MEET OUR STAFF
CHRISTOPHER P. SMITH, G.G., President, Chief
Gemologist
 Chris
Smith is a 20 year veteran of the gem and jewelry industry with a
distinguished international career. He began his life long interest
in gemology in 1986, when he joined the GIA Laboratory, then in Los
Angeles, CA, after graduating from their graduate gemologist and
graduate jeweler’s programs. Although initially a diamond grader, he
quickly transitioned into the Gem Identification department where he
worked with such notable gemologists as Shane McClure, Robert E.
Kane, Chuck Fryer, Emmanuel Fritsch, and many others.
In 1991, Chris went to work for the Gübelin Laboratory of Luzern,
Switzerland, where he eventually became Director of the Laboratory.
At that time, he was the first gemologist ever to have worked for
both the GIA and Gübelin laboratories. In his nearly 12 years at the
Gübelin Laboratory, Chris oversaw operations, developed key new
services, and expanded the scope of Gübelin’s operations globally.
He also pioneered research into several areas of gemology,
including the further development and refinement of
country-of-origin criteria for rubies, sapphires, emeralds,
alexandrites, and other gemstones. This innovative work included the
characterization of ruby and sapphire from a number of newly
discovered deposits, such as rubies and sapphires from Mong Hsu,
Nepal, Tajikistan, and Vietnam, as well as other localities.
As part of his research activities, he has visited a number of
gem mines, including those in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Ural Mountains
in Russia, Australia, Tanzania and Thailand. While focusing a great
deal of his efforts on the determinations for country-of-origin, he
also has worked extensively on the distinction between treated and
non-treated gems, including research on a variety of heating
techniques for corundum, HPHT treatment of diamonds, and other
treatments. The origin-of-color and its identification in ruby,
sapphire, diamond, coral, tanzanite and other materials, the
identification of and distinction between natural and synthetic
gems, and the further development of analytical techniques and their
applications in gemology also have been focuses of his work.
In 2003, Chris returned to the GIA Laboratory, this time in New
York. As the Director of Identification Services, he was involved
with the development of colored gemstone services and research. In
December of 2006, Chris joined AGL as Vice President and Chief
Gemologist to spear-head the growth and development of their colored
gemstone services. In April of 2009, Chris became President and
owner of AGL.
Chris has made innovations to several areas of gemological
testing and its applications for the gemstone industry, including:
landmark studies on the detection of HPHT treatment of type II
diamonds; methods for examining the internal growth structures of
gemstones; the application of infrared spectroscopy for the
distinction between non-heated and heated rubies and sapphires; the
“TE” system of classifying and quantifying the heat treatment and
presence of heating residues in rubies and sapphires; the
development of “off-site” gemological testing for major
laboratories; and most recently, a revolutionary classification
system for gem-quality rubies and sapphires.
Along with his identification and research work, Chris has
published and lectured extensively on various gemological topics
[link to publications: Christopher P. Smith]. In February 2009 Chris
received the Antonio C. Bonnano award for Excellence in Gemology
from the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA). In 2007, Chris
was awarded the Richard T. Liddicoat award by the American Gem
Society (AGS). He is a past recipient of the Most Valuable Article
Award in Gems & Gemology and has been a member of their technical
review board since 1993. He also was a founding member of the
Laboratory Manual Harmonization Committee (LMHC).
ELIZABETH QUINN DARENIUS, B.Sc., G.G., FGA, Senior Gemologist
 Elizabeth (“Betsy”) Quinn Darenius received her degree in
Geosciences from the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1993. While
attending the University, Betsy realized her passion for mineralogy,
gemstones and jewelry. In 1996, she enrolled in the Graduate
Gemologist resident program at GIA in Santa Monica. After earning
her G.G., she joined the staff of European Gemological Laboratory (EGL)
– Professional Gem Sciences in Los Angeles working for Tom and
Myriam Tashey as a staff gemologist. Betsy gained immeasurable
experience in diamond grading, colored gemstone identification,
publication, industry networking, and photomicrography by working
closely with the Tasheys, Gary Roskin, and Richard Hughes. Three and
a half years into her employment at EGL/PGS, she was promoted to the
position of Colored Gemstone Division Manager.
In 2001, she joined the West Coast Identification Department of
GIA where she had the opportunity to work with Shane McClure, John
Koivula and Dino DeGhionno. There, she spent four years performing
identification of colored gemstones and identification and
origin-of-color of colored diamonds – in addition to authoring and
co-authoring several Gem News International and Lab Note entries for
Gems & Gemology [link to publications: Elizabeth Quinn]. While at
GIA, Betsy completed the FGA (Fellow of the Gemmological Association
of Great Britain) diploma course and passed her examinations the
first time through.
Betsy was chosen by GIA to relocate to Geneva, Switzerland in
2005 to work with Franck Notari and Thomas Hainschwang as a liaison
between the GIA Gem Tech Lab and the U.S. based laboratories. In
early 2007, she relocated to New York City and acquired the position
of Senior Gemologist at AGL.
Betsy has been a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association for
thirteen years and was on the board of the Los Angeles Chapter for
just under five years – positions held include publicity chair,
secretary and vice-president.
MARIA FRANCES, Office Manager
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Maria Frances has a degree in business management from St. Johns
University and is a graduate of the GIA Diamond Grading course.
Maria has over 18 years experience in the industry, working for the
GIA Laboratory in New York for 16 of those years. At GIA she was the
Supervisor of the Transport Services Department, servicing
international and domestic clients with customer service and customs
needs. During this tenure, Maria gained vast experience with
inventory control, workflow management and transportation
requirements of high-value assets. At AGL, Maria manages the lab
flow process and all our client requirements. She is also your
contact for our Colored Gemstone Exchange website (CGE). |
SUN JOO CHUNG, Administrative Coordinator
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Sun has been with AGL for the past eight years. Under the tutelage
of Sun, the high-quality of AGL gemstone imaging was developed. In
addition to being our report processing specialist, Sun coordinates
AGL’s client relations together with Maria Frances, administrative
duties with Helene Smith, and imaging needs with Bilal Mahmood.
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BILAL MAHMOOD, Imaging Specialist
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Bilal has been involved in the photo industry and magazine
publication for over six years. His work as an imaging editor has
appeared in Italian Elle, Vogue, and Boston Common, as well as in
various trade and commercial advertisements. As the AGL
photographer, Bilal is involved in all image capturing, and is
continually working to provide the highest quality images in the
industry for our GemBriefs and Prestige Reports. |
HELENE SMITH, G.G., Administrator and Bookkeeper
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Helene Smith is a third generation specialist in the gemstone
and jewelry industry. She earned her Graduate Gemologist diploma
from GIA in 1985 and has extensive experience buying and selling
gemstones and jewelry. She is the wife of Christopher Smith, and
during their time in Switzerland Helene served as the Vice President
of the Swiss-American Society in Luzern. |
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