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Meet Glenn Preus, Ltd: The Marriage of Purity and Creativity
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Natural beauty is important to Glenn Preus. That’s not surprising when you find out where he lives.
“I came to Hawaii to go to college. I wanted to study business in an international environment. My location has a strategic advantage with timezones. I can speak to the East Coast and to Japan without being up all night. I also love the ocean and it has the best surf in the world. You could say it was on my radar for a few reasons.”
It’s not merely the natural beauty of the surf off Oahu that drives Glenn, but also the natural beauty of the gemstones he cuts, and Thesis Gems is honored to enjoy them.
Keep reading to find out more about Glenn Preus, Ltd. and how he carved out a niche in the gemstone industry that few people occupy – as a dealer and a cutter.
Nose to the Grindstone
It wasn’t all surf and sand for Glenn.
“I spent three years in Manhattan with Harry Winston. I started there sorting gemstones for their designers. That’s where my eye got trained. I became the youngest full commissioned salesperson in their New York salon. It provided me with a complete fundamental education.”
It was during his time in New York that a new interest began to gather steam for Glenn.
“I would spend all my break time with the diamond cutters, watching them and seeing the decisions they were making. It lit a fire in me for the cutting process.”
Even still… his transition into cutting wasn’t immediate. It was borne out of competitive necessity.
“I didn’t start cutting gemstones until the early 2000’s. I needed something to give me an edge over every other dealer. I had to build a better mousetrap. So, I immersed myself. Completely self-taught, literally nose to the grindstone. Fortunately, with all those years of training, my eye and experience gave me an interesting perspective.”
Out of the Ground. Unenhanced. Natural.
“In the gemstone world, we’re very cognizant of being sustainably run.” Glenn Preus, Ltd. specializes in natural precious gems. As such, the balance between beauty and the cost of finding it is at the top of his mind. The absolute vast majority (of gemstone mining) is done by artisanal miners. They’re miners in an off-season and farmers when the crops are in season. They’re aware of remediating the land.”
The relationship between the Earth that provides the gems and the people who work and wear them is central to Glenn’s business. “I’m dealing only in natural color. Out of the ground. Unenhanced. The color looks the way it is. That’s 2% of the market.
What I like about my niche is that’s an even smaller footprint. It allows me to make sure these artisans, either downstream with miners and rough dealers, or upstream with designers like Cate at Thesis Gems, are all valued properly. Sustainability has become a buzzword, but I’m proud to be in a corner of the industry that really walks the walk.”
At Arm’s length
“Every cutter is like a chef. We all have our own tastes and style. And we all prefer our own cooking over another.” After studying so many disciplines in the gem trade, Glenn Preus has developed a taste and aesthetic all his own.
“With the proper material, with the geometry I use, with the painstaking polish I put to the stone, I can craft a gemstone that will spark a visceral reaction instantly. Any gemstone can look good in two dimensions or in a case with the perfect lighting, but they can sometimes get lost in a real life situation. I want my gemstones to get a reaction in a dimly lit restaurant or at a walk in the park. I want it to throw sparks when it’s at arm’s length.”
Thesis and Glenn Preus, Ltd.
With a five-year partnership, Thesis Gems and Glenn Preus are perfectly paired.
“Cate is a fantastic designer with a great eye for detail. Our aesthetics matched the moment we found each other. The proof is in the pudding.” How could the partnership be more well matched? Easy. It couldn’t. “My taste is her taste.”
Find out more about Glenn Preus, Ltd. on Instagram.