RONA BIERRUM BA(Hons) BA(Hons) FGA DGA EG

HEAD HONCHO

My first brush with the world of jewellery was at the age of 7 – for a school project based on gemstones. While always being a bit of a magpie, I moved into the world of art, doing a degree in Fine Art before working in galleries and teaching in colleges while studying for another degree in Art History. After a few years of this, research in the visual arts became my passion, and I enrolled on a PhD programme in Brighton.

Around this time I was offered a job as an office assistant to a Bond Street jeweler, and progressed to running the office within three months. The PhD was put on hold indefinitely. Looking back now, I am staggered at how little I knew about sparkles. However, I did know my way around an office and was determined to hone my jewellery studying skills. I mean, I had been sharpening my visual understanding and recognition of styles for years within the fine arts… surely this was just sculpture in miniature with precious materials, no?

Not quite. Whilst I was privileged enough to spend my days handling some of the finest jewels created by some of the most talented makers in the world. I would spend my evenings furiously researching even more about the subjects I’d handled that day – trying to understand every aspect of the jewel... You could say I became obsessed.

After spending four years with this array of exquisite pieces, I had the opportunity to set up on my own, so I seized it with both hands. My first stop was gemmology school. At the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, I studied their Gemmology and Diamond Diplomas simultaneously, while travelling the UK to buy and sell jewels, renovating my London flat, and spending any time left over in the library reading through past auction catalogues and bibliographies of makers. It was a fairly full-on year.

Incredibly, I passed everything. I even won an award and a medal for my efforts. The icing on the cake came when my tutors invited me to teach the courses I had just passed. I’ve been doing so ever since, and I’ve found that my understanding of the subject has grown with every course that has run. Education has always been extremely important to me, and I love to share the knowledge that I have worked to accumulate over the years.

Since then I have been working primarily within the trade, travelling the world searching out and researching into fine jewels and their histories, before selling them to high-end retailers. I found that this kind of work didn’t bring with it the joy of selling directly to the public, of sharing their delight at finding that one special piece.

And that’s why… ShinyPrettyThings.

Take me back up!

MILES HOARE MA

WEB MONKEY

Miles is ShinyPrettyThings resident Web Monkey and Master of All Things Digital. As well as developing the beautiful site we see around us he keeps an eye on our design, social media and PR. He has worked in the jewellery industry for a number of years, and is now working with ShinyPrettyThings as part of his new venture Grapevine Media.

Take me back up!

JULIA GRIFFITH FGA DGA EG

DIAMOND GIRL

Julia Griffith is a Gemmology and Diamond Tutor at Gem-A - one of the most highly regarded gemmological schools in the world. She began her gemmological education at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham and has a background in auction houses and retail. Her interests include everything gemmy with a particular interest in diamonds and gemstones with intense colour.

As our Diamond Girl, Julia discusses all things diamond related on the ShinyPrettyThings blog.

Take me back up!