exactly alike, a single piece of rough can be cut many ways, and every color has its place in the spectrum. We can learn perseverance, fortitude, and resilience — or hardness, toughness, and stability — from the world around us. And really, what better way to do so than through the beauty and rich diversity of the gemstone world?