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Brendan Laurs Honored With 2025 Bonanno Award
Laurs is the editor-in-chief of Gem-A’s The Journal of Gemmology and an expert on the formation of colored gemstone deposits.
Brendan M. Laurs is the recipient of the 2025 Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology. An annual honor bestowed by AGA, the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of gemology and the gemstone industry. (Photo credit: Robert Weldon)
San Diego— The Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) announced Monday that Brendan M. Laurs, a geologist, gemologist, and editor, is the recipient of the 2025 Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology.
The organization—whose members select the recipient of the award—said the honor reflects Laurs’ “exceptional influence on the field of gemology and his enduring commitment to the scientific study and global understanding of gemstones.”
Based in the San Diego area, Laurs is an internationally recognized expert on the formation of colored gemstone deposits.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master’s in geology from Oregon State University. At Oregon State, his graduate work focused on pegmatite-related gem deposits, including emeralds and tourmalines, in northern Pakistan.
He is also a Gemological Institute of America Graduate Gemologist (GG) and a Fellow of the Gemmological Association (FGA), a designation given by The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A).
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The organization—whose members select the recipient of the award—said the honor reflects Laurs’ “exceptional influence on the field of gemology and his enduring commitment to the scientific study and global understanding of gemstones.”
Based in the San Diego area, Laurs is an internationally recognized expert on the formation of colored gemstone deposits.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master’s in geology from Oregon State University. At Oregon State, his graduate work focused on pegmatite-related gem deposits, including emeralds and tourmalines, in northern Pakistan.
He is also a Gemological Institute of America Graduate Gemologist (GG) and a Fellow of the Gemmological Association (FGA), a designation given by The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A).
AGA said throughout this career, Laurs has conducted research on colored gemstone deposits around the world, including ones in Africa, Brazil, Asia, and the United States.
He also briefly served as an exploration geologist for Kennecott Exploration Co., working with rare gemstones such as benitoite and red beryl.
From 1997 to 2012, Laurs was the editor of Gems & Gemology, GIA’s quarterly scientific journal.
Since 2013, he has been editor-in-chief of Gem-A’s The Journal of Gemmology and has played a key role in putting together the association’s annual conference in London.
Laurs is slated to be a featured presenter at the AGA Gemological Conference in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 4, and will be formally honored at the AGA Gala Dinner-Dance that evening.
He will receive a personalized award plaque and an honorarium funded by the AGA membership.
For more information, registration, and tickets for the 2026 AGA Tucson Conference and Gala, visit the AGA website.
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