Antoinette Bonanno Matlins Receives AGA Lifetime Achievement Award
For decades, Antoinette Bonanno Matlins, PG, has been one of the jewelry industry’s most recognizable voices for consumer protection and honest disclosure. Through books, television appearances, lectures — and industry advocacy — she has worked to correct widespread misinformation about gemstones and jewelry, helping both consumers and trade professionals better understand the responsibilities that come with buying and selling gems.
This year, that work was formally recognized when the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) presented Matlins with its Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her long-standing commitment to transparency, gemological education, and the highest standards of professional ethics in the jewelry industry.
“It was my honor to present the AGA Lifetime Achievement Award to Antoinette, whose professional contributions have had a lasting impact on the jewelry industry,” said Teri Brossmer, AGA Immediate Past President, who presented the award in Tucson, at the AGA Bonanno Award Gala.
Matlins entered the field of gemology with a specific goal: to combat widespread misinformation surrounding gemstones and jewelry — an issue she encountered early in her career and has worked to address ever since.
“The only thing constant in the field of gemology is change,” Matlins said, reflecting on the profession she has spent a lifetime helping to explain. “That’s why education has always been so important — sharing information and making it available to anyone interested.”
Her approach has always emphasized practical knowledge and professional responsibility. Even today, she notes that careful verification remains essential.
“I still check and double-check, as Dad would,” she said, “because even today, sellers make mistakes themselves — including the best and most respected.”
A former Gemology Editor for National Jeweler Magazine, Matlins also played an important role in AGA initiatives addressing gemstone investment fraud, helping raise awareness about misleading claims and high-risk sales practices.
Her teaching style — practical, direct, and accessible — has helped educate millions worldwide through television appearances, lectures, and publications. Her work has reached audiences ranging from jewelry buyers and trade professionals to miners and gemstone dealers, all with the goal of improving the understanding of gemstones.
“The most important thing was always sharing the information,” Matlins said. “Making it available to everyone who was interested.”
Among her best-known books are:
- Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide
- Diamonds: The Buying Guide
- Colored Gemstones: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gemstones
- Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-on Guide to More Confident Buying and Selling
- The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Pearls
- Jewelry & Gems at Auction: The Definitive Guide to Buying & Selling at the Auction House & on Internet Auction Sites
The award also carries a personal connection. The Accredited Gemologists Association traces its roots to the early 1970s, when Matlins’ father, gemologist Antonio C. Bonanno, and a group of his students began organizing programs to help gemologists stay current in a field that was evolving rapidly. That effort eventually grew into the organization known today as AGA.
For many in the trade — including this writer — Matlins has long been both a respected colleague and a valued friend, someone whose career has consistently emphasized the importance of honesty, education, and professional responsibility.
Today, that mission remains as relevant as ever. Through her writing, lectures, and advocacy, Antoinette Bonanno Matlins has helped generations of consumers and jewelry professionals better understand gemstones — and the importance of honesty and disclosure in the marketplace.
With its Lifetime Achievement Award, AGA recognizes a career devoted not just to gemology, but to raising the standards of the industry itself.
Congratulations, Antoinette!
Founded in 1974, the Accredited Gemologists Association is a professional organization dedicated to advancing gemological knowledge, ethical practices, and consumer protection within the jewelry industry.
Other AGA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
