About Ravi
So here it goes! My first Blog in the evolutionary process of growing. I don’t even know where to start. So here I am scratching my head listening to U2 and thinking about what my first blog is going to be about. And it struck me!!! I should let everyone know what I am all about. A brief introduction!
I, Ravi K. was born in the 79th year of the 20th century. I was born and raised in Bombay City in India. It is now known as Mumbai (but to me it will always remain Bombay). Attended my school St. Xavier’s High School and Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics. Passed out of college with honors majoring in Book-Keeping and Accountancy.
The most asked question to me is “How did I get into diamonds and jewelry?” One Summer on ‘97, while I was still studying in college, my mother recommended me to go do a crash course in diamond grading. One of her friend’s son was doing well in the jewelry industry. I agreed and went to a local diamond grading class. The class was so intriguing and interesting for me, it got me hooked on. I was excellent at grading. It felt like diamonds were talking to me. I loved looking at them in an dout completely. It was a joyride for me.
After I completed the course, my uncle recommended me to one of his friends, who had a loose diamond trading company in the heart of Bombay diamond district. I got an internship at his diamond trading firm. This was perfect for me since it gave me an opportunity to learn about the nitty-gritties of the diamond world while being in the middle of the fracas. I learnt a lot about diamond gradings, picking from parcels, shuffling diamonds. On an average day, I would grade around 25 carats of diamonds ranging from 0.005 carat each (1/2 pointers) to 0.15 carat each. I would use only a jeweler’s loupe for grading. I did not have the luxury of a microscope. They were used only for larger diamonds, which we did not deal in.
One of the big advantage of the internship was the interaction with the local craftsmen and jewelers, known as “Babus”. India is a country rich in culture, history, architecture and colors. Majority of the Babus came from the Eastern Region of India – Calcutta City. They spend hours and weeks on their bench painstakingly hand-fabricating and making each piece of jewelry. Even individual parts were made by hand. I spent hours with them in their workshops observing and learning. Although their tools are considered primitive and “third-world country”, the results were astounding. The final piece of jewelry used to be a work of art. Even to this day, with modern advancements, globalisation and growth in India, this tradition of handmaking jewelry is preserved and flourishes.
Thus, a gradual love for this field of diamonds, gemstones, jewelry and craftsmanship grew within me. Now the second most asked question to me is “How did I land up in the USA?”. That my friends is the second part of my interesting excerpts.
