There is never a dinner party conversation that doesn’t turn to the question “a jeweller, how did you get into that?”
So let me break it down real quick.
When I was in my early 20’s a very close friend of mine passed away, he was like family. We met in grade 2, and we both transferred to a new school at the same time. Our first connection was on the playground and I remember introducing myself, saying:
Something we joked about for years. Before he passed away, we created a business that we built from the ground up, and it was doing well. I was looking for a piece of jewellery to represent us (the team) and celebrate the success of our business.
Regardless of where or how hard I looked, nothing did the job. Once he was gone, the objective changed. The new goal was to commemorate his life. I continued to search, and finally I was introduced to the custom jewellery process. This jeweller was a master diamond setter who owned one of the top retail stores in Canada and did custom work for stores throughout the Golden Horseshoe. We connected and discussed potential options as I expressed my vision. We bounced some ideas around and settled on a design. After some adjustments, the piece was complete. I saw the detail along with the representation of my friend. That’s when I said,
From there I reached out to my jeweller and asked how I could learn more about the industry. I was hungry for knowledge and understood the importance of telling a story through precious materials that would last forever. At the Eginliyan Setting House, they don’t just take on anyone to apprentice – you must have a background in the jewellery business, be directly related, know the families, or come highly referred from a reputable source. I was none of the above. SMH.
However, after many conversations, my commitment and persistence to the craft became clear. Once my then jeweller realized my level of seriousness and determination, he said “okay, okay…” “if you are serious, you can hang around the shop. If we need something, we will tell you. Be here tomorrow at 11am.” Finally, I had my chance. I was offered an apprenticeship opportunity from some of the best in the business. But this wasn’t a normal apprenticeship though, this was an apprenticeship where they thought I would fail. But to their surprise, I exceeded their expectations. My then mentors are now colleagues and friends today. The journey through the custom process as a client, and the education process as a student apprentice taught me many aspects of the business.
One was the understanding that I could have been treated much better as a customer. It has helped me to appreciate what a privilege it is to have (you) our clients, trust Wisdom’s Jewellers to execute your vision, through design and precious materials. Regardless of the piece, we understand clearly that: Everyone has a story and it’s our pleasure to help you tell yours.
Much love, we look forward to working with you and exceeding your expectations.
