Barry Mixon Shares Gems of Wisdom Through His Life Experience
Barry Mixon shares Gems of wisdom through his life experience (Chicago, IL) Barry B. Mixon describes himself as a Gemmological storyteller, spelled with two m’s because of the European influence. He uses the art, science, history and magic of gemstones, precious metals, and fine jewelry as a template to get people to discover the value of their own stories.
As a student of the field for 18 years, science has always been a part of Mixon’s life. He received his degree in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry from State University of New York. Later, he became a gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America and advanced gemological studies from the Gemmolgoical Association of Great Britain.
He is a proud veteran of the Marine corps, serving from 1978 to 1992.
A Diamond in the rough
Mixon moved to from New York to Chicago in the winter of 1992, a move that would find him homeless for year. During his experience, Mixon began looking at his life with three degrees and as an accomplished military veteran. He remembered feeling like a rock.
“It got me to start to think about what value is,” reflected Mixon.
Mixon found interest in gemstones because of the way people saw value in them. He began to apply the characteristics in appraising the gemstones to people.
“There is no such thing as racism in gemology because in gemology, the more color you have, the more value you have,” said Mixon.
In comparison, a colorless diamond would never be jealous of a ruby. An older gemstone holds more value than a younger one. A bigger gemstone is worth more than a smaller one. Mixon understood that if we saw gemstones like this, then we can see people in a similar way.
Diversity in the industry
In the gemological industry, there is not much representation for African Americans. Mixon is the only professionally trained African American Gemological Appraiser in the Midwest. Some of the barriers are the expenses and education required to get into the field, as well as general awareness.
Through Mixon’s studies, the history of mankind has revolved around gemstones. Most of the time, the people who have dug, cut, and mined these stones are people of color.
“When you think about how much people of color have been a part of this industry, I wanted to approach it in a way where it wasn’t them against us. It’s about how gemstones are seen throughout the world,” says Mixon.
Finding Value
A book that helped Mixon turn his life around was As A Man Thinketh. He began to apply the concept of bringing his thoughts to reality, a concept that has earned him numerous awards and recognition.
Mixon is a public speaker with Toastmaster, where he is a Distinguished Toastmaster and the only 5-time District Champion, and even competed in the world championship for public speaking.
He took his time in the marines and co-authored a book, Suited for Service, with other veterans.
Mixon is also recognized as a distinguished teacher for Chicago Public schools, and before the pandemic, taught and lived in France four months out of the year. Now, he teaches Science, History TEFL and Storytelling online to middle and high schools in five continents.
He is a recipient of Chicago Defender’s 2020 Men of Excellence Award and a proclamation from the state of New York.
Mixon will receive the 2021-2022 Global Educator of the Year award from Congressman Danny Davis on February 19. This moment will be full circle for Mixon because he recalls being homeless in the same district that Davis oversees.
Mixon’s advice is to the next generation is to tell a story. He dedicated his life to helping others find the value in their story.
“The most important thing that you can ever do in your life is to tell a story,” said Mixon.
Barry Mixon shares Gems of wisdom through his life experience
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