The AGS Way: Q & A With Diane Flora

by DanielGordon on November 1, 2010

Hey everyone, Daniel Gordon here. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I’m very excited about this post today. I’ve always felt very strong about Education being essential for the evolution of any industry. Diane Flora is a very important part of that in the jewelry industry. I have had the great privilege of getting to speak with Diane recently and I thought it would be informative and valuable to see how much work and what what goes into what she does with AGS to ensure that happens every single day. Here is some information about Diane, and then a Q & A about AGS and the important role it plays. Hope you enjoy.

Diane Flora is the Director of Education at the American Gem Society.  She plans, directs, and coordinates the educational programs of the AGS both for completion of titleholder requirements and continuing educational opportunities for the members.

Diane has been a member of the American Gem Society since 1977, earning the prestigious title of Certified Gemologist in 1988 and Certified Gemologist Appraiser in 1992. She is also a GIA Graduate Gemologist.

Before joining AGS in 2002, she was an instructor of extension education for the Gemological Institute of America, where she presented courses in diamond grading, gem identification, and colored stone grading.  She also developed and presented courses in pearl grading, synthetic diamond, and synthetic and treated gems.  Prior to GIA, she was the co-owner of two AGS member retail jewelry stores — Flora Jewelers in Decatur, Illinois, and Alderson Flora Jewelers in San Diego, California.

Since 1934, the mission of the American Gem Society has been to maintain high educational standards of its members and promote ethical business practices that protect the consumer.  Proven ethics, knowledge, and consumer protection — the AGS is committed to strengthening public confidence in the jewelry industry, enhancing the success of all.

(AGS Campus Located In Las Vegas, NV)

Q1 What is the history behind AGS? How did it get started and become what it is today?

Robert Shipley established the GIA in 1931. By 1934, there were groups of graduates that wanted to share their knowledge. Hence, he established the American Gem Society – much like the first alumni group of GIA graduates. As the school moved from a private school to be open to the public, AGS remained a Society by election. There were and remain requirements in education, experience, and ethics in order to become a member.

Q2 What types of services does AGS offer to the consumer and the jewelry industry?

To the consumer: a roster of professional jewelers who have proven their expertise and integrity through membership in the American Gem Society.
To the industry: The AGS sets a high standard of business professionalism and ethics, which raises the bar to all jewelers.

To our members: a shopping list of services such as credit card processing, private label credit cards, brochures, print and other advertising, continuing education programs, credentials. Our best benefits to our members (according to our members) are the professional credentials and our annual Conclave.

Q3 What goes into to grading a diamond at the AGS lab and how is the final grading process determined?

The AGS Laboratories employs a team of experienced diamond graders and is licensed to use the Diamond Grading Standards of the American Gem Society. Our Standards use grades of 0-10 — 0 being the best — to describe the cut, color, and clarity of a diamond. There is a set procedure that every diamond goes through once it is received in the lab – including screening for synthetics and treatments.

The grading system is a performance-based grading system which utilizes proprietary software to establish metrics for light performance and proportions. The diamond grader then must evaluate the symmetry and polish in order to establish the grade. This Performance-based grading was introduced in 2004 and is the only scientifically vetted diamond grading program.

Q4 What is the definition of a AGS Jeweler and how does that benefit a consumer?

The American Gem Society is an elite group of retailers who have met the highest professional standards in the industry. Each member store is required to employ at least one full time person who holds one of our professional titles of Registered Jeweler, Certified Gemologist, or Certified Gemologist Appraiser. This titleholder must renew their credential EVERY year by successfully completing a Recertification exam.

For the consumer, their benefit is that they can shop with confidence at a member’s store and the associates in that store are living up to our tenets of proven ethics, knowledge, and consumer protection.

Q5 What type of educational courses does AGS offer and how does one go about getting involved?

For members, we offer the AGS Way course, a signature course that all potential titleholders must complete. There is an additional requirement for a title in appraising, the CGA exam.

For members and non members, we offer the Graduate Sales Associate course, a concise home-study course in Diamonds, Color, Pearls, Metals, Watches, Vintage Jewelry, and Sales. We also offer the Advanced Personal Property Appraisal course for those interested in advanced appraising methodology.

To become a member, the store must make an application to the Membership department. The store must have been in business for a minimum of two years to be considered.

Q6 What can you share with us about future plans for AGS?

Our current project is a new look for our website, www.AmericanGemSociety.org, specifically designed with the consumer in mind. Our main purpose is to drive the consumer to the retailer. This is scheduled to go live Nov 30, 2010.  We have our Facebook Fan page and Group page. There is an American Gem Society MEMBER ONLY group on LinkedIn. For the consumer, we also have the AGSBlingBlog, dedicated to educating the consumer in a fun forum of short stories.

Specifically for our members, we have developed the AGS One Minute Engagement, a completely new approach to showing and selling diamonds using technology from our performance based grading. The Presentation ASET, a device which demonstrates the light performance of a diamond, is exclusive to our members as is the training to best utilize this technology at the sales counter.

So that’s about it for this post. Thanks for taking the time stop by…I truly hope you enjoyed learning a bit more on how education and ethics play a huge role in today’s jewelry world. Diane is a shining example of this and one of the many industry leaders whom I have a huge amount of respect for. Her passion shows and it’s something I believe we must not forget how extremely important it is to ensure the future of our industry’s success.

Love to hear from you with Questions, Comments and/or any feedback you’d like to post in the comments section down below.

Have a great week!

Respectfully, Daniel Gordon

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One On One With Paul Tacorian

by DanielGordon on October 28, 2010

(Pictured from left to right Paul, Gilda, Haig and Nadine Tacorian)

Hey everyone, Daniel Gordon here . As we continue to improve and enhance our blog content to be of more value and substance to our readers, we will be interviewing people to hopefully share with you more of an inside look at the jewelry industry. Showcasing interesting, talented and forward thinking guests to appear on the blog that help shape and add immense value to the jewelry industry in various ways from many different aspects.

My first guest is Paul Tacorian of the prestigious and very well known bridal and fashion jewelry brand, Tacori. To introduce Paul to you, here is a little information and some background.

About Paul:

Paul Tacorian, SVP of Marketing for TACORI, heads the Marketing and Sales Departments for TACORI, one of America’s leading names in jewelry.

As the face of TACORI, Paul has been a celebrity style expert consultant for almost a decade, and has appeared on a variety of television shows and networks including – The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Today ShowQueer Eye for the Straight GuyGood Morning America, The Dr. Phil ShowExtra!, The Style NetworkE!, and more.

Paul has also been a favorite of celebrity clientele, including Tina Fey, Paris Hilton, Brooke Shields, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Ellen Pompeo, Her Royal Highness Catherine Oxenberg and more. As an expert jewelry contributor, interviews with Paul have been featured in numerous publications, including – People magazineModern BrideElegant BrideInStyle WeddingsLos Angeles TimesLife & StyleMartha Stewart Weddings and Us Weekly, just to name a few. Hailing from a multi-generation legacy of jewelers, Paul joined the family business in 1997 after completing his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Marketing at California State University at Chico.

As you can see, Paul has accomplished many things on many levels for our industry and his family’s company. Someone I am proud to call a friend, as well as a business brand partner. Here’s a little Q & A we did recently, smart guy I have a huge amount of respect for. So here goes, hope you enjoy…

Q1 How did you decide to come into the family business and what was the experience like for you in the very beginning?

Paul:  “When I graduated college, I considered working for someone else, or working for my family to build upon what they had created.  It was a natural choice to join what my family started.  With my background in marketing, I was able to create more opportunities for the business and explore creative ideas that the business – and the industry – hadn’t yet embraced.  It was incredibly satisfying to be able to join my family and present new ideas and new opportunities to take our business to the next level.”

Q2 What are your day to day duties now and what do you love doing most in the business?

Paul:  “As the SVP of Sales & Marketing, I lead these two arms of the business.  I see myself in large parts being both the brand manager and brand ambassador for Tacori.  What I love most about what I do is evaluating the marketplace and coming up with exciting new ways to create more awareness and interest in Tacori.”

Q3 Was there a point in time where you really realized the brand was taking off and what aspects do you attribute the success?

Paul:  “Two words: The Bachelor.   Being part of the original “Trista & Ryan Wedding” catapaulted Tacori into the national eye, and that’s when Tacori really became a household name. We took great care to harness that incredible momentum to create even more exposure for Tacori through unconventional PR and marketing avenues.”

Q4 What goes into making a Tacori ring from beginning to finished product?

There’s so much love and care that goes into every handcrafted Tacori design. What’s important to say is that we, as a Family, are dedicated to creating each Tacori design here in California, where we are intimately involved in the design process every day.  Here’s a great video to showcase each aspect that our Family oversees: You can watch it here, Tacori Video

Q5 How do you decide what look to create and how does a style become an actual part of the line?

Paul: “This is really a question for my father, Haig Tacorian, who has the incredible design vision for Tacori.  Every day, he has a design idea to explore.   As a company, Tacori is inspired to create the most beautiful handcrafted designs.  We are ever-evolving with new styles every year, creating contemporary heirloom treasures that our clients love.”

Q6 What do you see in store for Tacori next? Any future plans or ideas that you can share with us?

Paul: “We see Tacori becoming the best bridal and jewelry brand in the industry and the most sought after brand in the industry.   Not necessarily the biggest, but the best at what we do.  We are always coming up with new ideas, new designs, and new innovations.  For what’s next…you’ll just have to wait and see!”

Well, there you have it. Directly from the man himself. I have loved the brand and look of Tacori since I very just started in the business, and the passion for the line obviously shows. :) Here’s some more info and background on the company.

About Tacori:

Spanning four decades, Tacori designs have fused classic elegance with modern inspiration, creating some of the world’s most highly regarded and exquisite jewelry. The stunning beauty and intricacy of each piece of Tacori jewelry is the result of an uncompromising passion for artisanship. Handcrafted in California, these remarkably detailed rings and fine jewelry pieces become the timeless symbols of connection that join individuals and generations.

Tacori Heritage:

The Tacorian family’s proud tradition of passion is expressed in everything they create. The Tacori legacy begins with Haig Tacorian, patriarch of the family, who in 1969 left Europe to start a new life in the United States.  In California, Haig and his wife Gilda devoted themselves to creating fine jewelry with a unique and distinctive European flair. Haig is still the father of the company, with his son Paul and daughter Nadine, as well as several other Tacorian family members, all carrying on the family tradition of passion, quality, attention to detail and personal customer care.

Today, the care Tacori brings to every piece of jewelry is inspired by Haig’s original vision.  Tacori not only creates intricately crafted artisan jewelry, but also upholds a family legacy.

If you would like to learn more about Tacori you can connect and interact with Tacori on Twitter, Facebook, Website and their YouTube channel here. Hope you enjoyed the visit with Paul and info on what Tacori is all about. Comment are most welcome. Questions and ideas even for future blog post topics and people you would like to hear from.

As always Greatly Appreciate you taking the time to read and stop by.

Respectfully,

Daniel Gordon, 

Samuel Gordon Jewelers

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Over the past five years  I have been working at Samuel Gordon Jewelers, there is one main question that almost always pops up when someone is considering options while shopping for a fine timepiece.

The question is: Which is best suited for me, a battery powered Quartz watch or an Automatic movement containing moving parts inside the casing to keep it running?  To answer this accurately, I would have to say there are specific reasons that both have their pros and cons to consider when weighing which piece of machinery is best suited for your needs.  What might be a perfect fit for one person may not exactly be the best choice for another.  Both types of movements have their pros and cons.  By knowing a few specific things about each type of movement, you should be able to determine which watch is the better choice for you personally.

Quartz Advantages

Depending on your preferences, quartz watches do have some definite benefits over automatics.  One benefit is accuracy.  Quartz watches are extremely accurate. Their margin of error is less than one second per day. If you are in a line of work or and industry where you need precision, I would highly recommend this type of movement.

Another benefit for some people is the weight factor.  A Quartz  movement timepiece in many cases are much lighter than the automatic version of the same style watch, which  look the same but in reality contain two entirely different mechanisms inside.

The final point I will make of a possible benefit to many would have to be the maintenance factor. As a rule of thumb, Quartz movements are powered by a battery, so therefore they do not rely on motion and moving parts alone like an automatic, which results in servicing being much less expensive. Power Cells (or watch batteries) usually run continuously for about two years.  This means you won’t have to wind the watch or reset the time if you don’t wear it for a couple of days like you would on an automatic movement that is powered by movement and motion.

Recap: Accuracy, Price, Maintenance

Quartz Disadvantages

Quartz watches do have a few disadvantages when compared to automatics depending on your needs and lifestyle.  The first thing that comes to mind is lifespan.  Eventually, as in every industry, technology can change and in some cases parts for a specific movement could become obsolete.  If this were to occur and your quartz movement needs repair due to something other than a dead battery, it is most common to go ahead and replace the entire movement.

Another disadvantage for a quartz watch is water-resistance upkeep and maintenance.  Due to the fact a battery replacement is needed approximately every two years,  the watch case is opened more frequently and therefore needs the seals and gaskets replaced at that time to ensure it is restored back to the condition of water resistance stated on the case-back, if any.  If you choose to have just the battery replaced and not the seals and gaskets, then you are at risk of getting moisture into the watch, which will most definitely cause severe damage to the movement itself if it occurs. It does cost a bit more, but depending on the price you paid for the watch and the importance of the timepiece to you, it’s a personal decision on what you decide is best for you.

Recap: Replacement, Water-Resistance, Repair

Automatic Advantages

Automatic movement watches have several advantages over Quartz.  Longevity is probably the number one benefit.  Most automatic watches are considered to be heirloom pieces.  This means they have the potential to last for several lifetimes, not just a couple of decades or more. Quartz watches have circuitry which will not last forever, Automatics are built with many moving parts and require no electronics to run. Therefore the quality of the parts in the piece can lead to a very long, if not, indefinite timepiece to hand down to generation after generation.

The next benefit I would have to address is the fact automatics do not have to be serviced nearly as often as quartz watches.  This is a very good thing because the watch case isn’t opened as much, which means the water resistance will be at much lower risk for having any issues during the lifetime of the watch.

One more advantage that automatics have over quartz is not having to worry about a sudden stop due to an unexpected dead battery. With an automatic watch, if the watch has wound down and stopped for that reason, all you need to do is wind the watch by turning the crown, then reset the time and you are on your way again.  Also, being a collectors item and in many cases higher resale value can also be considered benefits when it comes to mechanical or automatic watches.  There are many automatic watches that are very valuable collector pieces due the workmanship, time, energy and craftsmanship that goes into making them a finished functional product.

Recap: Collectibility, Value, Longevity

Automatic Disadvantages

There are a couple of disadvantages to consider when it comes to automatic watches, as well.  Price is probably the number one reason most people would choose quartz over automatic.  Automatic watches are more comlex and require more skill and precision to assemble, therefore they will almost always be priced higher than a quartz piece.  The price of repairs and service on an automatic watch will typically be more than repairs on a quartz, but are needed less frequently.

Another main disadvantage for an automatic watch is ease of use if not worn or wound enough.  With an automatic, if you don’t wear the watch everyday or if you just aren’t very active, then the watch will have to be wound and the time and/or date set before you wear it in a running state again.  This process can be cumbersome depending on how frequently you wear the watch, how active you are, the ability of the length of each particular automatic movement to last time frame wise until wound down, and also if you have a if you have a winding box.

Winding boxes takes care of the problem of your watch winding down if you aren’t wearing it enough. They continually turn the watch intermittently in an enclosed case and come in many different form factors, styles and designs, and will ensure your watch is running all the time to initiate motion of the rotor spinning.

And last but not least, Accuracy. As stated esarlier as a benefit to a Quartz movement, it could be a disadvantage to someone who needs as complete precision when it comes to gaining and losing time. Automatics have been evolved over time to be extremely accurate, although they do lose a little more time than most Quartz watches due to the fact they are powered by movement and motion, unlike a Quartz which contains circuitry and is powered by a power cell.

Recap: Expense, Maintenance, Accuracy

Well that’s about it for now, love to know if you are have any questions about watches, topics you’d like see covered in future, or any experiences you have personally had have regarding this topic.

Thanks again, and looking forward to your feedback, comments and or questions down below.

Respectfully,
Cory Wokaty

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