Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry: Interview with the practical gemologist

Posted by LEIX.SU on September 14th, 2015

Educating our readers about the ins-and-outs of the jewelry industry is one of our biggest goals here on the Replica Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry blog, so we were very excited to conduct this interview with Kathleen Marino, aka the Practical Gemologist! Kathleen has literally a lifetime of industry experience to draw from, plus both the academic and professional credentials to back it all up. Read on and learn from one of the best!

Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry: Thanks for speaking with us, Kathleen! Could you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your work at The Practical Gemologist?

Kathleen Marino: Of course, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about something that I am passionate about! I grew up in the gemstone and Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry industry. My family owned and operated an amethyst mine in Northwestern Ontario for over 35 years. This meant I was able to be a part of the entire process, from taking the stone from the ground, to faceting it, to designing Fake cartier jewelry and then also working in wholesale and gemshow type environments, as well as retail sales. When I attended university, jewelry never quite left my mind. I received my Masters in Historical Archaeology from Sheffield University in England, where I focused on Anglo-Scandinavian decorative metalwork – essentially jewelry and other types of adornment. I went on to become a Graduate Gemologist at the Gemological Institute of America, working with an appraiser to learn the ins-and-outs of gemstone and jewelry appraising, and working for Heritage Auctions as a gemologist and cataloguer.

After leaving the fast-paced auction world, I was offered an amazing opportunity to write articles and product reviews for the National Association of Fake Van Cleef and Arpels Jewelry Appraisers, and in doing so I knew I wanted to shift my focus to education. I have always believed that an educated consumer base is necessary for the jewelry industry to thrive. I really wanted to build a place where I could demystify what gemologists do, as well as introduce consumers to new and interesting things in the gem and Replica Cartier Love jewelry world. Ultimately, I created The Practical Gemologist to open up to a much broader audience.