Despite growing up surrounded by her parents' mineral collection, it wasn't until Susi studied for the Diploma in Gemmology at The Gemmologicial Association of Great Britain that she discovered her true passion. 

After completing her gemmological training, intoxicated by the mixture of geeky science and aesthetically beautiful natural wonders the passion for gemstones and crystals was ignited. In order to delve deeper Susi embarked on two life-changing field trips to Sri Lanka and Tanzania with the Scottish Gemmological Association to gain a deeper understanding of sourcing gems. Having always been a conscious consumer it wasn’t until scrabbling around in a pile of tailings in Sri Lanka and spending days in the Umba Valley in Tanzania with a team of miners that Susi fully grasped the disparity between mine and market and the dark secrets of our industry. “Our lives and livelihoods, whilst worlds apart, are inextricably linked with the miners through gold and gemstones – and I for one, want that link to be a positive one. So when it came to creating a jewellery brand having this duty of care was at the very heart of all my decisions.” 

With over fifteen years hands-on experience in the jewellery trade Susi has honed her skills over the years. Starting with a short course in jewellery making at Central Saint Martins this has led her through 4 years training in Hatton Garden to becoming a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and studying jewellery design at The Gemmological Institute of America. After working at Holts in Hatton Garden as Stock Controller for three years, Susi felt all the building blocks were in place and in 2015 she launched her jewellery brand named after her passion for gemstones - The Rock Hound.