I’ve been obsessed with pretty things for as long as I can remember. As a rock-collecting, tiara-wearing kid, I even asked to be called Crystal Light — because, in my 6-year-old mind, that was “the most beautiful name” imaginable. (My parents didn’t have the heart to tell me it was a powdered beverage.)
Like many other angsty teens, jewelry became my favorite form of self-expression. From skulls in my emo days to layered pearls in my Gossip Girl phase. Jewelry showed the world my personality in ways my school uniform and myspace song fell short (RIP MySpace).
Naturally, I majored in Geology because geology rocks (sorry, I had to). But it wasn’t until a fateful geology conference that I discovered the Gemological Institute of America. It was then I realized becoming a gemologist was my birthright. No matter how much it sounded like a too-good-to-be-true fake job. It merged my love of all things beautiful with science and not to mention my expensive taste (win-win-win). It was a match made in heaven and I’ve never looked back.
