In addition to teaching courses in Gemology, the History of Jewelry Design and the Art & Science of Appraising at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and Johnson County Community College, Tom teaches the public how to buy gemstones and jewelry through private seminars and lectures, given in private homes, country clubs and a variety of other private venues which serve as meeting space for the hundreds of groups with speaker programs around the city. Tom’s presentations are free!
Topics are chosen by the organization, or we can make recommendations for topics after we learn a little about your organization and the purpose of the presentation. Lectures vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and certain organizations wishing a more detailed overview of gemstones may request multiple bookings.
Tom is available for evening presentations throughout the year, but we request bookings as far in advance as possible.
Here is a brief list of the most popular presentations the past 42 years. Each presentation is custom-designed to the needs and goals of the organization.
- How Much Is A One Carat Diamond?
- The Three Great Colored Gemstones: Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire
- Identification and Valuation of Estate and Antique Jewelry
- A History of Gems, From the Bible through the 20th Century
- Liquid Green Luxury and the Important Gemstone Jade
- An Evening with Opal
- How to Judge Pearl Quality
- The 12 Gemstones in the Breastplate of Aaron
- Important Diamonds
- Judging the Quality of Diamond
- The Importance of the Jewelry Appraisal