We decided our next step would be to get some accreditation. We enrolled in the GIA Graduate Gemologist program in 2019. Weighing our options, we decided that the Bangkok location would offer the most adventure at the best price, so we packed up our belongings and headed out to Thailand for 3 months. We were lucky enough to stay with a fellow gemstone enthusiast, a gem cutting teacher in Bangkok, and his lovely wife who had been one of the last to be apprenticed by Swiss gemcutters. Both were very gracious and accommodating hosts who introduced us to a ton of amazing people both inside and outside the gem trade. It was a great experience overall with some of the highlights being a rough gemstone buying trip to Chanthaburi and a few nights on the beach at Koh Phi Phi. Although we are still one course short of receiving our GG diplomas, we expect to be fully accredited by spring 2022.

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Back in Montreal, things were great until Covid hit in 2020, which created scary and uncertain times for everyone. We continued cutting from our tiny apartment – and it turns out that being relentlessly locked inside is great for production! This is when we decided we would attempt to scale up our business, and there’s no better place than back in Manitoba where we have the support of family and long time friends.

It’s been a difficult and exciting journey so far, and I feel like we’re just getting started! We have a ton of new ideas we can’t wait to get working on and are currently in the process of scaling up our precision gemstone output while building a talented team. Our goal is to share our love of gemstones with as many people as we can, and hopefully have many more adventures along the way!