Joe Lee Fga, Dg(Gia)
With over 28 years of experience in the fine and high jewellery industry, I am a certified FGA Gemologist and GIA Diamond Grader, passionate about gemstones, craftsmanship, and personalised client service. Throughout my career—including time with iconic brands such as Graff Diamonds—I have developed deep expertise in gemstone identification, bespoke design consultation, production management, and luxury retail for high-net-worth clients. Currently based in London and working with Kojis Jewellery, I continue to apply my knowledge in antique and fine jewellery, offering tailored advice and sharing the stories behind each unique piece. I bring a cross-cultural perspective to every interaction, fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and experienced in building trust with clients from around the world. Key areas of expertise: • Gemstone Grading & Identification (Diamonds & Coloured Stones) • Bespoke Jewellery Design Support • High Jewellery Sales & Clienteling • Quality Control & Inventory Oversight • Cross-cultural Communication & Private Client Service I value integrity, attention to detail, and meaningful connections—whether with customers, colleagues, or industry professionals.
At Kojis, a renowned retailer of antique and contemporary fine jewellery in London, I contributed to enhancing concession performance, ensuring exceptional service standards, and fostering a customer-centric environment. Core Responsibilities: • Sales Performance: Spearheaded initiatives to meet and exceed concession sales targets by leveraging market insights, competitor analysis, and refined product offerings. • Strategic Reporting: Conducted weekly and monthly business reviews, aligning on actionable insights and strategies to optimize financial outcomes. • Market Awareness & Sourcing: Maintained a keen awareness of jewellery industry trends to inform buying decisions, negotiate with international suppliers, and secure a high-quality, diverse range of products for our clientele. Customer Service Excellence: • Service Standards: Established a culture of elevated service excellence, continuously assessing and enhancing team product knowledge to ensure a premium customer experience. • Customer Feedback Integration: Analyzed customer feedback and response rates to refine the in-store experience and increase client satisfaction. Team Communication & Collaboration: • Daily Briefings: Conducted daily briefings to communicate sales goals, motivate team members, and drive alignment with concession objectives. • Cross-functional Coordination: Collaborated closely with Head Office departments, merchandising teams, and department store managers to support concession performance and drive sales opportunities. Operational Oversight: • Inventory Management: Ensured efficient and accurate stock handling, including inventory systems, paperwork, and deliveries. • Stock Control: Led and organized regular stocktakes to maintain inventory accuracy and operational efficiency.
Within this role, I managed the daily operations of the Graff Salon in the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel. Supervised a team of 10, attended to all clients, designed jewellery counter displays, and oversaw inventory control. Educated customers on quality, stone type, weight, cuts, and additional features of pieces. Offered clients advice and recommendations. Some key achievements of this role include: • Established and grew a client base of high-net-worth individuals. • Trained staff on policies for handling jewellery. • Nurtured relationships with existing, new, and potential affluent clients, fostering an environment of excellent service delivery before, during, and after sales.
Strategically oversaw and coordinated all aspects of sales, production, logistics, and distribution of products. Selected goods and services to be sold. Managed sales teams that delivered world-class customer service. Determined pricing structures and credit terms based on forecasts of customer demand. Implemented solutions to target underperforming areas/areas of opportunity. Managed and monitored vendors and third-party providers to ensure compliance with agreed terms. Some key achievements of this role include: • Generated +/- £97K at a jewellery fair. • Sourced, selected, and procured merchandise for resale; represented management in purchase negotiations. • Designed and implemented departmental policies, procedures, goals, and objectives in partnership with board members, organization officials, and staff.
Effectively translated long-term strategies into actionable, operational plans. Developed and monitored the execution of the production schedule in accordance with budget and time specifications. Controlled inventory and handled assortment and distribution of stones to factories. Investigated, addressed, and resolved manufacturing and planning conflicts. Liaised with and updated clients regularly. Some key achievements of this role include: • Created a diamond collection with enamel and titanium which generated $5M revenue. • Trained jewellery staff from Louis Vuitton headquarters for patent of LV cut and knowledge. • Served as a final decision maker.
I owned full stock management of all diamonds and colour stones. Oversaw sample development and conducted quality control inspections on final products. Updated and managed the production plan. Reported on inventory to the general manager each month.
Provided gemstone information to clients and sold loose diamonds and high-end jewellery. Created products displays. Performed stock takes and placed orders with suppliers to ensure operations and service delivery was effective and efficient.