Shiny, Colourful Plans for 2025 and Beyond

In the upcoming year, I plan to re-enter the gemstone world in earnest.

I’m looking to get into the following things:

1) Revive my long-dormant @loupinjewels Instagram account, also so that I can put up items for sale on my account. I did think about creating a separate account to do this, but it seems like an unnecessary bother to do so. There is quite a lot to sell - especially fluorites - which I’m no longer collecting.

2) Keep building contacts, especially gem cutters and jewellers, so that I can get my rough stones cut, and my cut stones set.

3) Learn to cut my own stones - exploring the possibility of a 2-week course.

4) Study gemmology at AIGS in Bangkok - this will require something in the region of 3 - 4 months.

5) Finally set up my gems and minerals display(s) at home - Looking to give it a generally softer atmosphere, so not just glass and stands and shelves, but also some ambient display elements, preferably to do with the natural world - perhaps something like a terrarium, but only as a sort of background. The main focus should still be the gems and minerals.

6) Invite fellow gem / mineral enthusiasts for small gatherings - not sure how this will go, but it’ll be nice to have like-minded friends come together to talk and hang out.

I don’t know if being in the gemstone world will be able to replace my current income anytime soon, but I believe that it’s worth a shot. After all, I’ve been talking about leaving the peripheries of the formal education system for a long time.

2025 is as good a year as any to kickstart that process.

Happy to have you along for the ride!

A Gem of a Deal - Book Update August 2024

Some of you know that I have been working on another book - about gemstones. This is a mock-up of it. It probably won’t be the final cover, but this one looks good so far.

I’m updating the information to be more relevant to the post-pandemic world, especially market information pertaining to the gemstone industry and the changes that it is experiencing.

A Gem of a Deal was especially written to help people who are buying gemstones for the first time to know a bit more about what they are doing before they do it - hence the working subtitle - How to Buy Gems and Gemstone Jewellery Without Getting Ripped Off.

It also seeks to help beginner collectors get a head start and good deals for their first collections.

We all had to start somewhere, and I wish that I had something like this to refer to when I first started my collection those many, many years ago. It would have helped me to minimise my “school fees” and more expensive mistakes.

If all goes well, I should have something more concrete by the end of this year, and hopefully get this published and printed in 2025! Exciting stuff!

Put What You Know to Use, Whether it’s Professional or Not

Somehow, I've managed to put a lot of what I know to some professional use, whether it's my ability to write, edit, speak, teach, take good photos, or, most unexpected of all, my love for gemstones.

I suppose honing skills that can be used in multiple domains is never a waste, even if you don't consciously think that you are developing those skills.

And perhaps that's the secret - to unconsciously improve them, not necessarily as part of your professional life.

I Spent Two Months Plus Doing These Things During Singapore's Circuit Breaker

Now that Singapore’s Circuit Breaker has entered Phase 2, with limited openings of certain establishments, I suppose we could say that we are starting to get back to some sense of ‘normal’.

Perhaps this is a time to take stock of what I’ve done over the past 2 months or so.

The main achievement?

I produced 4 sets of curriculum/content.

Namely,

1) Forensic Investigative Skills

The original purpose for this one is for the school market, of course. This will be put to use in July, as long as schools remain open.

That said, I think that it will be both useful and fun for adults as well. The skills, after all, are used in our everyday lives - information gathering, observation, problem solving, and so on.

I’ll have to see who I can talk to to get this started.

2) Health Science

Again, this was made for the school market, but can be useful for those who have aged parents and/or children to take care of.

3) Harnessing Your Quiet Strengths

Now, this one has a little story behind it. It was originally developed for Introverts Network Asia (INA), but things have tapered off for this, so I never finished it, leaving it half done.

I decided to just finish it up. At least I now have a set of curriculum ready to go should I need it, either live or, perhaps, as an online course.

It is, as expected, aimed at introverts and helping them to make use of the strengths that they perhaps regard as insignificant, but are actually highly valuable.

I see this as an accompaniment to The Introvert Teacher, and intend to have them linked together.

4) 4D Your Message

This is my take on communication skills, slightly angled towards newer educators/trainers, but can definitely be used by anyone who wants to get their message out.

This, too, has a story behind it. It was originally conceived for online delivery as part of an initiative by an organisation. But, as with the previous set of content, this, too, fizzled out.

I decided to just have it finished up.

My main thought at the moment is figuring out how to bring these things to more people once Circuit Breaker properly ends.

I've considered online training, but the activities, especially for the first two, are best done live. I could potentially redesign them, but it’s A LOT of work.

Alternatively, I could have them converted to videos and sell an online course. I’m not sure yet.

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I’m also finishing up a project I started 2 years or so ago - my book on gem buying, titled A Gem of a Deal.

The good news is:

A Gem of a Deal is NEARLY finished! Yay!

Here’s a cover I designed for it. It may not be the final version, but I’ll use it for now.

I’ll put more information up on Loupin Jewels.

Yes, I designed it myself. Photoshop and Illustrator. ;)

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Photographing gems!

It’s quite a long story behind this, but I’ve started to photograph gems again. This time, the results look pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

Sapphire Crystal

Garnet Crystal

Prehnite Cabochon

Emerald Piece

And, of course, I’ve been collating some of my old photos.

It’s been a fairly productive couple of months, I’d say.

Here’s to an even more productive 2 months ahead!