This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 15 in 2022. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
At one of his shows, Charlie Chaplin recited a funny story to the audience and everyone started laughing.
Soon after, he repeated the same story and only a few people laughed.
Then he told the same little story again, for the third time, and this time not a single person laughed.
Then he said these wonderful words: «If you cannot laugh several times at the same joke, why do you keep crying over the same sorrow, over and over again?».
It is worth asking ourselves how many times we do the same talking, something like: «Stone prices are always going up!»; «We can no longer sell like we used to with this crisis and costs are getting higher and higher»; «Taxation is slaughtering us, if it goes on like this I’ll have to quit my job»; «The internet is spoiling every small business»; «Now the market is flooded with synthetic diamonds, no one really understands anything anymore»; «I would like to work in the gemstone industry, but the market is locked and there is no opportunity».
I got it, thank you.
In 2005 I was lucky enough to see in Tucson a 9.64-carat alexandrite with a tremendous color change. The owner was asking $140,000 per carat.
I just stood there for about an hour staring at that incredible alexandrite that turned green like an emerald and red like a ruby, green and red, green and red, green and red. I couldn’t tear myself away from the beauty of that stone.
That was almost 18 years ago, and since then I’ve been bugging every person I had the chance to speak with about that alexandrite. So if you read this magazine and if you do love gemstones, try to pick up an article that you like, pick out a picture of a spectacular gemstone, get passionate about the story of a gemstone mine. And just get out. Go around telling good stories, funny and amusing anecdotes on fabulous stones, adventurous trips! Get out there and talk about your passion and bug as many people as possible and get them excited about sharing the beauty of gemology.
By Michele Macrì, published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #15, Autumn 2022.
