A Diamond is a Girl's Best Friend...and Graduate Program?

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

Yes! Finally, I am continuing my education in a field that deeply intrigues me and will allow me to advance in many new directions in the fine jewelry industry. I have started online classes through GIA, the Gemological Society of America, to work towards obtaining a Graduate Gemologist degree. It will take me approximately two years to complete and will mostly be done through online correspondence courses, but there are a few lab courses that will require me to go to the GIA NYC Campus or Carlsbad, CA Campus to complete. In the industry, this degree will allow me to do diamond grading, jewelry appraisals, stone buying, and so much more. The knowledge I obtain through the courses will undoubtably increase my ability and confidence when explaining jewelry to clients. I've been wanting to do this for years and have finally realized there is no better time than the present to further myself in the industry I have chosen. 

Also, for anyone who has an interest in the diamond industry, I have been reading a book that I would highly recommend. Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life by Alicia Oltuski is a relatively new non-fiction book. I am only two chapters into the book and am amazed by how much information I have already learned about the history of diamonds dating back to the DeBeers Family in South Africa and the Diamond District in New York. So far, it has been an extremely captivating read for me. 

Here are a few Editorial Reviews on the book:
From the Washington Post

…engaging and informative…There are other, vastly more encyclopedic histories of diamonds…but I am unaware of a book that so intimately captures the strange and strangely beguiling place in which they are bought and sold…Oltuski has paid fond, affecting and informative tribute to the world of her fathers.
From Monarch Book Reviews:
Precious Objects is an inside look at the diamond industry. Ms. Oltuski's family has long been involved in the diamond trade, both in NYC and Europe. From the mines in South Africa to Nazi Germany to the streets of New York, the author takes the reader on a decades-long and fascinating journey. Focused mainly on the 47th Street diamond district, the author details transactions ranging from original handshake deals right up to the age of the internet and its impact on the diamond trade.  We learn of the birth of the Rapaport Diamond Report and are introduced to a fascinating cast of characters, as well as the dangers of their chosen occupation. Nonfiction, Precious Objects reads like a novel and is a delight to read.  Ms. Oltuski deftly weaves her rich family history into the fabric of the diamond trade. 

I have so much more I would love to update you all about all the amazing things that have been going on in my life, but back to online course work I must go. Until the next time, happy Fall to you all! Cheers!

And just remember...absolutely everything happens for a reason! 

xX,

Laura Christine

Backpacking By Moonlight - Gotta Love a Good Adventure

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower, clearly our whole life would change"- Buddha

Growing up a Colorado girl, there are certainly many outdoor activities that I participated in on a regular basis. But there are those activities that I feel like I should have taken part in but never did, like backpacking! I have been desperately wanting to go for the past 3 years and have been acquiring all the gear to go whenever I saw it on sale for the past 2 years plus. Finally, last Sunday, I embarked on my first backpacking adventure! After a full day at work, my overly organized and experienced backpacking partner, Andrew, met me with the car packed and ready to go and we headed up to the mountains to get a start on our getaway!


We went backpacking on Crater Lakes Trail, near Rollisville, CO and above Moffatt Tunnel at the Colorado Divide. I have hiked and even gone snowshoeing on this trail probably a dozen times during the years I've lived in Boulder. In fact, the first time I ever went on this trail was probably around 3 years ago and I fell in love with it immediately. I have always loved how the area around the trail is heavily forested with a creek that flows along side of it. A mile or so into the hike you leave the forested trail and enter a beautiful wide open meadow with waist-high grass that dances in the mountain breeze and deep green hills that completely encompass it since they are covered with evergreen trees. 

Last year when I lost Lily, my gorgeous Golden companion of 6.5 years, this meadow was the place I wanted to spread her ashes. When my mom was visiting me in Boulder after Lily passed, we made the hike together, with Lily's best friend and partner in crime, Layla. It was a meadow where Lily always ran like the wind and loved to play. We let the gentle breeze spread her ashes for us. We shared some of the many memories that touched our hearts from raising Lily. Through the laughter and the tears, we were able to let Lily go on to whatever adventure she was meant to go on to next. We both hoped for her sake it included lots of red balls, her absolute favorite thing in the world, and everything else her heart desired. Now I refer to it as Lily's meadow and can bask in the beauty of the earth and appreciate her incredibly sweet soul whenever I go on my favorite hike.


We got to the trailhead at 8pm and were lucky to both have our head lamps to help guide the way, because the sun had long set! We had only the light of the moon and stars to brighten the sky, which was so comforting to me seeing as I have spent the last 2 months living in Boulder where there is enough light pollution to block out nearly all of the stars. I had been missing seeing stars and breathing in that cool fresh mountain air so much recently that this trip was just what I needed. Andrew, Layla, and I hiked for about a half hour until we got to Lily's meadow and took a break to catch our breath and spend a moment in silence for my Lily-girl. 


After another hour or so of hiking through the dark in moderate terrain, we decided to start searching for a campsite. It was already 9:30pm at that point and I knew the remaining trail to the lakes was much more rocky and difficult. Through his backpacking skills, and mostly luck, Andrew immediately found us an amazingly flat spot to put up our tent and call it a night. We got settled in, including Layla who didn't hesitate to snag a large portion of my sleeping pad and a bit of my sleeping bag too. After spending part of a winter in Silverton, you'd think she could handle a night at 40 degrees with her pretty golden coat, but I was wrong. I shared my pad and sleeping bag with my little baby and we all got some much needed rest. 

The next morning we woke up to the sound of the roaring creek and sunshine peaking through the forest that surrounded our campsite. We got our stuff organized and hiked the rest of the way up to Crater Lakes! The trail was definitely difficult enough to where I'm glad we stopped when we did the night before and finished it in daylight. At the lakes, the wildflowers were still blooming like crazy and Layla had so much fun wading in the lakes and splashing through the streams. 

We made the trek back down to the car at the trailhead and were there right at noon. We had made a deal that we would stop at my favorite little mountain cafe, the Sundance Cafe. It is just a few miles outside of Nederland on the way back to Boulder. I got to have my favorite breakfast: scrambled eggs with cholula hot sauce, bacon, and breakfast potatoes! Our little mountain escape came to a close that afternoon as we unpacked our stuff and got ready for another week in the real world!

Hope you all are out enjoying this gorgeous sunshine-filled Saturday and have another day of fun planned for tomorrow! Maybe I'll actually grill tonight and post a new recipe in the next few days! 


Cheers!


xX,
Laura Christine