My Jewelry journey started in 2009. The economy had tanked and I had been laid off from my job in operations. I was 24 and still figuring myself out. My family had been in the garment district for two generations and always thought that a career in fashion was what I wanted, despite the fact that my family had always tried to talk me out of it. So in August of 2009, I began cold calling fashion companys in the hopes that someone would give me a shot to prove myself, even if it was unpaid. I was offered an unpaid internship and a floater position ion Lord and Taylor. I ultimately took the floater position, which would lead me to my career in jewelry. For many years Lord and Taylor had a jewelry concession with a company called Finley. Around this time Finley was bought by Bailey, Banks and Biddle and would no longer run the jewelry concession in Lord and Taylor.
Lord and Taylor decided to open their own Fine Jewelry department. I had been doing so well as a floater, that I was offered a jewelry sales position and thus began my jewelry love affair. I made it my business to learn everything I could about jewelry and knew that I wanted to study at the Gemological Institute of America. I dreamed of being an appraiser for a major auction house or a buyer in a large department store. After finishing at GIA and working for a variety of jewelry brands, I decided to take some time out of the workforce after the birth of my first child.
It was around this time that I really began to see how important social media could be for jewelry brands. I started working with a local business to help them manage their social media presence when a job as an appraiser came along. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Shortly before I gave birth to my second child in 2014, I decided once again that I wanted to spend time with my children and would be taking some time off from working in the work force. It was really important to me, to make sure to stay relevant within my field and this The Gem Therapist was born. It allowed me to indulge my passions for jewelry, writing, and social media. After almost two years at home, the opportunity arose for me to work for a Local third generation family jeweler as both an appraiser and their marketing manager. I learned a lot about running a jewelry business, and I learnt a lot of new digital skills, while also getting some management experience under my belt. During this time my blog took a hiatus. After two wonderful years I was ready to take a leap of faith and try my hand at being my own boss. Even before I knew that Jewelry was a passion, I dreamed of having a business that involved me in some iteration of personal shopping/private concierge. I knew that I loved the custom process and working one on one with clients.
Making people happy, made me happy, and so I reinvented The Gem Therapist to be not just a blog with my thoughts, musings, and tips on how to care for jewelry, but a full scale jewelry concierge business. I’ve had the pleasure of having some wonderful clients and I hope to continue having many more. Thanks for stopping by and taking a browse around my site. I hope we can work together soon.
XOXO,
Arielle