With the industry constantly changing and finding new information on gemology, marketing, and trends — it behooves the jewelry professional to be an active learner one way or another. Not everyone is a book-reader and some people (like myself) find audiobooks difficult to engage with. During this crazy time where many of us are cut off from our industry, unable to attend trade shows and meetings for our respective associations, it’s important to stay connected somehow and up-to-date with current information.
Here are my 3 favorite jewelry industry-related podcasts.
#1. Gem Junkies by Parle Gems (@parlegems)
Brecken and Jonathon have truly embodied everything anyone could want in a gemology podcast. Gemological information, interviews with prominent industry influencers, Gem History and Lore, interviews explaining different types of jobs in the industry, and even production and trends!
Their podcasts used to usually be 20mins, but much to my excitement I think they are gradually getting longer! It’s the perfect length of time for your morning drive to get you pumped up about selling jewelry for the day.
You can find their podcast from the Parle Gems website, whatever app you get your podcasts on, or Youtube!
#2. The Gem Show by Julia Griffith (@thegem_academy)
If you don’t already follow this girl on every social media outlet possible, stop what you’re doing right now and handle that.
I’ll wait.
Ok now that you’re back, I want to tell you about the perfect podcast for any gem geek, geology geek, or just people who love to learn stuff. Created with the experienced student in mind, this podcast tackles advanced questions with detailed answers based on scientific study. It’s great for peeling back that extra layer to enhance your understanding and is highly recommended for anyone working on their GG or Gem-A studies.
What I love about this podcast is that the episodes are about 10-15 mins long, so it’s easy to stay focused and absorb the concepts being presented. I also love to relisten to podcasts, which is easier when they’re short like this one–so the content is easy to “study” until you really get it down.
Julia also offers a Lab Grown Diamond Course, offering comprehensive education on laboratory-created diamond production, history, types and features. I truly have not seen any online course that comes close to this, and it’s such a small investment that I think every jewelry professional should take advantage of this.
#3. Gemology Worldwide by Lauryn Volovar and Josh Hyman (@gemologyworldwide)
The two unique perspectives of the show’s hosts always seem to balance perfectly with the industry-famous professionals interviewed in this exceptional and well-known podcast. I feel like this podcast has really given me insight into some of the lesser-known aspects of the gem world, and I often refer to this podcast when I’m curious about a particular subject matter, as they’ve covered ample variety of content since their inception in 2018.
These podcasts tend to be a little longer, giving the perfect amount of time for the host’s input as well as a complete discussion with their interviewees. Ranging from 30-40 min up to over an hour, this is one of my favorite podcasts to listen to on long drives.
All caught up and ready for new episodes? Gemology Worldwide plans to return in 2021!
If you are a podcast person like myself, you may have already listened to these *gems* I’ve listed above. If not, I would absolutely treasure your input and am very curious about what industry podcasts you like to listen to. I will note that these were not organized in any particular way, and their numerical designation is unrelated to my personal ranking. Truth be told, I love all of these podcasts equally and for different reasons. While they are all industry-related, they are each so unique and individual!