Gem Dealer Stresses Importance of Education in the Field
By Larne Boyles

Tom Cushman, G.G., conducts his business of buying gems in the sunny courtyard of the Sweet Home Hotel. Shoeboxes filled with Malagasy cash are his bank. It may sound like an old-fashioned way to do business, but there’s nothing dated about the quantity and quality of gemstones he brings home from Madagascar.

Cushman, an experienced gem dealer, shared stories of his extensive travels to the island with GIA students during a Sept. 17 slide show presentation titled “The Madagascar Gemstone Trade.”

Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, is located off the southeast coast of Africa. The geological events that created the island have also made it a very gem-rich locale, Cushman said. Sapphire, ruby, garnet and tourmaline are just a few of the stones mined there.

“When buying stones, it’s common for people not to ask how much money you brought, as in the numerical amount, but rather how many bags of money you brought,” Cushman said. “Business might be a bit archaic, but out in the bush, your (gemology) skills have to be up-to-date.”

Cushman earned his Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Institute’s New York location in 1986. The gem identification skills he learned, coupled with an honest attitude, helped him survive and succeed in the Madagascar business, he said.

He believes so strongly in the value of education that he is in the process of trying to open up the first gemological institution in Madagascar.

“Madagascar is very rustic,” Cushman said. “When new mines spring up, it’s very much like the (American) Wild West was – you have saloons, casinos and some degree of lawlessness. By standardizing gem knowledge among the Malagasy, I think we’ll see some of this change.”

Cushman also went over the gemological equipment that is imperative in the field. Piece by piece, he shared the contents of his portable lab: a dichroscope, fiber optic light, a UV light, and much more.

But he saved what he called “the best piece” for last.

“This is probably the most important piece of equipment to have with you if you’ll be traveling a lot,” he said while holding up an inflatable neck pillow.

“Madagascar is about as far away from the U.S. as you can get,” he said.  “The long plane rides, as well as the times when you find yourself in situations where there’s nowhere to lie down – this little pillow is your best friend.”