Robert Kammerling (1947–1996)
Kammerling’s reputation as a giant among gemologists is well deserved. After an exotic early career traveling to Tibet, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan with the U.S. Civil Service, Kammerling followed his passion for gems and enrolled at GIA in 1981. He aced his graduate gemology exam with the highest score his instructor had ever seen. Six months after passing with flying colors, Kammerling was a GIA instructor himself, teaching courses in gem identification and colored stones and fielding questions from students with his characteristic barbed wit and keen insight.
It wasn’t long before the tireless instructor turned writer. He began by updating
GIA’s Gem Identification Manual and ultimately coauthored (with Cornelius Hurlbut) the 1991 second edition of Gemology, a pivotal textbook in the field. In the 1980s and ’90s, Kammerling wrote hundreds of groundbreaking articles based on his research in far-flung gem locales. To the end, he remained convinced that true scientific understanding stems from firsthand experience.
As an individual, Kammerling was charismatic. As a gemologist, he applied that adventurous spirit and restless energy to practical breakthroughs in gem identification that benefited the industry. In the late 1980s, Kammerling and GIA colleague John Koivula investigated ways to identify diamond fractures filled with glass, a clarity enhancement technique that was wreaking havoc in the near-colorless diamond market. The duo discovered a practical visual clue, known as the “flash effect,” that became the identification standard. Joined by fellow researchers, Kammerling then went on an extensive U.S. tour to publicize the treatment and its detection.
Always a workaholic, Kammerling took his job home with him in the 1990s when leading the first major study of the emerald filler Opticon. Hunkered over mounds of emeralds on his kitchen table, he cleaned and treated them himself until the small hours of the morning. The consummate researcher’s persistence helped resolve a critical trade issue that had weakened demand for emeralds. In 2000, Kammerling’s contributions culminated in a new GIA emerald report gauging the degree of clarity enhancement in natural emeralds.
In 1995, Robert Kammerling received GIA’s Richard T. Liddicoat Distinguished Achievement Award. His far-reaching impact as an instructor, author, and researcher changed the industry for the better.
