It all began in 1991, my first trip to Australia. An elderly couple invited me to go prospecting for garnets in the Harts Ranges, East of Alice Springs and right there and then, I fell for the passion of gems… a passion that led to prospect for many different types of gemstones.
By the age of 12 I had been in the deepest mines bearing the best Black Opals in Lightning Ridge to prospect for sapphire in narrow gullies. This was followed by Gold Fever – hard to find but so much adventure and pleasure that it was hard to resist up to now.
In 2004 I decided I wanted to master the art of gemstone study, being able to see and know so much more about gemstones without having to look for them. After defending my thesis “Color Centers in Diamond”, I graduated in 2006 as an accredited Gemologist of ACAM. Later that year I took the exams for the Federation for European Education in Gemology and accrediting me to FEEG Gemologist.
I had little to no interest in doing appraisal work as I understood very fast that certificates and appraisals usually only have an impact on people who have few knowledge of gemstones. Often prices are rather to be dictated by groups of people who earned their trust in auction houses, where a gemologist has little influence. Therefore I decided to remain an independent gemologist focusing on research in gemstones and gold alloys.
As gemstones and jewelry come at high prices, it’s hard to obtain large amounts of study materials. In able to research as many gemstones and jewelry as possible, it is achievable through voluntary research during the process of destructing jewelries bought by gold buyers, knowing that gaining knowledge is your only bonus. It might be sacrificial and frustrating to many, but on this manner one can find ways to research them in the future without the jewelry being destructed. It’s necessary to remember that when it comes down to falsifications and manipulations, the sky is the limit.
Fields of expertise
Analyzing problematic gemstones.
Research and testing of gold alloys.
Gemological expertise on mounted gemstones.
Inclusion photography.
Researching and development of classic/conventional gemological equipment.