Andre Sengul, and where he learned it
A family in the jewelry trade, then the diamond side of the Los Angeles jewelry district from 1998. He came to the counter from the stone, which is an unusual way round.
He learned it from the stone side first
Andre went into the trade straight out of high school, out of a family already in it, and spent his first years as a diamond dealer supplying manufacturers on Hill Street in the Los Angeles jewelry district.
Dealing stones before selling rings is the reverse of how most jewelers arrive at a counter, and it is why a conversation here tends to start with what you already own rather than with what is in the case.
What he is asked for most
Setting stones, sizing, rebuilding settings that have worn thin.
Put it on the counter
Most of what he does starts with something already in a pocket or a drawer. There is no charge for putting it on the counter and being told what is worth doing.