We are proud to have world leading independent lab gemologists, gem dealers and experts as speakers and instructors.
Alberto Scarani
Alberto Scarani (GG) is an appraiser of the Chamber of Commerce and Registered Expert of the Tribunal of Rome and is vice-president of the Scientific and Ethic Committees of Assogemme. Alberto is the editor of the Rivista Italiana di Gemmologia and Co-Administrator of Gemologyonline.com. With Mikko Åström he founded in 2012 M&A Gemological Instruments, a company specializing in the manufacture of advanced gemological instruments.
Branko Deljanin
Branko Deljanin is President at CGL Canadian Gemlab in Vancouver. He is a research gemologist with extensive experience in advanced testing of diamonds and gemstones to determine origin of color. Branko is instructor of “Advanced Gemology” programs on diamonds and coloured stones offered in 17 countries on 4 continents. In 2001 he earned his Advanced Gemology Diploma (DUG) from the University of Nantes in France. He has been a regular contributor to trade and gemological magazines and presented reports at a number of research and gemological Conferences, including Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewelry Conference that he co-founded in 2015.
George Spyromilios
George, founder of I.G.L., is a Gemmologist and Jewellery Valuer. He is considered to be an authority in the Identification and Certification of Diamonds and Precious Stones in Greece. He is also an instructor holding Diamond Course and Coloured Stones seminars at IGL premises as well as at the Mediterranean School of Gemmology. Together with CGL Canadian Gemlab head gemmologist Mr. Branko Deljanin, George is a co-founder of the Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference (MGJC).
Gina D’Onofrio
Prior to joining Heritage Auctions, Gina D’Onofrio operated an independent gemological laboratory, appraisal service and consulting firm and has been catering to diverse private and corporate clients in the Los Angeles area. In 2013, Gina received Los Angeles Magazine’s coveted “Best in LA” award for her Jewelry Appraisal Services. Gina serves on the Gems and Jewelry Education Committee for the American Society of Appraisers and is co-instructor for their Appraisal Report Writing for Insurance Coverage course.
Kelly E. Hassen
Kelly began her career in fine jewellery at the age of 22 at BIRKS in Vancouver, Canada and over 20 years has evolved her industry skills working with notable jewellers such as Cartier and Costen Catbalue Goldsmith + Design. Kelly specialises in diamond, gemstone and jewellery buying; custom design and operations management while providing creative services such as jewellery styling; marketing, social media and advertising campaigns through her company Creatrix Consulting. Kelly is deeply committed to providing honesty and integrity in the jewellery industry and joined Gemometrics in July 2019 to provide sales, marketing and public relations services.
Mikko Åström
Mikko Åström is gemologist FGA (with distinction), laboratory technician and IT entrepreneur having more than 20 years of experience as a gemologist, head of the diploma courses of Gem-A teaching center at Helsinki and author of gemological articles, books and course materials. He has worked extensively in the field of gemological spectroscopy, designing and inventing UV-VIS-NIR, Raman, PL, FTIR and other advanced laboratory instruments.
Olga Okhrimenko
Olga Okhrimenko, Ph.D., has the experience of working in strategic management consulting companies and serving global production entities and retail chains. Having a particular focus on strategic market research, corporate and brand identity development, Olga sees brilliant opportunities for a thriving extension of the diamond’s life cycle. She currently collaborates with Octonus on strategic initiatives for the diamond market.
Roman Serov
Roman Serov is a researcher in Octonus Software. He has been studying diamond spectroscopy for the past 15 years. His main interests are technologies development for the diamond industry and scientific applications related with complex cases of natural/treated/synthetic diamond identification. He was involved in an extensive diamond optical performance study and the development of fancy coloured and colourless diamond optimization technologies and other technologies for the diamond industry.
Sergey Sivovolenko
Sergey Sivovolenko is the owner and the head of the Octonus company, which has been performing a range of diamond related research projects over more than three decades. Its line of highly innovative industrial software/hardware solutions for almost every stage of diamonds’ processing, appraisal and sales is appreciated by leading diamond manufacturers and laboratories worldwide as the forefront technologies. One of the key research focuses is the new diamond cuts with very high optical performance both in colorless and colored stones.
Shirley Mitchell
Shirley Mitchell FGA DGA FIRV PJValDip PJGemDip FNAJ is a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers (IRV) and has been in the jewellery trade for over 20 years. She started her own independent valuation consultancy in 2010 and was awarded the Association of Independent Jewellery Valuers (AIJV) Valuer of the Year and the IRV David Wilkins Valuer of the Year Award in 2013, an award she won for the second time in 2019., Shirley is Chairman of the Academy of Valuers, a senior member of the AIJV, a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers and Accredited Gemologists Association in the USA.
Stefanos Karampelas
Dr. Stefanos Karampelas is Research Director for the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (DANAT). He has experience as a Research Scientist for a period of seven years at Gübelin Gem Lab with a further year at Gem Research Swisslab, both in Switzerland. He is also a lecturer for the Advanced Gemmology Diploma at the University of Nantes, France, on pearls, laboratory methods applied to gems as well as origin determination of coloured gems. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, contributed to books, visited several gem mines and pearl farms around the globe. Stefanos is also frequently delivering lectures to international scientific conferences and gemmological meetings. He is a member of the Commission of Gem Materials of International Mineralogical Association, delegate for the International Gemmological Conference as well as member of the Editorial Board of Gems and Gemology and an Associate Editor of The Journal of Gemmology.
Yuri Shelementiev
Yuri Shelementiev has a PhD in geology and mineralogy from Moscow University. He is executive director of the Gemological Centre at the Moscow State University where he has developed educational programs and authored numerous gemmological books and articles. Yuri is currently President of the National Gemmological Association in Russia.
Elena Deljanin
Elena Deljanin, M.Sc., CGmA, FGA is a professional gemmologist with extensive experience in testing gems, colored diamonds as well as rough diamonds from different sources. She conducts research on the morphology of rough diamonds and is highly skilled in the use of traditional and advanced gem testing instruments. These include Visible and FTIR spectrometers which she has applied to diamonds from Canada, China, Brazil, Russia and Africa. She is considered an expert in the grading and classification of rough diamonds. Elena is instructor on “Rough diamond grading and evaluation program” in USA and Canada.