It was Tuesday evening, September 9, at CONVERGE, when everyone in attendance rose to their feet to honor Al Gilbertson, CG—the 2025 recipient of the American Gem Society’s highest distinction, the Robert M. Shipley Award®. The award recognizes Gilbertson’s lifetime of excellence in gemological research, education, and service to the industry.
“Al’s ability to bridge scientific precision with an understanding of diamond beauty has helped elevate our industry,” said Katherine Bodoh, CEO of the American Gem Society. “We are deeply grateful for his contributions and proud to honor him.”
In 2000, he joined GIA as a researcher. He is one of the inventors of GIA’s cut grading system for round brilliant diamonds, and his name appears on several of the patents related to that system. He is part of the GIA team studying the influence of proportions and other factors on the appearance of fancy-shaped diamonds, working toward the development of a cut grading system for those shapes.
“Al’s impact on the gemological field is profound,” said Susan Jacques of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), who presented the award. “His work is at the heart of how we evaluate the quality of a diamond’s cut. He brings curiosity, precision, and an enduring passion for excellence to every project, and his legacy will continue to guide gemological science for generations to come.”
Gilbertson’s book, American Cut — The First 100 Years, is widely regarded as the definitive work on the subject. Before his time at GIA, Gilbertson brought decades of experience as a jeweler, lapidary artist, appraiser, and business owner.
A Graduate Gemologist® since 1979 and Certified Gemologist® through AGS the same year, Gilbertson has spent decades shaping both practice and theory in the gemological field. His early career spanned jewelry restoration, custom cutting, lapidary work, and appraisal services.
CONGRATULATIONS, AL!
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The American Gem Society would like to thank GIA for sponsoring the Robert M. Shipley Award® and Reception and for being the Education sponsor at AGS. Additionally, AGS would like to acknowledge the presenting sponsor of Converge, Jewelers Mutual® Group. For more information regarding the American Gem Society, please visit AmericanGemSociety.org.
The First 100 Years, by Al Gilbertson, chronicles the evolution of what we refer to as the Ideal Cut from its earliest beginnings. It was known as the American Cut because of Henry Morse, a diamond cutter in Boston, who by 1873, with the help of his shop manager, built the first bruting machine to make a diamond perfectly round. Prior to this, diamonds were rarely cut as round shapes. Morse also made the first gauge to measure the angles of diamonds and through repeated experiments decided which angles were the best for the crown and pavilion. Cutting factories copying his methods soon sprang up in America, and, by 1900, Morse’s style of cutting was called the American Cut. This book carefully documents others who also influenced the development and perceptions about the Ideal Cut, including Frank Wade, Herbert Whitlock, Marcel Tolkowsky, Robert Shipley and Richard T. Liddicoat.
The Shipley Letter
Framed along side the Shipley Award Medal is a traditional letter that is read about the honoree, and filled with a bio on some career highlights. At the award ceremony Tuesday evening, Susan Jacques, president of GIA, read this letter aloud.
Al Gilbertson was raised in the lapidary (gem-cutting) business and eventually managed a high-end AGS retail jewelry store that employed several custom goldsmiths. He later owned a high-end trade shop specializing in multiple areas, including platinum fabrication and antique jewelry restoration, and operated an appraisal service serving over seventy jewelers. Al holds a Graduate Gemologist® diploma (1979) from GIA and earned the American Gem Society’s Certified Gemologist® title the same year.
From 1971 to 1974, Al served in the U.S. Air Force as a Russian linguist, stationed in Washington, D.C. Being an only child, upon the sudden passing of his father Chester “Chet” Gilbertson, he was released from the U.S. Air Force to assist his mother, Ida Gilbertson, in the operations of the lapidary and retail business known as Gil’s Rock Shop in Tehachapi, California. In 1977, he joined McDonald Jewelers in Fresno, California, as a custom gem cutter and worked in appraisals, sales, and management. He later joined Tenbrook Jewelers, where he contributed to appraisal services and staff training at their locations in Albany, Newport, and Lincoln City, Oregon. In 1987, with the encouragement of Marty Zell of the retail store Zell Brothers, he founded Gem Profiles as an independent appraisal service in Portland, Oregon. The company eventually provided appraisal services and custom lapidary work for over 70 jewelers. During this time, he also owned Gilbertson & Co., a platinum and goldsmithing company specializing in custom jewelry manufacturing, restoration of period jewelry, custom fabrication, rendering, and model making.
Al is best known for his groundbreaking work on the appearance of gems and diamonds. He contributed to key committees or gemological initiatives that helped to establish the Cut Grade Standards for AGS Laboratories. In 2000, he joined GIA as a researcher and became one of the inventors of GIA’s cut grading system for round brilliant diamonds. His name appears on several of GIA’s patents related to that system. He is currently part of the GIA team, studying the influence of proportions and other factors on the appearance of fancy-shaped diamonds, working toward the development of a cut grading system for those shapes.
His book, American Cut — The First 100 Years, is widely regarded as the definitive work on the subject. In 2017, Al received the AGA Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology. More recently, Al has authored and taught GIA’s Jewelry Forensics.
In his personal life, Al is a devoted husband to his wife, Laura, of 54 years, a loving father to his daughter, Amanda Davis, and her husband, Neil, and the adopted grandfather to Orion and Phoenix Parker. Al’s continued quest for knowledge and joy in teaching others continues in his personal life. He enjoys writing and sharing his love of gems through his Facebook page, as well as sharing messages of encouragement and faith through his blog “Stirring Our Pot.” He is a mentor and teacher through his local church to both young and not-so-young and provides financial support to those in need. Along with his wife, he volunteers and supports education abroad through SAFE/Africa and Gogo Grandmothers, in support of grandparents raising their orphaned grandchildren in Malawi, Africa. This support enables them to grow their own food, provide housing, build schools, and offer further educational opportunities for the youth in remote villages.
Al Gilbertson has made a lasting impact on the American Gem Society because of his outstanding commitment to professional excellence, education, innovation, and customer and community service. As an American Gem Society member who exemplifies the high purposes, objectives, and ideals of the American Gem Society in the industry he serves, the Society finds Al Gilbertson a worthy recipient of the American Gem Society’s highest recognition, the Robert M. Shipley Award.
About the American Gem Society
The American Gem Society (AGS), founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley, is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to ethics, knowledge, and consumer protection within the jewelry industry. AGS awards credentials for its members, who are held to the industry’s highest standards and must pass annual recertification examinations to maintain their titles. Members of the AGS are passionate about jewelry and dedicated to creating a positive buying experience for their customers. Visit americangemsociety.org to learn more.
Left to Right – Bill Boyajian, Georgie Gleim, John Carter, Cos Altobelli, Doug Hucker, Kathy Calhoun, Bill Farmer,
Al Gilbertson, Ellen and Charles Lacy, Clayton Bromberg, John Koivula, Susan Jacques, and Jim Shigley.
© Image courtesy of GIA
Image courtesy of AGS
Tap here for the complete list of Past Shipley Award Recipients.
