Who is the Author? Over the next few weeks I will tell you a bit about myself and why I am writing the Gemstone Detective series.
Who is Kim Rix? Why are you the right person to write this book?
I’m a wife, daughter, aunty, cat-lover, gin-drinking, sun-worshipping, 4 ft 11 Ninja! I’m also a professional photographer, a gemmologist and I love to travel.
I have a very well-travelled family, who now live all over the world. Over the years I have listened to their stories, admired their photos and wished my lottery numbers would come up so that I too could pack my suitcase. As time went on, I found it harder and harder to ignore my wanderlust and realised that I couldn’t just wait for that lucky ticket – I had to get out there and do it for myself.
Something else that had been brewing up inside me for a while was the urge to learn everything I could about gemstones. I had fallen in love with gemstones as a young girl. At that tender age, all I knew was that my birthstone was amethyst, and that diamonds were a girl’s best friend. From then on, I grabbed every available opportunity to look at gemstones. It became a bit of an expensive hobby and maybe even a bit of an addiction! One day, I decided that I should turn my hobby into something more serious – so I signed up for a course at the GIA.
Then there’s my photography. I’ve had a passion for photography since my twenties. I love capturing the beauty of life in all its guises. On holiday that usually means wildlife, people, street photography and occasionally landscape photography. Something that not everyone knows is that 99% of the photography in each book was taken by me on my research trips.
When I had the idea to write this series, it just felt perfect. I knew the books could help people like the young me – people who loved gemstones but didn’t know much about them. It’s not just my expertise in gemmology that makes me the right person to write these books – I’ve had the bad experiences, myself. Several years ago, I got caught out in Egypt. I thought I was buying a real ruby at a bargain price, when in fact it was just a cheap synthetic, made in a lab. If I knew back then what I know now, that wouldn’t have happened! I don’t want other people to make that same mistake…
You’ve combined three passions into a career – that’s really inspirational! How did you do it?
It’s easy. Once I came up with the idea, I made a commitment to myself to do it. About 4 years ago, I was diagnosed with heart disease. I made a few lifestyle adjustments and I’m fine now, but it was a pretty scary realisation. It really brought home to me how precious life is. I was determined to get this series underway quickly, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. I believe you have to grab life with both hands and make the most of it while you can. I’m cramming each day with the things I love! I’m a self-taught photographer, I’ve always loved things that are shiny and sparkly, and I love travelling and exploring the world. Writing books which help people avoid buying a fake gemstone lets me do all these things. Now I life my life with passion, purpose and I’m getting an enormous amount of pleasure doing it!
What do you love most about photography, gemstones/jewellery and travelling?
What do I love most about it all? It’s hard to put in to words – I just love the freedom. I meet so many interesting people. I get to look at lots of lovely shiny things. And I’m seeing the world.
Who is the Author – part 2, will follow in a few days.
Kim Rix
Be sure | Be smart | Buy with confidence