What is your favorite restaurant in the world?
Das Spiessbratenhaus, Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Best steaks I have ever eaten.
What is your favorite off-the- beaten-path destination?
Pima Air & Space Museum.
Tell us something that most people don’t know about you.
My wife and I have physically traveled around the world, starting inWest Palm Beach.We have been to the NewYork Dia- mond District and cutting facil- ities in Antwerp, Idar-Oberstein, and Bangkok; we have mined in Georgia, North Carolina, and Arkansas.We have traveled to every state in the Union except for Iowa and North Dakota; and most of Europe, including all of the United Kingdom.We have cruised the East,West, and Southern Caribbean, all of the Hawaiian Islands, the Mediterra- nean, and the Nile from Cairo to Nubia. In these travels, we have viewed gemstones and jewelry in their respective museums (i.e.,Al- exandra,Athens,Cairo, Idar-Ober- stein, London,NewYork, Smith- sonian, Paris, Rome, etc.). Since the mid-1970s, I have only missed twoTucson shows. P.S. I went to school with Burt Reynolds, George Hamilton, and Chris Noel.
Whom have you admired in the colored gemstone industry? That one, stand-out individual— and why. There are so many, including my mentors. I can’t single out any one of the dedicated indi- viduals who make the gemstone industry what it is today when compared to past years.They all seem to aspire to excellence.
of gemstone properties.Again, I cannot overstress interpersonal education and hands-on training with excellent communication. Please share your thoughts on respon- sible sourcing and social responsibility in the colored gemstone industry. I personally believe in the doc- trine of old:Your word is your bond sealed with a handshake. You should be courteous and professional at all times, and you should maintain trust and civil accord with your vendors and clients.
Above: Chuck Stoddard at 2020 AGTA GemFair ™ visiting with Rod and Grace from Rod Griffin Opals. Below: Chuck Stoddard and Judie Stoddard with Art Samuels and Renee Samuels Levine at the 2020 AGTA Spectrum Awards ™ Gala.
What is your favorite hotel in Tucson?
I don’t know about you, but it’s only a place to lay my head and maintain personal hygiene. So favorite hotels are not my love.And I am afraid continued annual price increases are going destroy the Tucson event(s).
What has your membership with AGTA meant for/to you?
It has meant an opportunity to continue my professional educa- tion through seminars presented by industry-recognized individ- uals, and to speak one-on-one with manufacturers, cutters, miners, suppliers, and profession- als of the gemstone and jewelry trade.Thus, allowing me to share my knowledge with others as a professionally recognized Inde- pendent Jewelry Appraiser and Consultant.
By David Baker, GG,AGTA Membership and Education Manager
Do you have a favorite “Tucson Colored Gemstone Story”?
Winning the 2017 Gem-A An- nual Scottish Gemmological As- sociation Conference registration fee was a memorable experience. It was my second Scottish Gem- mological Conference.
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