About me - Jasmin Jung, gemologist (gemstone and diamond expert DGemG Idar-Oberstein)

About me – my passion for gemstones

I have dedicated my professional life to gemstones and investment gemstones. And although I have been studying them for more than three decades, to this day there is hardly a day when a gemstone does not surprise me anew. My name is Jasmin Jung. I am a gemologist (diamond and gemstone expert). My particular passion is for colored gemstones – their color, their rarity, their origin and above all their very own personality. My journey into the world of gemstones My story began in 1990 in Idar-Oberstein. There I completed my training as a diamond and gemstone expert at the German Gemmological Society. For me, that was far more than just an education. It was the beginning of a world that has stayed with me ever since. I learned to look at gemstones with different eyes. Color, purity, transparency, cut and natural characteristics became important criteria for me. At the same time, I learned that a gemstone cannot be judged solely on the basis of measurements and tables. Because at some point, you develop a perspective for what is special. You can see differences that remain hidden from an untrained eye. You can see a stone changing in the light. You can tell if the color and the cut harmonize with each other. And you get a sense of when a stone is truly extraordinary.

Thousands of pieces of jewelry have shaped my gaze

After my apprenticeship, my journey took me, among other places, to the world of Munich auction houses. Through cataloging various jewelry departments, I had the opportunity to discover an enormous number of different pieces of jewelry each year – a total of around 10,000 pieces per year. These ranged from historical jewelry to modern creations, from rather simple pieces to exceptional individual pieces. These years have shaped me. Because when you see so many pieces of jewelry over a long period of time, you develop a very unique perspective on quality. You learn to look more closely. You can recognize differences in the workmanship, assess gemstones more and more confidently, and get a sense of what truly makes a piece of jewelry special.

Above all, I have learned that expensive does not automatically mean exceptional.

Conversely, a piece of jewelry can sometimes be convincing precisely because of its understated design. My particular passion:

Colored gemstones

Over the years, colored gemstones have increasingly captivated me. Perhaps it's because they are so incredibly diverse. A ruby can glow an intense red. A sapphire can appear deep blue, pink, yellow, or in another fascinating color. An emerald has its characteristic green color. Tourmalines surprise with an incredible color palette. A garnet can change color depending on the light. And then there are these rare stones where you simply stop. Stones that possess a color, a transparency, or a light effect that one doesn't forget so quickly. It is precisely moments like these that continually rekindle my enthusiasm for gemstones. I'm not looking for perfection.

There's one thing I've learned in the course of my work:

A gemstone doesn't have to be perfect for me. Natural colored gemstones, in particular, are allowed to have character. Natural inclusions can be part of their history. In some types of gemstones, they are even a natural part of their appearance. The overall picture is always crucial for me. How does the color work? How alive is the stone? How does he behave in the light? What is the level of transparency? How was it sanded? What natural characteristics does it possess? Has he received treatment? And how rare is this combination of its properties? Only when I look at all these things together can I judge what truly makes a stone special. The moment I discover a special gemstone I love the moment when I really look at a new gemstone for the first time. I pick him up, turn him, hold him in the light and see how he reacts. Sometimes it's the color that immediately fascinates me. Sometimes the finishing touches. Sometimes the unusual transparency. And sometimes it's something that's hard to describe. A specific light. A special depth. A radiance. Then I often know after a short time: This stone has something about it. Such discoveries remain the most wonderful thing about my work to this day.

Experience cannot be replaced

Expertise is of course important in my profession. But experience is something that develops over many years. You can learn how to classify a ruby. One can study the properties of a sapphire. One can deal with origin, treatment, and value determination. But at some point, one begins to perceive the subtle differences intuitively. This trained eye is one of the most valuable things I have been able to develop over all these years. It not only helps me assess a gemstone, but also the question: Does this gemstone have the potential to become something truly special? What fascinates me to this day When you ask me why gemstones still excite me after so many years, the answer is actually quite simple: because I keep discovering something new. The world of gemstones is incredibly diverse. New finds, new color variations, exceptional cuts and rare stones ensure that it never gets boring. And even with gemstones that I have known for many years, I am constantly discovering new facets.

Perhaps that is also the secret of this passion: the more you know, the more you realize what you don't yet know.

Gemstones combine science and emotion

What I particularly love about my job is the connection between knowledge and emotion. I can professionally examine a gemstone and assess its properties. I can assess its quality and recognize its special features. And yet, afterwards I can simply look at him and enjoy his beauty. For me, both belong together. The gemologist in me wants to understand why a gemstone is the way it is. The jewelry lover in me simply wants to enjoy it. What is important to me Looking back on my professional journey today, I am grateful that I was able to make my passion my profession. I don't just want to evaluate gemstones. I want to understand them. I want to recognize their special features. And I would like to share this enthusiasm with other people. Because I believe that a gemstone becomes even more fascinating when you know its history. When you understand why its color is so extraordinary. Why its rarity means something special. Why its polish is crucial. And why two outwardly similar stones can still have a completely different character.

My passion has remained

More than three decades after my training in Idar-Oberstein, the world of gemstones still fascinates me. Perhaps even more than before. Because today I don't just see the beautiful gemstone. I see its characteristics, its special features, and its history. And at the same time, I can still enjoy an extraordinary ruby, a fascinating sapphire, a luminous tourmaline, or a special emerald like the first time.

That's the best thing about this profession for me:

You can know a gemstone very well – and still fall in love with it all over again.

Your Jasmine Jung gemologist (diamond and gemstone expert DGemG Idar-Oberstein)