Clare Appleyard is a technical diamond specialist and co-founder of Katannuta, a company specializing in diamonds, gemstones, and custom jewelry. She became interested in diamonds during her career as a geologist researching them. Now she enjoys helping clients find the perfect diamonds for their jewelry and ensuring they are satisfied. A typical day for Clare involves communicating with clients, suppliers, and manufacturers about diamonds, designs, costs, and orders. While owning her own business provides flexibility, it also means she must stay self-disciplined to get work done. Clare finds the most rewarding part is seeing clients thrilled with their custom pieces.

1. ;
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F n r o r a : - ,
By|eannedu Plessis
Whiledogsaresaidto beaman'sbestfriend,thefinest
companionfor girlsis saidto bediamonds,andClare
Appleyard,technicaldiamondspecialist,admitsthatshe's
alwaysbeenintriguedby thesesparklingstones.
lare began her careeras a geologist at De Beers' diamond research division and
worked in plafinum mineralogy at Anglo American Research,before she
decided to escapethe corporate world, and start her own diamond and' .=jewellerycompany.
sherelates,"Diamondshavealwaysheld aspecialappearfor me and,during my time
asa geologist,I found thepolisheddiamondmarketfar moreintriguing thanthegeology
diamondaspect."
Today, Clare is the co-founder of Katannuta, a company speciarising in diamonds,
gemstonesand jewellery manufactured to specific client requirem.r,t"r. A, a company
ownerandentrepreneur,Clareis responsiblefor manyaspectsof thebusiness.
Se.suys,
"I've doneeverything,from building u*.Urit", andliaisingwith diamond
u.pplierlandmanufacturingjewellers,to discussingjen'ellen'deslps with prospective
clients.I spendalot of timecommunicatingrrith clientsaboutavailablediamonds,
*.
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costing, jen'ellen'manufacturing arrd design. pror-iding a great service to my clients
is critical. ^{s most of our business comeslrom rr ord of mouth, I have to ensure that
clients are satisfied rtith all the steps of the je* ellen- purchase process.//
lhen asked about an average dar-in the life of a diamond specialist, Clare laughs,
"Does an errtrepreneur have an ar day?A typical daycouldinclude
-- -+------*
"Follow "'.i:.ir,
rnhatyou're
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wrtu l yu u r(
passionatiabout,not
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uthatothersthinkis
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UesrI0ryou.uaey}ur
dreamandalwaysbe
opent0 nexo
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2. ReOd oboutit
Diamond Ring Buying Guide: How to Evaluate,
Identify and SelectDiamonds and DiamondJewelry
Author:ReneeNer.pman
D,1Y9|?ry},clif;il?:"':i:#::li^"'BUYINGGUIDE "'"1
gffi evaluatediamonds and diamond
,. ,'...r, jewellery.Thisupdatededition
has140new PhotograPhsof
- l,i,- ring styles,colourei diamonds
t
t."-- *, and contemporarydiamond
' .' -;,"""# cuts.Information hasalsobeen
-.1_ n6"!.:tuAf:. added on palladium, diamond
treatments, fancY coloured
diamonds, synthetic diamonds, ring mountings, and
the new GIA and AGS cui grading systems. Covers
everything from diamond price factors, inciuding weight,
shapes,cutting sty.leto tips on smart buying.
:::rrr:::'ri.r.:r,rr,::.:::..fr::r,,r:::..,:.,r..,.....,::,,,,,,,,,,r,r,,,..,,1
Reaiero by Kalahari'net
:,,llair:rarratrr:rt,ir:ii:li.l,,trtliiiii:t:ta,rral::.,:a:r,r,1,,,.--_-------_....
respondingto onlinejeu"ellen-enquuies;liaisrngu'ith
jewellerymanuJacturers;Iiarsingrrith diamon.ldealers
regardingavailablediamondsandpnce=,proriLiin:
quotesfor clientsanddoingfollotv-up;compilinq
invoices;working on my website;submittingarticlesto
onlinearticlewebsites;writing educahonalartrcles;
takingphotographsofjewelleryiwriting ane-mail
newsletter;andmeetingwith clientsto measurering
sizes,discussdesignsanddeliverrings."
A big advantageof Clare'sjob is theflexibility,but this
alsorequiressomeself-discipline.Shesays,"Owning
your own companyallowsyou to befairly flexible,but
oftenno work equalsno pay!Theadvantageis that if
you haveanInternetconnectionanda telephone,you
reallycanwork from anywhere!"Anotherperk is when
clientsaresatisfied:"Sometimesclientsopenaring box,
seetheirpieceof jewelleryfor thefirst time,andit
completelyexceedstheirexpectationsandleavesthem
speechless.I thoroughlyenjoymy work with diamonds
andenjoymakingclientshappy.Un{ortunately,thereare
alsoclientswho areonly focusedon gettingthecheapest
pricetheycar; by playingyou off againstothersuppliers
andmanufacturers."
A4rilethecuffenteconomiccrisishasaffectedthe
diamondinduslry, Clareremainspositiveaboutthe
future:"Although thediamondindustry is severely
affectedby financialconstraints,suchphenomenal
marketinghastakenplaceoverthepast50-60'ears,that
if simpossibleto imagineengagementsl ithout diamond
rings,soI believethediamondmarketishereto star-.
'
Tobecomea diamondspecialist,Clarerecommen,lsa
gemmologicalqualification,coupledn-ith somepraciica,
experiencein therealmof diamondclassitication.Clare
herselfhasa degreein Geology,which providedheru-ith
thenecessarytechnicalknowledgefor herfield.
Essentialpersonalcharacteristicsaregoodconunun-
icationandpeopleskills,and,asanentrepreneur,you
needto berelativelyoutgoingandconfident,aswell as
self-disciplinedandhardworking.
Clareconcludeswith thefollowing advicefor theyouth
of today:"You don't haveto pay attentionto themantra
of 'studyhard,geta goodeducationandgeta goodjob',
if it doesnt work for you.A goodeducationprovidesyou
with moreopportunities,but ajob is not thebe-alland
end-all- you canstartyour own venture.Followwhat
you'repassionateabou! not what othersthink is bestfor
you. Liveyour dreamandalwaysbeopento new
experiences."I
Ilft
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