Gemological Institute of America Orange County

Ruth Fitzgerald was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She attended University of Oklahoma and University of Georgia. Ruth had a recent article published in the OC Register entitled "Your Money", informing how to select a jeweler and buy a diamond. Ruth is a member of the Accreditation Committee of GIA.

Fitzgerald is a private pilot and is the past president of the Experimental Aircraft Association of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She owns Jewelry Designs by Ruth Fitzgerald and Jewelry Appraisals of Orange County in Laguna Niguel, CA.

Hiro was born in Japan in 1945 and graduated from Kanagawa University in Yokohama with a B.A. in Spanish Literature in 1970. He immigrated to the United States and earned his GG in 1975. Since then he has worked all round the industry for such companies as U.S. Gemological Services Inc., International Diamond Company and several retailers. Currently, Hiro is a Sales Professional at Tiffany & Co., South Coast Plaza.
Hiro enjoys music, especially classical and flamenco. Along with gems and minerals, his interest includes the study of Japanese swords and antiques

David was born and raised in upstate New York, went to college in Ohio, New York and Massachusetts. he received his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Sommers is a Registered Professional Geologist and Gemologist and has practiced geology for more than 40 years. He still has an active consulting practice and is a Fellow and Chartered Geologist with The Geological Society (London). As a geologist, David had the opportunity to visit numerous mines in various parts of the world and was always fascinated by the mineral crystals, fossils and gemstones he found. He pursued his life-long interest in gemology at Santiago Canyon College and was awarded his Certificate in Gemology in 2007. He completed the GIA Colored Stone Grading Course and Basic Jewelry Repair & Stone Setting Course at Carlsbad, California in 2008.

David is a member of the Faceters Guild of Southern California and is learning the art of faceting gemstones.

In addition, he is an amateur mycologist avidly interested in collecting, cooking and eating wild mushrooms as well participating in other outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing.

Jo Ellen has been in the jewelry industry since 1978. She earned her GG in 1979 and passed the F.G.A. examination in 1982. Jo Ellen has worked in wholesale and retail before accepting a job in an appraisal laboratory. She held a management position at Guild laboratories in Los Angeles, CA, and was a research librarian at GIA in 1991. In 1994, she became the Curator of the Permanent Stone Collection at GIA for seven years.

Jo Ellen is currently the owner of Cole Appraisal Services in Carlsbad, CA.

Blaire Beavers is a self-described gem-geek. Brought up as the daughter of a geophysicist, her father used the deserts of Southern California as a textbook in geological formation, and planted the seed that blossomed into a lifelong love of gems and minerals.

Blaire holds diplomas for Accredited Jewelry Professional, Graduate Pearls, and Graduate Diamonds, and is working to complete her Graduate Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America.

In 2006, Blaire started a small business specializing in exotic pearls. In 2007 she was lucky to claim a coveted spot on the GIA Alumni Pearl Tour, traveling to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia.

Blaire was recently honored with the winning essay for the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers Scholarship to the 2008 Winter Conference in Tucson, Arizona and was invited to write an article for GIA’s The Loupe on the 2008 Sinkankas Symposium.

Susan is a native Southern Californian. She holds a B.A. in English and philosophy from Westminster College in Salt Lake City and a Master’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from California State University, Fullerton. She has more than 25 years experience in retail public relations and marketing, media buying and business management. In 2008, she became a distance education student at the GIA, completing her Accredited Jewelry Professional certificate and then her Graduate Diamonds diploma. Currently, she is working on her Graduate Colored Stones diploma and hopes to complete her GG in 2011.

Michael Watson spent most of his life in New Albany, Indiana, and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Indiana University. He worked ten years as a diamond merchant and came to California in 1989.

Michael is the founder of the national Why Mom Deserves a Diamond® contest, in which thousands of kids express their written and spoken words of love for their mothers. Michael is also a member of the American Adoption Congress and the author of, Adopted Like Me- Chosen to Search for a Birthmother. He is the president of Gallery of Diamonds in Newport Beach, CA.

QuickTime Video: Gallery of Diamonds