Basics of Gemology (Gem Instruments and Identification)
Photomicrography of Gem Inclusions
Diamond Screening and Testing
Before becoming a jewelry appraiser, Randy worked at GIA’s New York City campus as a diamond grader, where he honed his microscope skills and volunteered as a diamond grading trainer, specializing in clarity grading. This experience laid the groundwork for his extracurricular research in inclusion identification and photomicrography. Randy’s path to gemology was non-traditional—he earned a B.A. in geological sciences from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, in 2013, with a focus on mineralogy, volcanology, and petrology. He holds the Certified Gemologist® (CG) credential from the American Gem Society, is a Certified Member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA), a Registered Gemologist Appraiser with the International School of Gemology (ISG), and serves on The Appraisal Foundation’s Personal Property Resource Panel (PPRP). In addition, Randy was awarded Gem-A’s 2023 Photographer of the Year, regularly contributes columns to the NAJA Quarterly Newsletter, and has co-authored research on using cross-polarized filters (CPF) as a diamond screening method.
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