Gary Roskin (pictured), CEO of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) and a former editor for JCK, has been chosen to receive the 2022 Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology from the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA).

Roskin began his career as a fourth-generation retail jeweler in Marion, Ind. After receiving his Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America, he worked at GIA from 1977 to 1992. Among his roles: assistant to the director of its Los Angeles lab; resident gemology instructor in both diamond grading and gemstone identification; and executive director of the GIA Alumni Association. From 1992 through 1997, he served as assistant of the European Gem Lab in Los Angeles.

He worked at JCK from 1997 to 2009. He later became gemstone editor for the Baselworld Daily News and founded a gem-based newsletter, the Roskin Gem News Report. A recognized authority on diamond grading, Roskin’s book, Photo Masters for Diamond Grading, is considered the authoritative text on the subject.

Said the AGA: “As a journalist he earned a reputation of always being open to discussing opposing views, while remaining committed to presenting the facts of a story, even if unflattering for the trade.”

He has also taught gemology as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Jewelry Design department while serving as a practical tutor for the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A). He became executive director of ICA in 2015 and is now CEO.

This is the second Bonanno Award in a row that has been given to a JCK alum. In 2020, former JCK editor Robert Weldon won the prestigious honor. There was no award in 2021.

“Gary Roskin’s contributions to the gemological community are many, and yet there is one common theme: Knowledge worth attaining is also worth sharing,” said former AGA president Stuart Robertson in a statement.

“It isn’t just what Gary knows—and he knows a lot more about the various aspects of gemology than I could ever hope to learn—it’s his dedication to passing on that knowledge that is notable. Through decades of accomplishments and success in very different areas of the industry, Gary Roskin has remained a teacher at heart.”

Roskin joins 25 of the world’s leading gemologists who have previously won the award. It includes a personalized plaque and a $2,000 honorarium funded by the AGA membership.

The award will be presented to Roskin at AGA’s Gala Dinner following its gemological conference on Feb. 2, 2022, at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel Conference Center. Tickets are available here.

(Photo courtesy of the Accredited Gemologists Association)

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