Sydney TAFE watchmaking teacher Trenton Firth, Sydney TAFE faculty director Ann McMahon, Apprentice winner Ben Robertson and Swatch Group Australia head of customer service Olivier David.
Ben Robertson has been awarded the top prize in the 2013 Watch and Clock Service and Repair course at Sydney TAFE.
Robertson, who began a science degree before commencing a watchmaking apprenticeship with Citizen Watches and then taking on a job at Karl Braunsteiner of Master Watchmaking, said he loved the “the craftsmanship” required in his new career.
“It’s very rewarding to restore a vintage watch that’s been neglected and get it working again.”
He added that his teacher and the outstanding facilities at Sydney TAFE “made it easy” to complete his studies.
Robertson was presented with a Tissot gents mechanical automatic watch from Swatch Group Australia for his outstanding success.
Braunsteiner, who was part of the watch panel that helped develop Sydney TAFE’s current curriculum, said that students at the institute have great opportunities for learning and developing their skills with quality on the job training to complement their studies.
“Anyone who is passionate will excel,” he said. “Being challenged makes all the difference.”
Gemfields has sold US$33.5 million of ruby and corundum at its inaugural auction of Mozambican rough ruby and corundum.
Held in Singapore, the auction of rough stones from the Montepuez ruby mine “generated considerable market excitement” with 57 of the 62 lots on offer sold − 1.82 million carats of the 2.03 million carats of the stones sold with an average yield of US$18.43 per carat.
Ian Harebottle, the CEO ofGemfields, which acquired 75 percent of the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia in July 2008, 75 percent of the Montepuez ruby deposit in early 2012, and the Faberge jewellery and luxury brand last year, said the company is delighted with the “stellar” auction results.
“The extension of our transparent and well-regarded auction platform into the ruby trade has been very well received by the market, with an expanded customer base now having access to reliably supplied and consistently graded rough emeralds, beryl, rubies and corundum,” he said.
“Importantly, the proceeds of this auction will be fully repatriated to Mozambique, to Montepuez Ruby Mining Limited … and with all royalties due to the Government of Mozambique being paid on the full sales price achieved at the auction,” he said.
“We would like to congratulate and thank our partners in Montepuez, as well as our entire team on the ground in Mozambique, for their foresight, dedication and hard-work in reaching this milestone. We would also like to thank the Mozambican government for its support, particularly in relation to security and the implementation of prudent policies to foster growth and development of the Mozambican coloured gemstone industry.”
According to Harebottle, the ruby auction is an important development for the coloured gemstone industry as “as buyers from various other locations, including New York, Jaipur, Germany and Israel (many of whom have previously attended Gemfields’ emerald auctions), featured significantly at the Singapore ruby auction”.
“This cross-pollination of clients and gemstone specialists is expected to further Gemfields’ vision for growth and development of the coloured gemstone sector internationally.”
He said Gemfields used the expertise derived from its development of a pioneering and proprietary rough emerald grading system at the Kagem emerald mine to assist in the development of a ‘first-of-a-kind’ comprehensive grading and sorting framework for rough rubies.
Prior to the auction, Gemfields also “investigated and tested various downstream ruby and corundum enhancement processes for rough gemstones, including heat treatment”.
“These yielded encouraging results, improving the aesthetics of the rough material at a reasonable cost,” he said.
“Consequently, Gemfields offered both untreated and treated rough gemstones at the auction with any treated lots being offered on a fully disclosed basis.”
US-based carved pearl jewellery maker, Galatea, has won the hearts of soccer fans around the world with its soccer-ball designs.
Launched late last year, the company’s 14-14.5mm hand carved Tahitian pearl and 11mmm white freshwater pearl ‘soccer balls’ for men and women have experienced a largely unexpected sales boost thanks to the 2014 World Cup.
Chi Huynh, the owner and founder of Galatea, has loved soccer since his childhood in Vietnam where his mantra had been “eat, school, and play soccer”.
He has even built a soccer field for the employees at the company’s factory in Vietnam – as well as the local soccer teams.
“When I built the factory 10 years ago, I asked my employees if I was missing anything and they said, ‘a soccer field,’” said Huynh, explaining that there is no soccer field in the local town as people need the land to grow rice.
Galatea has been producing carved pearls since a “happy accident” in 1997.
“I was working with a pearl to contain a ‘diamond in a pearl setting’ and nicked it,” said Huynh. “After some experimentation, I discovered that pearl nacre could be carved into any number of shapes.”
Readily admitting that he “didn’t discover pearl carving”, Huynh nonetheless believes he has “perfected it”.
Today the company’s extensive collection of “pearls without boundaries” includes carved pearls, ‘diamond in a pearl’ designs and the Galatea pearl −“the world’s only cultured pearl with a brilliant gemstone centre, hand carved to let the gemstone colour shine through”.
“These are patented cultured pearls that are produced only by us,” said Huynh.
“The oyster is enucleated with a coloured stone bead (reconstituted turquoise, synthetic red coral, amethyst, citrine or blue topaz). When the pearl comes out of the oyster, it looks like any other Tahitian pearl but then we carve it to expose the colour beneath.
Galatea is not currently stocked in any Australian retail stores but “interested retailers can contact our offices in California”
“We sell to many international accounts directly,” said Huynh.
