Alan (John Alan William) Hodgkinson, Award Winning Scottish Gemmologist, Author, Teacher: Dead at Age 87
Alan Hodgkinson
March 24, 1937-October 7, 2024
We are very sad to report the passing of our friend and colleague, award winning Scottish gemologist, Alan Hodgkinson.
The consummate gentleman, jeweller and practical gemmologist, Hodgkinson authored his own experienced and often times innovative gem testing procedures, Visual Optics, as well as a monumental gemmological textbook, Gem Testing Techniques, speaking directly to the identification of gemstones using commonly available – and affordable – gem testing equipment.
Hodgkinson taught, gave lectures and presentations, appraised jewellery, and was active with many valuers and gemmological associations, many of which awarded him honorary lifetime memberships, along with numerous medals and commendations.
To so many of us in the gem and jewelry industry, Alan Hodgkinson was the role model of a practical gemmologist. All of the standard available – and affordable – desktop gem testing instrumentation, including the more portable instruments, made up his gemmological tool kit, and utilized with such proficiency. He worked with filters, some he even helped develop (specifically those for separating natural from synthetic emerald).
Alan was awarded the first Diamond Award from the Canadian Gemmological Association (CGA), and the very first Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology by the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA), all because of his gemological knowledge and his willingness, his passion, to share what he had learned or discovered. In 2018, Donna Hawrelko, president of CGA, noted that “Alan’s contributions to gemmology in Canada have been unsurpassed. He has helped spark interest and furthered understanding with students and gemmologists across the country.”
Alan’s life was more than just a long list of credentials and awards.
He was a mentor, a friend, and above all, someone with incredible talent you could approach without fanfare, without ceremony. So it is Alan’s character that we want to highlight here, not his CV, by offering you several memories from those who knew him well, and knew what he meant to his gemmological family.
– You will read from Samantha Maclachlan, a fellow Sottish gemmologist, who shared a gemmological friendship with Alan.
– You will read from David Callaghan, former chairman of the NAG Council, former Gem-A chair, and former Society of Jewellery Historians’ president, who spent close to 50 years as one of Alan’s closest friends.
– You will read from Richard Drucker, who published Alan’s first book, Visual Optics.
– You will read from Antoinette Matlins, one of the daughters of Antonio C. Bonanno, and why the first Bonanno award was presented to Alan.
…. and more.
Alan Hodgkinson, live from Scotland.
Insert: Alan being awarded the Bonanno Award in 2000.
“My hope for my books use are two-fold: to aid gem identification, and to encourage an active exploration of gemstones” Alan Hodgkinson
Gem-A / the Gemmological Association of Great Britain
“Alan was a Fellow of Gem-A and attended the conferences, gave talks, and was a keen supporter of the Association,” notes Pat Daly, BSc FGA DGA EG & Senior Tutor for Gem-A. “He was a member of the Council of the Gemmological Association (renamed Gem-A) for many years, coming down from Glasgow to London to attend meetings. He took a close interest in gemmology teaching, inviting our then Director of Education to see how he ran his courses, and exchanged views on best practice.”
“Alan’s experience has informed gemmology teaching at Gem-A, as it must, especially as regards his emphasis on practical gemmology. Visual Optics (the Hodgkinson Method, as it is titled online) is incorporated as part of the practical work in the Diploma course, and it is intended that knowledge of it should be more widely known.”
Interview with Alan Hodgkinson
February 12, 2022
There is a wonderful interview with Alan on gemtesting.shop, the official retailer of Alan’s book, Gem Testing Techniques, hosted by Alan’s daughter, Valerie Hodgkinson. He speaks of his entrance into the jewellery trade, his education, his favorite books, how he came to teach in London, and even his first speaking engagement in the United States.
“The courses took off, and over the next few years, virtually all the UK trade enrolled. The next development was an invite to take the courses to South Africa. Over the following decades, I was invited to lecture and run workshops in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and the United States where I delivered lectures at the Tucson Gem Fair over the following 30 years. One of the spin-offs was a lecture tour of 14 American cities in 26 days!”
“For your invaluable contribution in the detection of synthetic emerald,
and for the development of simple instrumentation and identification techniques known as ‘visual optics.'”
AGA and the Very First Bonanno Award
Since 2000, the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) annually presents the Antonio C Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology. Named in honor of her father, Antoinette Matlins tells us that presenting Alan Hodgkinson the very first Bonanno Award was an obvious choice. “It was a combination of his passion and love for gems of every type, and his commitment to staying knowledgeable about anything and everything that humankind might create or develop to alter, change, imitate or conceal that might be necessary in order to correctly identify a particular gem. He spent his entire life looking, writing, lecturing, and demonstrating simple testing techniques, because, as my dad used to say, ‘The only thing constant in the world of gems is change.'” Alan Hodgkinson saw this never ending change, and spent a lifetime testing gem materials, understanding their reaction to light, determining how treatments could alter those reactions, and what tests were needed – or needed to be invented – in order to help others to identify the gems they were buying and selling.
“My father derived the greatest pleasure of each day, sharing his knowledge, or a new gem he’d seen,” continues Matlins. “He’d love to share anything he saw, learned, discovered, or knew about gems with anybody who was willing to listen. And so did Alan.” Hodgkinson loved to share the knowledge. He loved to educate others who shared his interests. “And that’s why we were thrilled to nominate him for the very first Bonanno Award,” says Matlins. “We were delighted to to honor him, because he reminded us so much of our own father. Who better to receive the first award than Alan Hodgkinson?”
Richard Drucker
“I met Alan Hodgkinson in the mid-1980s in Tucson,” notes Richard Drucker, GIA GG, Honorary FGA, and President Emeritus of Gemworld International, Inc. “At dinner one night he had a few of us in the parking lot teaching us visual optics by moonlight and car headlights. Only those of you that know his technique will understand and appreciate this, but if you do not know what this is, make this a challenge to learn it. Alan was one of the most brilliant gemologists I ever met. He was humble, kind, and always generous with his time to teach and share his knowledge. In the early 1990s, I organized a trip for Alan touring the USA GIA Alumni chapters lecturing and hands-on demonstrations of visual optics.”
“You could say that he revolutionized gem testing with his inexpensive, yet highly effective method of gem identification. I was fortunate to publish two books for Alan, Visual Optics and Visual Optics II. His daughter went on to publish his third book, a complete book on the subject of gemology titled Gem Testing Techniques.”
“Alan will be greatly missed not only as a genius gem mind but also as great friend to myself and so many in the industry. Alan and visual optics has touched the lives of thousands of gem enthusiasts in our industry.”
David Callaghan
“Alan Hodgkinson was my life-long friend,” writes Callaghan.
“It is difficult to be certain when I first met Alan, but it was at least 50 years ago.” Callaghan had received his FGA with Distinction from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, [aka “qualified”] a few years earlier than Hodgkinson.
“In 1961 there were 65 successful FGAs from many countries other than the UK. Of those, 14 qualified with Distinction, amongst which was a certain John Alan William Hodgkinson, entered as from Aberdeen, Scotland.”
“I first knew Alan when we both served on the Council of the former Gemmological Association of Great Britain [now simply Gem-A]. I had been elected to the Council a couple of years or so before Alan, and he was the Scottish Branch representative. In those days, most of the Council had qualified as ‘hobbyists’ or as ‘academics,’ and virtually all of them held degrees.”
Neither Hodgkinson nor Callaghan went to university. Both had learned gemmology within the retail trade. But that never stopped them from moving up through the ranks. “Eventually, I became Chairman of the GA, a post I held from 1980 until I stood down in 1994. I was not on the Council owing to my gemmological merit, but because of my experience in the London trade.”
“When Alan first served the Council, he was rather looked on, and in some cases looked down on, as a bit of an outsider, perhaps as a hobbyist. The older generation were rather patrician in their attitude. Suffice to say, Alan was always a great supporter to me, and we became firm and loyal friends.”
Hodkinson’s Visual Optics took years to be accepted by gemmological schools, and Callaghan thinks back on those days. “I suspect that it is difficult to teach at a theoretical level. It needs direction and guidance.”
“Alan’s name is known throughout the world and justifiably so. Both his family and ours were the closest friends of the late, and much missed Eric Bruton – “uncle” Eric to our three daughters – and Alan has now joined the ranks of the great gemmologists.”
Callaghan places Alan Hodgkinson in the company of some of the greatest gemologists in recent history. “I have been very fortunate in my career and life in knowing many of the legends in our field – Basil Anderson, Robert Webster – my tutor – Dick Liddicoat, Bob Crowningshield, Dr. Gübelin, … and particularly Alan Hodgkinson. Lucky me!”
We agree!
Stuart Robertson & Çiğdem Lüle
“Cigdem and I had visited Alan and Charlotte in Scotland a number of times during the past 15 years,” says Stuart Robertson, president of Gemworld International in Glenview, Illinois. Stuart Robertson & Çiğdem Lüle are past recipients of the AGA’s Bonanno Award, and the Scottish Gemological Association‘s Catriona Orr MacInnes Award for significant contributions to our gemmological world. “We shared many hours with both in Tucson and in the lounge of the Queen’s Hotel in Perth, Scotland where the SGA conference was held for years. In those early days, we would sit in the bar with Jamie Nelson, Alan Hodgkinson, David Callahan, and a host of others until the wee hours of the morning discussing various gemological challenges and enjoying a scotch or two. Those evenings were as enlightening of as any lecture you’d hear in any conference.”
“Alan appreciated people that were willing to share gemology. ‘No one owns education. It’s all ours to add to and improve.’ In that regard, Alan did plenty of both.”
“It’s a real loss. A part of Alan will live on for years to come through lessons taught via his books.”
Sammantha Maclachlan
FGA DGA FIRV MJVA AJP PJDIP CPAA
“One of my favourite memories was in 2013 or so, when Alan came into my store and gave a free training session to around 10 members of staff (who really weren’t interested in gemmology beforehand). He brought with him a collection of peridots and showed them Visual Optics – they were hooked! Later in the day I found one of the staff members holding a peridot ring from stock up in front of their eye to the light, trying out the technique.”
Like many of us, Alan Hodgkinson was a mentor. “To me, Alan was a big part of my gemmological journey. He was very supportive and often checked in on me to see how I was doing, suggesting alternative techniques when I was finding something difficult. It was so amazing how he could make something suddenly make sense! He continued to watch my work. As he slowed down his travel, he would watch my presentations by zoom and then email me his thoughts. These emails are something I will cherish.”
Alan and Charlotte were at Maclachlan’s Gem-A graduation ceremony. “Alan told me how proud he was that Scotland had a new gemmologist.”
Sharing Images – Contact Sammantha
Maclachlan has all of Alan’s gemmological slides… 40+ years of his career, with photos and photomicrographs of thousands of stones/synthetics and more.
“All he asked of me was that I share these (of course he did, as that’s what was most important to him) with anyone who wanted them for presentations, etc. If anyone wants to get in touch with me, I’m happy to search the listings for slides they would like to view. They can email me on this email address – Sammantha Maclachlan [email protected]
On a personal note:
Alan Hodgkinson was a friend and colleague. He was always supportive, always willing to listen, and more importantly, always willing to share. I will miss the pleasure of sitting down with him for a drink and a focused and enlightening conversation on gems. He lived to be 87, which is exceptional, but we can’t help but think that he left us way too soon. We are all going to miss him.
We will never forget all you have taught us.
Thank you Alan for a gemmological life well-shared. – gr
The Live presentation from Scotland with Alan Hodgkinson during the Tucson Conference 2023, courtesy of the Accredited Gemological Association. https://accreditedgemologists.org/
