On leaving Durham University with a degree in geology I decided to join the Army. I then spent five years in the Irish Guards, the last two and a half of which were on secondment to Clarence House as the Queen Mother’s equerry. Being a geologist I couldn’t help but notice the magnificent gemstones in the Queen Mother’s jewellery. Indeed if I admired a piece she would sometimes take it off and give it to me to have a closer look. This inspired me to study gemmology and on leaving the Army I qualified as a Fellow of the Gemmological Association. Then, in addition to working as an exploration geologist in South Africa and a gold miner in California, I spent several years as a jewellery and precious stone dealer in London’s Hatton Garden.