By Mauricio Minotta

Graduate Gemologist and Madagascar gemstone dealer Tom Cushman gave an entertaining presentation July 15 before a group of GIA students, saying it wouldn’t contain “too much meat, but lots of sizzle.”

“You’re all students of GIA, you know all your gemology, so I’m going to give you the other side of the business,” Cushman said.

He regaled members of the audience with stories of his travels through Madagascar and the years he has spent there as a prospector and a dealer of colored stones ranging from garnets, tourmaline and sphene to jasper, ruby and sapphire.

His informal talk was augmented by a slide-show presentation that featured colorful images of Madagascar’s wide-ranging landscape, various gemstone mines, small cutting centers and depictions of locals’ day-to-day life.

A self-described cross between Sinbad the Sailor and Indiana Jones, Cushman arrived in Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island off the eastern coast of Africa, in 1991 after a friend urged him to quit his job in jewelry retail for the chance to become a gemstone dealer.

He took that chance, and today is one of just a few American gem dealers who call Madagascar home, part of the year, to buy his goods and sell them to retailers at U.S. trade shows. The presentation also briefly covered Malagasy trade laws pertaining to the gem industry, which require dealers to register with the government and own a residence in Madagascar.

Part of Cushman’s lecture focused on the country’s political history, which he augmented with slides of the primitive landscapes that range from lush forests to sandy deserts. The country is criss-crossed by some government two-lane highways, but is mostly dominated by unpaved roads.

The images of the Malagasy homes where equally varied, ranging from tall apartment buildings in the capital city to humble dwellings made of bamboo and thatched roofs in the bush.

He also showed pictures of the gem market, where hundreds of colored stones are bought and sold each day, to give students an idea of what it feels like to work there. 

He closed his presentation with three tips for GIA students entering the gem and jewelry industry:

“Don’t quit,” Cushman said. “I know you’re all going to be successful, but this isn’t generally a business where you get rich overnight. So don’t give up. Also, don’t tell lies. It takes a lifetime to build your reputation, but you can lose it very quickly. So don’t go for the quick buck.

“Finally, pay your bills. If you know you’re going to come up short one month, tell the person you owe. This tells that person you’re honorable and honor is what we’re selling in this business.”