Al Gilbertson is the 2025 recipient of the American Gem Society’s (AGS) prestigious Robert M. Shipley Award, honoring his lifelong commitment to the trade and his contributions to understanding the influence of cut on the appearance of finished gemstones. Named for the founder of both GIA and AGS, the award was presented to Gilbertson (see above) on September 9 at Converge, an event combining GIA’s gemological research and education with AGS’s professional development and networking opportunities.
Driven from an early age by a fascination with gems and minerals, Gilbertson was shaping cabochons at his parents’ lapidary shop in the 1960s. When a short stint in the U.S. Air Force as a Russian linguist was interrupted by the untimely death of his father in 1974, he returned to the family business. Thus began a storied career in the jewelry trade as a colored stone cutter, appraiser, custom jewelry specialist, and period jewelry restorer. Gilbertson’s inquiring mind and wide experience with gemstone cutting made him an invaluable research contributor on the appearance of gems and diamonds. After working on the team that established cut grade standards for AGS Laboratories, GIA recruited him as a researcher in 2000, where he helped invent the Institute’s cut grading system for round brilliant diamonds. Today, Gilbertson is an integral part of the GIA team developing a cut grading system for fancy-shaped diamonds. He is the seventh GIA recipient to win the Shipley award.
Al Gilbertson is the 2025 recipient of the American Gem Society’s (AGS) prestigious Robert M. Shipley Award, honoring his lifelong commitment to the trade and his contributions to understanding the influence of cut on the appearance of finished gemstones. Named for the founder of both GIA and AGS, the award was presented to Gilbertson (see above) on September 9 at Converge, an event combining GIA’s gemological research and education with AGS’s professional development and networking opportunities.
Driven from an early age by a fascination with gems and minerals, Gilbertson was shaping cabochons at his parents’ lapidary shop in the 1960s. When a short stint in the U.S. Air Force as a Russian linguist was interrupted by the untimely death of his father in 1974, he returned to the family business. Thus began a storied career in the jewelry trade as a colored stone cutter, appraiser, custom jewelry specialist, and period jewelry restorer. Gilbertson’s inquiring mind and wide experience with gemstone cutting made him an invaluable research contributor on the appearance of gems and diamonds. After working on the team that established cut grade standards for AGS Laboratories, GIA recruited him as a researcher in 2000, where he helped invent the Institute’s cut grading system for round brilliant diamonds. Today, Gilbertson is an integral part of the GIA team developing a cut grading system for fancy-shaped diamonds. He is the seventh GIA recipient to win the Shipley award.
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