AGA’s Next Career Forum Is All About Gem and Mineral Museums
Registration is open now for AGA’s latest virtual “What Can You Do With Your Gemology?” career forum.

The virtual event will be dedicated to gemology careers in the world of gem and mineral museums.
A panel of gemologists will discuss their roles as museum curators, directors, and researchers.
Dorothy J. Asher, GIA G.G., is director of the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Possessing more than three decades of experience, Asher manages daily operations and staff, exhibition development and design, collection management, and exhibition loans, as well as educational programs for the public.
The Lizzadro Museum is known for its extensive collection and is notable for its Qing dynasty jade.
Raquel Alonso-Perez, Ph.D., is curatrix of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University.
Alonso-Perez’s duties encompass teaching, research, public education, and development of the Earth Sciences Collection.
She earned her Ph.D. in Earth and Material Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, and her FGA from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A).
Her research focuses on understanding Earth’s forming processes and the origin of gem deposits. She is also an associate editor for GIA and GEM-A.
McKenzie Santimer, GIA G.G., is a manager of museum exhibits and in-kind gifts at GIA headquarters in Carlsbad, California, a role she has held for 17 years.
Santimer oversees the GIA collection and designs exhibitions focusing on gemology and jewelry arts.
She is a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University and has Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Jeweler diplomas from GIA.
The virtual event is part of AGA’s programming to showcase career paths available to gemologists. The series began in 2021.
The virtual forum is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 at 9 a.m. PST and registration is available online.
The event is free and open to all.
Questions may be directed to Kate Donovan at katedonovan@accreditedgemologists.org.
The Latest

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association

In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.


The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

Colored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.

Longtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.

The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.

Jamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.

Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.

Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.

Honest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.

QVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.

The brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.

Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.

Sponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers

Cloud, who will officially join Blue Nile on Monday, spent 26 years at Tiffany & Co. and founded jewelry brand Roseate.

Garcia will take over from the company’s current CFO, Anders Boyer, who is retiring at the end of November.

Etsy CEO Kruti Patel Goyal explained why the company is letting go more than 200 employees as its performance improves.

The “Star Gazer” pendant, our Piece of the Week, is Syna’s tribute to curiosity and the discovery of something new.

Museum officials are looking to the public to help cover the “exceptional” costs involved in recovering from the July 5 smash-and-grab.





















