Richard Drucker, president of Gemworld International and publisher of The Guide, the colored-gem wholesale pricing book, has been awarded this year’s Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology from the Accredited Gemologists Association.

Drucker, a third-generation jeweler, began the pricing publication in 1982. (His work appears in JCK every month in our Gem Pricing Report.)

Drucker has also published several industry books including The MicroWorld of Diamonds: A Visual Reference by John Koivula and Photo Masters for Diamond Grading by JCK’s Gary Roskin.

Drucker also owns and distributes Guide Appraisal Software, and in 2005 he opened Gemworld International Laboratories in New York.

Previous winners of the Bonanno award include Alan Jobbins (United Kingdom), Alan Hodgkinson (Scotland), C.R. Beesley (United States), John Koivula (United States), Robert Crowningshield (United States), and Henry Hänni (Switzerland). Also nominated for the 2006 award were Michael Cowing, Branko Deljanin, Ted Themelis, and Peter Yantzer.

The Antonio C. Bonanno award—named in honor of AGA’s founder—was created to recognize people who have made significant contributions to the field of gemology. According to AGA, “The award calls attention not only to the outstanding contributions of the recipient but to the responsibility of the gemological community to encourage and reward ongoing research, education, and dissemination of information.”