Learning from a bad decision

Can you tell us about your background and what led you to where you are today?

I honestly can’t pinpoint what sparked my love of Gemstones. I sometimes say, light-heartedly, that it’s because of my Asian heritage – after all, for many years India was the source of nearly all the world's known diamonds. One vivid memory of my early interest is when I was chosen as a 7-year-old adoptee to present flowers to HRH Princess Alexandra on behalf of the Independent Adoption Society. Imagining that she would be dripping with dazzling gemstones, I was disappointed to find this was not the case and all I could think of saying was: ‘Where’s your crown?’

 

I’ve taken a rather long and winding route to where I am today, but I firmly believe that this has given me invaluable life experience. I dropped out of college at 17 and started my journey as a Pensions Secretary. Eighteen months later, I received two job offers on the same day. I had visions of myself presenting Crimewatch UK on TV, so I turned down the opportunity to work as the PA to the British Airways Chief Pilot of Boeing 747 planes and instead started work at the BBC in London, as a secretary in Technical Engineering and Operations Recruitment.  

 

I was interested in cameras and after two years as a secretary, I applied for a technical position as a camera operator. A 4’10” female camera operator? Alas, my three applications for that vacancy somehow went AWOL. I took the hint, left the BBC and went to seek my fortune in the land of opportunity – the USA. 

 

After a year working, travelling and studying Communications and Media Arts in the USA, I returned to the UK and entered the publishing world as a contractor and personal assistant. I moved from Thompson International Publishing to John Wiley and then Macmillan, where I worked on a magazine called Social Work Today.  After the magazine was discontinued, I took an opening at The Guardian to work with some of the editors there at the time – David Brindle, Chris Mihill and Tim Radford. Then, two years later, a job on the News Desk came up and I applied… along with 352 other applicants!  I was delighted to be offered the job.  I worked alongside the News Editor’s assistant, supporting countless newsroom journalists and a sub-editor. It was an interesting and often harrowing experience: the murder of James Bulger coincided with my 24 ^th birthday, and I was there as news of serial murderers Fred & Rosemary West hit the news desk as well as the outbreak of the war in Bosnia.

 

After eighteen months of needing to read several broadsheets every morning, which was pretty heavy going, I decided it was time to spread my wings. I packed my camera and set off travelling around south-east Asia. By the time I turned 25, the seedlings of my career as the Gemstone Detective – my love of gemstones, photography and travelling – were already firmly rooted.

 

You are the Gemstone Detective for your business Gemstone Tours. What exactly is your business and how do you help and facilitate your service?

Gemstone Detective is a unique learning resource for gemstone hobbyists. The business offers: a series of educational travel guides, gemstone tours and gemstone talks.

 

Gemstone Tours is my newest venture, launched in February 2020. Using the contacts I have acquired on my worldwide travels, I organise and lead small group tours for hobbyists to learn more about gemstones and gain some hands-on experience of the gemstone trade. On each tour, we use our group’s minibus to visit gem markets, gem mines, goldsmiths and lapidaries (gem cutters), along with a few tourist attractions. Lots of the places we visit are off the beaten track, so you won’t find them offered on traditional tour holidays.

 

Gemstone Talks are personal talks given by me to inspire others to follow their passion and find their purpose.

 

What led you to becoming a Gemstone Detective? Was it an epiphany moment?

It all started with a bad buying decision. Whilst on holiday in Egypt, I bought a gemstone which turned out to be glass. It was sold to me as a natural Burmese ruby and I naively believed the seller because he had been so open and friendly over the course of several days.

 

At that time, I’d spent hundreds of hours self-educating (e.g., by reading and watching jewellery television) and thought I was knowledgeable. It was horribly embarrassing to realise that I wasn’t as clued-up as I thought I was.  After that, I decided to get a proper education and studied at the world-renowned GIA (Gemmological Institute of America).

 

After I qualified, the idea for the Book series, Gemstone Detective, came as another lightbulb moment.  I wrote the books to protect people from falling for similar tricks – to save themselves the heartache and to be able to buy their gemstones and jewellery with confidence.

 

Since starting your business, what hurdles have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Up until March last year, I was very happily travelling the world and writing up my research as books. I don’t recall any stumbling blocks until the pandemic. That has been a pretty big hurdle and we’re going to be feeling its effects for a while.

 

As we all know the travel industry has been affected the most by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Has this challenged your business to pivot or adjust to make gains or keep buoyant?

With no travel and tourism right now, my business is at a standstill, so I’ve had to pause and take a deep breath. During the first lockdown, I kept myself focussed by getting the “in progress” book (Myanmar) ready for publication. Then, after my research trip to Colombia in July 2020 was cancelled, I realised I could instead travel closer to home. Between lockdowns, I drove over 3000 miles and wrote another book, Buying Gemstones and Jewellery in Great Britain.

 

Let's talk about your books. What do they teach and how can people gain from your reading them?

The books are educational and aim to help people feel more confident about buying gemstones and jewellery in a foreign country.

 

Each book is a blend of basic gemmology and a travel guide. The books are country-specific and focus on the gemstones for which that country is known.  Buying Gemstones & Jewellery in Australia focuses on opals and sapphires, whereas Buying Gemstones & Jewellery in Myanmar (Burma) talks about the best-known Burmese gemstones, i.e., jade, ruby and sapphire. 

 

The first half of each book tells you in clear, easy-to-read prose, everything you need to know about the gemstone. You’ll learn about the different varieties of each gemstone and what to look for when it comes to buying. The second half of the book contains the travel guide element, helping you decide where to buy your gemstone. Each book is packed with practical information and tips to help you better understand what you are buying and what to avoid. If you ask the top ten questions set out in the book, you should feel confident about making your purchase.

 

Buying Gemstones and Jewellery Worldwide is the exception in the series – it’s not a travel guide like the other books. It still covers the basics of gemmology and what to avoid, but also includes a special section on buying diamonds, proposing on holiday and world-famous jewellery collections.

 

Just published is Buying Gemstones & Jewellery in Great Britain. For that book, I’ve focused on Blue John, amber and Whitby jet.  I have, however, also included many of the other hidden gems that can be found in Great Britain. As our tourism recovers, I want to ensure that our British public and overseas visitors have an exceptional holiday experience.

 

Now we’ve discussed your books, but which business, marketing or self-help books do you recommend and why?

When I launched Gemstone Detective, I was so keen to get the book series out into the world as quickly as possible, I didn’t really give much thought as to how I was going to sell the books. I came across a spiritual quote by Wally Lamb that says “if the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it”. This strongly resonated with me and, as much as it still does, it has since dawned on me that the books won’t necessarily sell themselves. For some reason, I had not appreciated that marketing is such a fundamental key to business success. I’ve had to shift my mindset – I’m not just in the business of gemstones, or travel. I’m in the business of ‘marketing’.  

 

Since that realisation, I have joined the Entrepreneur’s Circle – run by Nigel Botterill. I’ve attended his Monday marketing clinics, played and listened to over a hundred marketing videos, set up my Google My Business page and launched a new web site. It’s been a game-changer for me. I’m really very excited by what I’ve learned and by this time next year, I hope to be a lot further forward.

 

If you could go back in time and give the younger you a piece of advice for the future, what would you say?

I would give my younger self a serious talking to:

1.      Look after yourself and treat your body like a queen.

2.      You can be whoever you want to be and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

Life is a beautiful thing, what would you like to be most remembered for?

Well, some of my photography clients have already told me that they remember me for being a dynamo (because I tend to move at the speed of light), a ninja (because I’m petite and can move myself into the smallest gaps) and a silent assassin (because I get all the important shots at a wedding)!

 

As a gemmologist and author, I’d like to be remembered for helping people find the confidence to explore and buy gemstones in a foreign country. 

 

As a person, I’d like to be remembered for being someone who always sees the glass as half full.

 

Which entrepreneurs or business professionals do you look up to and why?

I get a lot of motivation by listening to Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday – a chat show where Oprah interviews some of the most successful entrepreneurs. These are people who are at the top of their game, which fuels my soul and makes me want to raise my game, work harder and be a better person.

 

Last year, Laila Ali gave a really moving talk on stage at Oprah’s Vision Tour, where she shared her story about becoming a boxer. She talked about her journey to becoming a professional boxer, in the shadow of her late father Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of our time. Though he told her, “It’s too hard, it’s a man’s sport and it’s not for you”, she proved him wrong – women can box! She talked about the power of legacy, seeking purpose in life and making a difference in the world.

 

There were two key messages I took away from her speech: ‘confidence comes from preparation’ and that you should ‘take a chance on yourself’. I could relate to that message, because of everything I’ve achieved in the last two years by taking a chance. The next day, I stood on stage and gave a talk about gemstones to 350 people and I nailed it!

 

Justin K. Prim is an extremely talented person, whom I admire greatly. In 2016, we both travelled with Vincent Pardieu (the world’s best-known field gemmologist) in Thailand.  Though only in his thirties, Justin is a gem cutter, teacher, speaker and soon to be a published author. Suffice to say, Justin has accomplished so much in the past few years and I feel honoured to be able to call him my friend. His energy and passion make me wish I was twenty years younger!

 

What’s next for Kim Rix?

My vision for the next five to ten years is to grow the travel guide series and expand the gemstone tours to more destinations around the world. I’d also like to have more opportunities to speak on stage again, to inspire people to find their purpose and create their legacy.

 

Kim’s Websites & Social Media Links:

Website 1 - https://gemstonedetective.com/

Website 2 - https://kimrixphotography.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimrixphotography/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GemstoneDetective/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gemstone_detective/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/kimrix