Of course — and thank you for the chance to talk about something I am genuinely passionate about. I grew up in this industry. My family owned and operated an amethyst mine in Northwestern Ontario for over 35 years, which meant I was part of every stage — taking the stone from the ground, faceting it, designing jewelry, working in wholesale, gem shows, and retail. By the time I went to university, jewelry was already in my blood.

I earned my Master's in Historical Archaeology from Sheffield University in England, focusing on Anglo-Scandinavian decorative metalwork — which is essentially jewelry and adornment from that period. I went on to become a Graduate Gemologist at the GIA, worked alongside an appraiser to learn the appraisal trade, and then catalogued estate jewelry for Heritage Auctions.

After leaving the auction world, I started writing articles and product reviews for the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. That's when I knew I wanted to shift into education. I've always believed an informed consumer base is what keeps this industry honest and thriving. The Practical Gemologist is my way of opening that conversation up to a much broader audience — to demystify what gemologists actually do, and to introduce people to things in the gem and jewelry world they might never have encountered otherwise.

I love that color is coming back into fashion. Designers are being more playful with shape and proportion again — there is a sense of fun and whimsy returning to fine jewelry that has been missing for a while. Chopard and Bvlgari are both doing this beautifully right now.

What I am probably most excited about, though, is that men wearing lapel pins, brooches, and stick pins has finally taken hold in the United States. Just as with women, it gives men a way to bring individuality into what can otherwise feel like an undifferentiated wardrobe. The bonus is that it has brought renewed attention to vintage jewelry — and that has changed the conversation. More people are realizing how much variety, and how much value, the vintage market actually offers.

On that note, I am a strong believer in buying pieces meant to last a lifetime. There's a real movement away from disposable consumerism, and it's encouraging to see that mindset finally arriving in jewelry. When you buy classic, well-made pieces — whether new or vintage — they will be worn for decades and, ideally, passed down.

One of the most common questions I hear is, "Which of the four C's — cut, color, clarity, carat — can I sacrifice?" Most people don't realize they all have to work in harmony. The honest answer is: trust your eyes.

When you walk into a jewelry store, understand that the lighting is engineered to enhance reflections off the surfaces of every diamond in the case. So look at the stone under different conditions if you can. Daylight is best. You can also cup your hand around the stone to block some of the showroom light and bring conditions closer to normal. That helps you see whether the diamond is actually returning a beautiful flash, or just bouncing display lighting back at you.

What you want is a balance of dark and light in the stone — that's what we call brilliance. It should not look predominantly dark, and it should not give off a messy, washed-out white. Either of those points to a poor cut or weak clarity. You also want fire — the flashes of color the stone throws off. The brighter and more varied those colors are, the better. And finally, scintillation — the sparkle you see when the stone moves. Diamonds are known for this. If a stone looks dull or lifeless when it moves, walk away.

Cut affects all of these, but so does clarity. Think of clarity in four categories, best to worst: minute, minor, noticeable, and obvious. VVS stones are minute — without training, you will not see those inclusions even with a loupe. VS stones are minor — likely invisible to the naked eye, and difficult to find even with a loupe. SI stones have noticeable inclusions; you may see them with a naked eye, but they should never be visible under the table (the top facet of the stone) and they should not be peppered all over. I-clarity stones are obvious — you will see inclusions with the naked eye, and those inclusions can dull the sparkle.

A loud word of warning about I-clarity stones: they look acceptable in showroom lighting, but the moment you take them home and the surface gets a little skin-oil from being worn, they go flat and dark.

The takeaway: don't buy below SI1 clarity. I-grade stones have been getting lower in quality, and the only way the U.S. market improves is if buyers demand better. Buy the best quality you can within your budget — sometimes a few small, excellent stones will look more impressive than one larger, lesser stone. And never be afraid to ask the seller hard questions. Expect transparent answers.

Color is the big story across every segment of the market right now. Leading the way is the ruby — its momentum has been climbing steadily and shows no sign of slowing.

Pearls have been something of a dark horse for the last few years, and I think they are just starting to find a younger audience again. That trend will be interesting to watch. Demand for opals continues to grow as well, and with the discovery of Ethiopian opal, the market dynamics there are about to get more interesting.

Social media has done an enormous amount to surface "underdog" gemstones that simply weren't getting attention through traditional retail. Once people can actually see varieties beyond what's in their local jewelry store window, their tastes broaden. Pink diamonds are a good example — once they came into vogue, morganite and kunzite gained traction as accessible alternatives, and then became collectible in their own right. The pink craze is not going anywhere. Iolite, amethyst, tourmaline, topaz, moonstone — relatively inexpensive stones are becoming the favorites of contemporary designers, and consumers are responding to that diversity.

There is definitely jewelry being made today that draws on the primitive techniques of that period. Humans have been making jewelry for tens of thousands of years, and we have been working with gold since around 6000 BCE. The techniques themselves have changed remarkably little. What has changed is the refinement of the tools — which is what allows for uniform, mass-produced work.

Some artists and houses are deliberately working against that uniformity. Branded jewelry artists like Gurhan and Yossi Harari work in very high-karat gold and use techniques like hand-hammering to make pieces that visually echo what we find in ancient archaeological hoards — but with a clear modern voice. A lot of newer designers are also playing with rustic, primitive forms that show the maker's hand in every surface.

To me, those pieces are special in a way mass-produced jewelry cannot match. Every stroke of the file, every strike of the hammer, is a record of the time and care that went into the object. It's something you feel when you wear it.

You can follow and contact me through my website, ThePracticalGemologist.com, or through @ThePracticalGem on Twitter and @practicalgemologist on Instagram.