Is there gender equality in your business?

From where I sit in the diamond and jewellery industry, I have seen very real and positive changes that have occurred in workplace gender equality…

From where I sit in the diamond and jewellery industry, I have seen very real and positive changes that have occurred in workplace gender equality in Australia. Having said that, I feel there is a big, unacknowledged discrepancy between the diamond industry and the jewellery industry.

There is no doubt that the diamond industry is predominantly male dominated, and there are obviously many reasons for that. The tradition of the older generation bringing in their sons in the business while hoping their daughters get married and focus on the family is foremost amongst these. Sadly, we don’t even have the statistics to better understand the gender inequality problem in our industry. Nor do we have the information to shed greater light on the treatment on LGBTQ identities and people of colour in our industry. Let me preface this discussion with an acknowledgement. I am aware that I write this article from a privileged position – my gender, my colour and my sexual identity have provided me with many opportunities and choices that are frequently denied to other people. This privilege colours my experience and though I endeavour daily to become more aware and more understanding, like any mortal, I will slip-up. We’re all here to learn.

Gender equality in the diamond trade

When we consider India, where 90 percent of all diamonds are cut and polished, and a place where I have done business many times, I cannot recall ever being approached by a woman to buy diamonds or having had a woman sit in front of me to show me diamonds. Yes, there are many women who work in factories with polishing, but few are given the opportunity to sell or hold senior management positions.

But let us be honest with ourselves. Is it that much different in Antwerp or Israel? Why is this the case? We don’t have enough time to answer that question. The reasons are complex and varied. Whatever the ways of the past, it’s time for us to turn and look to the future.

In the last 10 years, we have seen an explosion of talented young women who, after their trade experience in design, gemmology, selling jewellery retail, and or crafting jewellery on the bench, have taken the leap of faith to set up their own jewellery businesses. These women are achieving tremendous success.

They know that they don’t have to wait for a man to give them an opportunity, they can create their own, and have gone on to do so. If you are a male colleague reading this and you feel uncomfortable or irritated, that’s okay. I also feel uncomfortable. I look back on my life and business and acknowledge that we have all grown up in societies which, by today’s standards, need to improve. Nobody blames you for the past, but they do look to see what you do now and in the future.

The difficult questions

I’d like to pose two questions. The first is directed to the owner and the second is directed to the employee.

To the employer,

Are you treating the men and women in your business equally? I do not want you to answer this straightaway. I want to you to be honest with yourself and ask if you have even considered this question before? I haven’t. I’ll be honest: before now I had never actually posed this question to myself.

To the employee,

Do you think your boss, both owner and or manager (or both), treat men and women equally in the business? Do you believe they would hear if you felt there was gender inequality? I believe I am gender-blind when it comes to the workplace – or at least I like to think I am. My management team is made up of two women and two men and we employ 20 percent men and 80 percent women. Up until six years ago, my business partner (who was active in the business) was a woman. My mother worked with my father in the business side by side, and although my father seemed to make the decisions, in hindsight, I realise that was just my mum tactfully playing to his ego.


The research in this space internationally shows quite a big gap between what owners of businesses think is important and what their employees consider important, particularly for women. In some of the surveys conducted, only 2 percent of owners said they ever received a complaint about the differences in salaries, but the feedback was in fact that women didn’t complain because they were concerned by the negative response or repercussions that may result from raising the issue.


Only 5 percent of owners said they received complaints about sexual harassment and yet 23 percent of employees said that they have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace.

That means that two thirds of people never report it. Sadly, sometimes the business owner is the worst offender. One of the problems that small and medium businesses suffer from is that, although in our industry we are keen and appreciate the importance of everyone’s input, we don’t ask the hard questions because we are scared of what the answers may be. You know, the ageold adage of opening a Pandora’s box…

What we all want

I know I like to think that I am aware and cognisant of what women in my business want in terms of gender equality, but I am guilty of not even asking. That’s something I intend to change. How much stronger we would all be if we
were brave enough to open that door and listen to what the people around us have to say? In many cases, these are people who we spend more time with than we do our own family.

Do you pay the men in your business more than women who are doing a similar job? It is technically illegal, by the way. Do the women in your employ find themselves in casual or part-time positions at a higher rate than the men? Do you offer the same training opportunities to women employees? Or are you fearful that if they are younger they will get married and have children and your investment will be lost?


These are legitimate concerns, and there is no one answer fits all, but at the very least, we should be talking about these issues and exploring the options. I know in our business we look to accommodate young mothers with start times or flexible days, but only now it occurs to me that I might not be quite so ready to offer young fathers the same conditions. Workplace equality is not simply about making things better for women – it’s about making work fair for everyone. No matter the gender, colour or orientation of your employee, we should always be thinking about what the next five years could look like for them, and us, in working together into the future.


Why aren’t you thinking about how to future-proof your business and hold onto your trusted employees no matter what happens to them in life? Health accidents, family issues, and any number of things can happen out of the blue. If you assume that everyone will have to go to part time at stage or other, then you can never be caught off guard.

Rising above the trivialities

I do sometimes think that the media likes to sensationalise things and make a modern approach to gender equality look like it is getting out of hand. ‘Political correctness gone mad,’ they scream, to the point where you feel you have to think twice about whether to complement a woman in the workplace on a new dress she is wearing lest it be construed as harassment.

But the vast majority of people around me are decent people who understand that intention and context matters. They know where the boundaries lie and are patient and understanding when someone screws up. Avoiding aiming for gender equality because of this sensationalised version of the ‘gender war’ is no excuse for asking the tough questions and making changes that will improve equality for everyone in the workplace and benefit your business. The diamond jewellery industry is fundamentally targeting women, so who knows better about what women want, than women? This might explain the tremendous success that female jewellery entrepreneurs are having.


But don’t just take it from me. Talk to the people in your workplace. I challenge you all to at least contemplate some of these points I brought up and look to see how you too can create a better, safer and less biased workplace. Sit with the difficult questions and challenge the way you’ve thought about things in the past.

Traditional artistry vs. technology

Artisans are closing the loop with Palloys CAD and CAM

In the last few years, the design and print department at Palloys has seen great changes in the type of jobs the team is working on. Jewellers, jewellery designers and artisans alike are seizing the advantages computeraided design brings. Manufacturing software is witnessing a surprising new trend. One our team didn’t even see coming…traditional hand-carvers bringing their unparalleled skills to the virtual world.

Closing the loop

We all know jewellers and jewellery designers have been utilising computer-aided design software for years, both to aid their creative ideas as well as increase volume production and save time. The Palloys team is now seeing an increase in traditional artists also using our technological services, closing the loop between the artisanal world and the virtual world of CAD and CAM innovations.

An artisan traditionally spends anything from several hours to days carving one design into their chosen material. This material may vary from stone to wax to other organics such as shell or even wood. An artisan usually prefers these types of materials as they provide a solid tactile feedback mechanism, allowing them to leverage years of muscle memory into a medium they truly enjoy working with, producing fantastic results. Though, the transition of these skills to the CAD and CAM world by some hand carvers has not always been a smooth and successful one.

The most important aspect of their work human touch – the artisan’s most valuable asset, has been lost. The artisan may also need to rely on outside assistance to bring their product into creation, introducing interpretation and communication issues to the outcome. It is understandable the loop has been open for so long.


Palloys is witnessing a shift in the creation process. Our team is seeing traditional hand carvers now producing most, or even all, of their shapes usually at 1.5 to 2 times the intended scale. Hand carvers send their scaled design to be 3D scanned and returned as a silver cast, which they can tool to completion. The final design is returned once more to be scanned a second time, reducing to real scale to its intended size. Following this process, the design is permanently digitised, allowing it to be further manipulated into unlimited options in size, material and overall design truly extending the artisan’s creativity and opening up opportunities such as turning a pendant scan into earrings, a ring and even cuff components.

Innovation supports tradition

In previous years, this “loophole” would have involved making a physical mould in which further work could be done but always at the same scale. The closing of the loop between the physical and virtual world is seeing a resurgence in artisanal hand carving.


CAD software has and is continuing to empower artists to create some truly innovative and creative works. Innovation allows traditional artisans to complete work or portions of their work more quickly and easily, eliminating unnecessary errors. In some branches of the arts, including custom jewellery design, CAD is now an integral part of the creative process.

The design and print team at Palloys is one of the largest and most experienced in the world. The highly skilled Palloys Design team is proficient in all major computer-aided design (CAD) programmes and is very happy to help artisans further with this kind of work. Our team is supported by an unmatched 3D printing capacity, proudly producing the highest resolution in the industry.

Computer-aided design has greatly influenced the world of art, and we look forward to seeing more and more creative designs both in jewellery and art as the software continues to innovate. The Palloys Design & Print team will work with you to sustain the creativity of your design. Speak directly with the team in your My Palloys account at www.palloys.com/create

Further reading:

Royal jewellery at the G7 Summit

Queen Elizabeth II wore three different brooches while carrying out her G7 Summit engagements. On the first day of the G7 Summit, she wore the…

Queen Elizabeth II wore three different brooches while carrying out her G7 Summit engagements.

On the first day of the G7 Summit, she wore the delicate Botswana Millet Brooch, which was a gift from the President of Botswana in 2007 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The brooch features 11 pear shaped diamonds arranged to resemble millet growing on a curved gold stem.

On Day 2, she wore an aquamarine and diamond brooch inherited from her mother, while on Day 3, she met with President and Dr Biden, wearing one of her favourites, the Jardine Star brooch, a late-Victorian diamond star brooch, which she inherited from Lady Jardine in 1981. The brooch has a collet diamond on a knife-wire between each of its eight points.

As the queen did not have an opportunity to meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during the three-day summit, they met several
days later, and she wore the Australian Wattle brooch, presented to the Queen during her first visit to Australia in 1954. Prime Minister Morrison
told her that she was “quite the hit” at the conference, and had everyone talking about her at dinner the next night. The Queen replied: “Oh lord,
were they really?”

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge also wore significant jewellery to a cocktail reception for the G7 Summit. The three-strand pearl and diamond bracelet was originally crafted by designer Nigel Milne for Kate’s late mother in law, Diana, Princess of Wales, who often paired it with the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall also attended the reception, wearing several necklaces including a string of pavé-set beads and gold spacers, and her Golden Kiwi necklace, along with a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings.

Leading edge’s branding strategy gains momentum

Leading Edge Retail’s Group CEO, Simon Lane, says the continuing investment in the company’s brand will take a big step forward in July. The new…

Leading Edge Retail’s Group CEO, Simon Lane, says the continuing investment in the company’s brand will take a big step forward in July. The new financial year will see the active expansion of the group’s new member prospects reach, a reinvigorated brand campaign and consolidation of the group’s sub-brand operations.

“To establish our presence in an expanding market, consistency between our brand propositions has become a focus. Building a strong and single-minded presence is key to building awareness,” says Lane. “Our board has signed off on the Leading Edge Retail brand strategy which includes a compelling value proposition across a range of professional services. This will also allow us to concentrate on the exciting direction we have chosen in suppporting our members and their business.”

Simon Lane

Lane went on to say that one of the first changes would involve the decommissioning of the Leading Edge Jewellery business name, Merchandise Management Centre (MMC), which has supplied a wide range of jewellery exclusively to Leading Edge Members for well over a decade. “Whilst we will no longer be using the MMC name, the product range it supplies will continue to be provided to Leading Edge Jewellery Members under the Leading Edge Jewellery brand. This will make things a lot easier when our new ranges hit the market this year.”

Leading Edge Retail has invested heavily in its marketing collateral, online presence, and new sales specialists so the simplification of its brand hierarchy should come as no surprise.

Debbie Hudson

As part of this growth strategy, Leading Edge has expanded its sales force, with the introduction of Debbie Hudson as jewellery category manager. Joining the jewellery team, Debbie brings over 30 years of retail experience across Australia and New Zealand to the role, with expertise gained in previous roles with Goldmark, Angus & Coote and more recently as a divisional sales manager at Pandora.


Lane explained the investment in a multiplatform, broad-reach brand campaign as well as video and photo shoots will further expand the Leading Edge Retail presence which will be in market by July. “It comes at an exciting time where the business continues to gain in profitability, direction and purpose”. When asked if the jewellery category will finish the financial year in a profitable position, his short answer was: “Absolutely.”

Further reading:
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