In my ongoing quest to add interesting and valuable content to the Jewelry Collecting site, I research several new websites every week looking for outstanding products, services, and fascinating people I think you will enjoy reading about. When I find something exceptional, I contact the site owner, artist, or retailer and invite them to be interviewed, and write a story about them and their products or services. There are presently several articles in the works which will be published over the coming month and into the fall.
I also actively seek out information about gemstones, because after all, gemstones are the heart of any great jewelry collection, even costume jewelry which often celebrates the beauty of gemstones with wonderfully realistic simulants. Whether you collect precious or semi-precious loose stones like fancy diamonds, amethyst, goldstone, or ammolite, turquoise and silver Native American jewelry, or antique jewelry, one or a multitude of different gemstones are most likely the focal point of your collection.
I personally like to know everything I can about the gemstones in my own collection, and for me, a good understanding of the stone is an exciting part of the collecting experience. I know many of my visitors are also interested in learning more about the gemstones in their jewelry or loose gemstone collections, and that you would like to know more about the stone’s origin, formation, properties, faceting information, gemstone care, and what key elements you need to look for when purchasing loose gemstones and gemstone jewelry.
With this objective in mind, I set out last month to find an expert in the science of gemology who could answer our diverse and complex questions about gemstones. It is one thing to search the Internet and gather general information from a dozen anonymous online sources, and quite another to ask tough specific questions of a real person who knows what they’re talking about and who gives you direct and technically correct answers. I was determined to find such a person and invite them to be a contributor of gemological information and become an interactive participant by answering our visitor’s questions.
Welcome to ‘Our Gemology Expert’, Barbara W. Smigel, PhD. Graduate Gemologist, GIA
I am delighted to announce that I found our expert! I am pleased to introduce you to Barbara W. Smigel, PhD. Graduate Gemologist, GIA, who has accepted my invitation to be “Our Gemology Expert”. After a long hard search I could not believe my good luck in finding Barbara. My first peek into her website told me that here was a true professional, a gemologist with a wonderful talent for educating others, a flair for presenting the stories of gemstones, and whose impeccable attention to detail leaves no stone unturned (pardon the pun).
I have now had the pleasure of speaking with Barbara a couple of times by telephone (she in Las Vegas, Nevada USA and me in the Lake Simcoe region of Ontario, Canada) and learned something new and vastly interesting about gemstones each time. Barbara is a born teacher, and thankfully for us, loves to share her wealth of knowledge about gemstones and the science of gemology with those of us eager to learn.
We extend a big warm welcome to Barbara, and would like her to know how much we appreciate her acceptance of our invitation. I know her invaluable input will enrich your visiting experience here at the Jewelry Collecting site. Barbara will be sharing her gemological opinions, comments, and buyer guidelines for our ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About’ series of articles, each of which focus on a specific gemstone. She is also looking forward to answering your gemstone questions, and at least once per month we will feature one of your questions with Barbara’s answer to it.
About Barbara
Barbara’s PhD. in biology and illustrious credentials as a veteran professor of biology for more than 20 years gave no hint of the passionate gemstone collector she would later become. She had always thought of stones as places for bugs to hide under. Then about 10 years ago a serendipitous event changed the course of Barbara’s life. Casually leafing through a coffee table book about gemstones, she fell in love with the images of the stones, admired their beauty, and knew she wanted to collect them. This day marked the beginning of her journey of self-discovery in which she became not only astute student, but teacher, self-described ‘obsessive gemstone collector’, faceter (gemstone cutter), jewelry designer, and retailer with a fascinating and busy online gemstone shop, Artistic Colored Stones. Barbara was simply meant to be a gemologist, and gemstones have become her life’s work.
Barbara obtained her Colored Stone Diploma in 1998 and received the Graduate Gemologist credential GG (Graduate Gemologist) from GIA in 2003. Retired from her career as a biology professor in 2001 to dedicate herself to the increasingly busy Artistic Coloured Stones, Barbara still teaches biology and gemology courses as a “Professor Emerita” at Community College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. She has also developed an Introduction to Gemology course for Community College of Southern Nevada’s Geology Department. Starting out as a traditional on-campus format, this course is now available through CCSN in an Internet version and allowing students throughout the world to learn about the science of gemology. Kudos to Barbara for also creating an absolutely free version open to anyone interested in learning more about the science of gemology, but who don’t wish to take an official course with deadlines, grades, and fees, which you can access at Introduction to Gemology. I encourage you to check out this highly recommended resource.
As you can see, Barbara will be a wonderful asset to the Jewelry Collecting site and we appreciate her giving of her time and expertise for as long as her busy schedule allows. In communicating with Barbara over the last month, my interest has been increasingly piqued by the virtual library of gemstone material on her information-packed website. My creative spirit has been awakened by viewing her gemstone offerings, and her own unique and beautiful jewelry designs. I find myself more and more intrigued by the science of gemology, and have developed a profound appreciation for the relevance and value of gemstones.
As my interest in gemstones grows, so to does my desire to create gemstone jewelry and other gemstone creations. Lately I find myself daydreaming and sketching rough designs everywhere I find paper and pen. Soon I will begin my journey to master the skills and techniques required to execute my designs. Certainly learning about gemstones from a gemologist will fuel this new passion, and inspired by Barbara’s story, I intend to jump in with the same determination, fervor, and dedication Barbara had and still has for gemstones and gemology. Thanks, Barbara!
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