JTV Experts

Guest Expert

You can say that Anne Bever was raised with a turquoise heart. She was born in the heart of Turquoise country, Phoenix, and was influenced by the people who first celebrated turquoise. Anne’s father was the first non- Native American ever allowed to dance in a Comanche ceremony. Anne's father was an architect and connoisseur of anthropology; he raised his daughter to have the appreciation of the same knowledge and crafts. Anne fell in love with turquoise the moment she was given her first piece of jewelry at age 3. A Navajo cuff with five pieces of Sleeping Beauty turquoise artfully set by a native hand. In downtown Phoenix, the Hopi and Navajo artists would sell their goods to the passers-by from hand weaved blankets on the ground. Many of those artists now have galleries in Old Town Scottsdale and permanent exhibits at the Heard Museum. During this time, Anne’s house was opened for the invited Hopi artists, Apache dancers and Navajo weavers to stay during their museum exhibits and fairs.
 

Pearls Graduate, Jewelry and Gemstone Expert

Antoinette Matlins, P.G., is an internationally respected gem and jewelry expert, author and lecturer. Recently honored with the international Accredited Gemologist Association’s highest award for Excellence in Gemology, Ms. Matlins is the author of many books that are widely used throughout the world by consumers and professionals in the gem and jewelry field.

Former Gemology Editor of National Jeweler magazine for almost a decade, her articles and comments on buying and selling gems and jewelry, and on gem investment, have appeared in many national and international consumer and trade publications. She is also the author of the “Gemstones” chapter in the Encyclopedia of Investments.

Ms. Matlins has gained wide recognition as a dedicated consumer advocate. She has spearheaded the Accredited Gemologists Association’s nationwide campaign against gemstone investment telemarketing scams. A popular media guest, she has been seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, educating consumers about gems and jewelry and exposing fraud.

The Collector's Edge

Bryan began collecting minerals while growing up in Michigan. Later, at the Colorado School of Mines as a Geological Engineering student, Bryan honed his collecting skills by organizing mineral specimen mining ventures. In 1985, he and his wife Kathryn, founded Collector’s Edge Minerals, Inc. and embarked upon a life-long quest to explore for exotic and beautiful mineral specimens.

Bryan has explored for minerals on 5 continents encompassing 50 mining exploration projects during the past 30 years. His company has won awards for the preservation and conservation of mineral treasures; most notably the Carnegie Mineralogical Award and the Colorado School of Mines Medal. The company’s mineral discoveries are exhibited at mineral museums and mineral shows throughout the United States, Europe and most recently, China. Many are exhibited in the company’s showroom in Golden, Colorado.

Bryan is an accomplished author publishing mineral specimen articles for more than a dozen mineral magazines world-wide. He sits on the advisory boards of two Colorado museums and worked with State legislators on the project to create Colorado’s official State mineral: Rhodochrosite.

Leading International Jewelry Designer

At the age of 17, Charles was brought into the jewelry industry via the family business. He developed a keen eye for quality and style and thought about how nice it would be if all women could afford to wear elegant creations of fine jewelry. Charles Winston then formed his own jewelry manufacturing company creating fabulous jewelry utilizing sterling silver or gold. He incorporated cubic zirconia in lieu of diamonds and used lab-created (synthetic) gemstones rather than their natural counterparts. After the success of his CZ jewelry collection, Charles recognized the need for a line of jewelry that was a step up from CZ yet still affordable. He solved that problem by partnering with JTV®, one of the nation’s premier Moissanite retailers, and creating the Moissanite Fire™ Collection.

Charles Winston is internationally recognized as a leading jewelry designer of diamond jewelry, Moissanite® jewelry and CZ jewelry. His focus on cutting edge design, high quality and value has been the key to his success. He can be seen on television shopping networks worldwide.
 

JTV Gemstone Expert

A Graduate Gemologist and Fellow of the Gemological Association of Great Britain, Christopher has spent the last 4 years co-editing The Sisk Gemology Reference. He also acts as a customer advocate by inspecting and testing gemstones as they come into Jewelry Television to ensure they are exactly what our customers expect. He is an avid collector of vintage jewelry, gemstones, mineral specimens and spheres. Employed at Jewelry Television since 2006, Christopher spends much of his time immersed in the fascinating world of jewelry and gemstones.

Christopher’s passion for collecting valuables and precious stones began when he was shopping at a retired jeweler’s garage sale and he purchased a parcel of colored gemstones and a “lump of metal” that turned out to be GOLD! From that moment forward, the treasure hunt was on! But occasionally, he does become a commodities trader as he keeps an ever-watchful eye on precious metal prices. Unfortunately for his wallet, though, most of the treasures he acquires are never resold as they simply get added to his ever-growing collections. Christopher especially enjoys collecting vintage pocket watches and Mexican antique silver jewelry.

Christopher is now an Accredited Senior Gemologist with the Accredited Gemologists Association. He volunteers his time with a local gemological society for identifying gemstones. Christopher is always excited to attend major gemstone trade shows and is always on the look-out for the next great gem to bring JTV customers. Working closely with our vendors, Christopher has built a business rapport with them that allows for an easy trust and mutually beneficial working relationship. His favorite gem? Without a doubt, OPAL!

Jewelry Photography Innovator

Cindy was raised in Boulder, Colorado and Christchurch, New Zealand. Daughter of a scientist and inventor, Cindy has always been an entrepreneur and curious about how things worked. Trained as a goldsmith and holding a degree in business marketing, she established her own line of silver and gold jewelry and ran a factory in the Philippines for three years designing and marketing her own line.

Always an innovator, Cindy knew the potential of selling jewelry online but needed an affordable way to photograph her pieces without spending a fortune to hire a professional photographer. Frustrated by hot spots, shadows and inconsistent lighting, Cindy developed the Cloud Dome for her own use and has shared it with artists worldwide. The Cloud Dome is the perfect accessory for any photographer of any skill level aiming to achieve the highest quality digital photographs.

Moda Al Massimo Collection

Elian Schlesinger has spent more than half his life involved in every aspect of the jewelry business. Born the second of two children in Tel Aviv, Israel. Elian Worked in South Africa along side a famous diamond mine and diamond cutting center. He moved to the states to start his own jewelry business where he developed lightweight durable jewelry product. Elian currently resides in Westchester, NY. The appeal of timeless, high quality Italian jewelry at affordable prices is what separates Moda al Massimo Collection from other offerings on competing channels.

Italian Gold Expert

Federico Terenzoni was born in Arezzo, Italy. Later he studied communications in Siena, a beautiful medieval town between Florence and Arezzo. The town has always been an inspiration to Federico. After living in the United Kingdom, Brazil and the United States, he returned to Italy to develop a line of jewelry along with designers and artisans who are the heart and soul of Splendido Oro. Meaning glittering or shimmering in Italian, Splendido Oro is a line of handcrafted Italian gold, all designed in Tuscany, Italy.

Federico’s motto is: "If it is not comfortable, it is not modern: but beside comfort it is about women feeling good and when they feel good, they look good; so Splendido wishes to be tuned to what they need and what they would love to have. This is what makes the product different and emotional: emotions are very important for Splendido."

Federico is married with two children. He loves spending time with his family traveling around the Tuscan hills surrounding themselves with nature.

Senior Gemstone Buyer, JTV Bangkok

George Williams began his love of gemstones when his family moved from Kingston, Jamaica to Australia just after he graduated from high school. The family had barely settled in Canberra when he took off for Sydney to buy opals. Just by chance he met an older, established miner with a mine at the famed Lightning Ridge. That began the daring young man’s affair with opals! He eventually took over the mine, his first but not the last. By the age of 21, George Williams says he had bought and sold over a million dollars worth of opals!

Born in southern Mississippi, George Williams has spent much of his life outside the United States, working in the gem trade. And, oh, what a life it has been! Fluent in Portuguese, he has lived on three continents and was the on-site owner of an emerald mine in Brazil with 50 miners and six cutters. Today, George works out of our BBJ offices in Bangkok, Thailand after spending two years at JTV’s Knoxville headquarters. Passionate about traveling into the bush or to the source, George Williams has many fascinating stories about his life long journey romancing gemstones.

Colored Gemstone Expert

A third generation gem dealer, Jaimeen Shah's career in the gem industry began before his birth when his grandfather moved to Mombasa, Kenya, roughly 60 years ago and started their family-owned company by sourcing and exporting tsavorite rough material. The company later grew to dealing in many other African gems, including tsavorite, tanzanite, rhodolite, among others. Family members moved to Tanzania in the early 2000's to expand the business after export conditions became more favorable and the company quickly became one of the largest suppliers of rough Tanzanian gem material in the world. The company grew further to add a cutting facility in Jaipur, India, overseen by Jaimeen's parents, which is where Jaimeen's first stint in the family business began at the age of 16. After spending summer and winter breaks at the cutting facility, Jaimeen moved to the heart of the tanzanite market, Arusha, Tanzania, after graduating from college. There, he spent another 2 years learning another major aspect of the business from his uncle - buying rough material. At the same time, he also worked alongside miners at a tsavorite/chrome tourmaline mine that his family co-owned. Once fully trained in all aspects of the business, Jaimeen moved to New York, not only becoming the first family salesperson but helping to oversee all aspects of the sales operations. Today, the family-owned business maintains a buying office in Arusha, a cutting facility in Jaipur and a sales office the U.S., allowing retailers such as JTV to know the gems we purchase from Jaimeen's company are sourced directly from the mines and miners in Africa, then processed and cut by Jaimeen's company, ensuring no piece of rough has left their possession once purchased!

Artisan Gem Collection of Bali

In the almost 20 years in business there isn’t much Janyl hasn’t set or tried to set in her jewelry designs. Janyl’s imagination is endless and has been blessed to continue designing for the industry. This is why Janyl chose to create her designs with the silversmiths in Bali. She is able to use all these traditional Balinese techniques and incorporated gemstones into her distinctive contemporary and timeless designs. She continues to sketch and work with the smiths to create eye catching one of a kinds that every woman needs to add to their collection. Janyl always likes to design in full collections, so she likes to create earring, pendant, ring and bracelet in every gathering. She designs all silver collections with gemstones such as: topaz, quartz, moonstones, agates and drusy quartz. She loves to choose different types of cutting methods such as; polished, faceted, checkerboard, and fancy cuts. Janyl uses granulation and filigree techniques and which are all handcrafted by using master silversmiths to create authentic pieces of jewelry not commonly seen in jewelry stores. She enjoys working with the smiths to create new and different things that challenge her and the smiths to find solutions to create her exclusive jewelry.

JTV Senior Buyer

Jay Boyle has been a gem dealer since January 1980 and became a GIA Graduate Gemologist in residence in 1981. He has extensive overseas buying experience and has traveled to and purchased directly from many of the world's colored gem mining regions. These regions include Mogok, Burma, Cosquez and Muzo emerald mines in Colombia; sapphire mines in Sri Lanka and Kanchanaburi, Thailand; as well as the tanzanite and ruby mines in Tanzania. He began selling and marketing gemstones to several major home shopping networks in 1989. Jay is experienced in all types and qualities of gemstones from inexpensive to rare, one-of-a-kind gemstones as well as gemstone enhancements and identifying natural untreated gemstones. Jay is recognized globally as one of the world's expert colored gemstone buyers and has been frequently quoted in industry trade journals, radio and TV shows as a gemstone expert.

Jewelry Making Expert

Leslie Rogalski is an artist, editor, teacher, and media personality with a passion for creating jewelry. She travels around the country spreading the joys of making jewelry. The former editor in chief of a national bead magazine, author of the blog Sleepless Beader and many You Tube videos, her designs and articles have been and continue to be widely published in books and magazines from all the jewelry industry leaders. She is widely recognized as the creator of her acclaimed DoodleBeads DVDs, as well as from Jewelry Television and the PBS TV series Beads, Baubles, and Jewels.

Pearl Expert

Mark has an extensive career in the pearl industry that spans over 20 years, both in the United States and Asia. Mark is a familiar face in the home shopping industry and he has been associated with the JTV family for 15+ years. As a matter of fact, Mark is Tommy Brown’s brother, one of our favorite JTV gemstone hosts.

Mark has an incredible passion for pearls and specializes in Keshi, Biwa and Baroque pearls. He also loves the exotics like Scallop pearls, Natural pearls of all colors, Rainbow-lipped oyster pearls and American pearls, to name a few. Mark has worked closely with pearl farmers in Ago Bay Japan, which is where Mikimoto cultured the first Akoya pearl. Mark’s passion for pearls is evident as he is always anxious to share his knowledge and enthusiasm, along with some amazing stories!

Mark has been developing and designing pearl jewelry for literally tens of thousands of pearl collections. Mark prides his education and 20+ years experience, which have given him an extensive knowledge of pearls. Allow Mark Brown to cultivate your interest in pearls as he shares his wisdom for pearls.

Gemologist and Gemstone Appraiser

Mary Beth Aluise is a Graduate Gemologist, who has been doing appraisal work for Jewelry Television since 1997. Prior to working at JTV, Mary Beth worked as the appraiser for jewelry stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to include Bailey, Banks and Biddle, Kay Jewelers, Zales and Gordon's, as well as a personal business. Mary Beth holds a B.S. in Earth and Space Science from Bloomsburg University and a Graduate Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America(in residence). She is a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Mary Beth continues her education through attending seminars and conferences around the United States. She has attended the Tuscon Gem Show for the past 23 years. She networks with gem and jewelry industry leaders, and continues her research through reading market periodicals and the internet to remain current in the ever changing world of gemstones. Mary Beth lives in Atlantic City with her husband, Rod and son, Roddy.

Artisan Collection of Ireland Guest Expert

You may recognize Michael Breathnach's last name because his brother, Daniel Breathnach, is a former expert. Michael is a fourth-generation jeweler who earned his PhD from Oxford University. He is passionate about the cultural and historical traditions that have shaped Irish artisanal design.

Lightning Ridge Black Opal Expert

Michelle Hatcher has been involved in the Lightning Ridge black opal industry since childhood, which has allowed her a unique perspective of all facets of the industry. She and her husband Daniel are second generation owners/directors of a family-owned black opal mining company in Lightning Ridge, Australia. Her company, an International Coloured Gemstone Association member, has one of the best-equipped mining operations in the region and uses the latest, most advanced equipment used for prospecting, digging and washing black opal. Michelle’s husband Daniel leads the extensive mining operations while Michelle processes and cuts each of the Lightning Ridge black opals sold by their company. Michelle is one of the most highly regarded black opal cutters in Lightning Ridge, a talent developed from her years of hands-on experience with these precious black opals. Michelle holds a gemologist degree from the Gemmological Association of Australia (G.A.A.), is registered with the National Council of Jewellry Valuers of Australia (N.C.J.V.), teaches opal cutting at the Institute of Tafe and is a board member on the Lightning Ridge Miners Association Opal Advisory Service.

Pacific Style-Guest Expert

Nancy Ping loves creating jewelry with stories that inspire the wearer. She is GIA certified in cultured pearls and colored gemstones. Her passion for gemstones has allowed her to design, manufacture, and import fine jewelry. 

Nancy's certification in cultured pearls has led her to become a Pacific Style™ guest expert. The sterling silver jewelry of this collection combined with the inspiration from the Pacific Islands will surely put you in an island state of mind. 

Graduate Gemologist, Gemstone Expert, and JTV YouTube Host/Webcast Coordinator

Natalie Tjaden always wanted a career that would take her around the world and she found it in the gemstone and jewelry industry. She began her career at a fine jewelry store in Omaha, Nebraska. Natalie earned her BA cum laude in International Studies and Italian Studies from Saint Louis University and is a GIA Graduate Gemologist in-residence. She has also served as a board committee member of the San Diego chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association. After graduation, Natalie moved to Teofilo Otoni, Brazil to work for a wholesale gemstone buying firm. While there, she learned about mining, cutting and how to buy and sell gemstones in one of Brazil’s most exotic and primary gemstone markets. Her emphasis in Brazil was on merchandising and marketing. Natalie is now the host of a series of JTV YouTube videos and has held many roles at JTV, including positions in merchandising, sales and development. You may also recognize her from the weekly gemstone webcasts.

Artisan Collection of India

Rehana Patel-Iannucci began her career in jewelry in 2002 as a jewelry designer and senior buyer for a large jewelry company. Her passion for jewelry and gemstones developed quickly, especially while working with well-known artists in the jewelry industry. Rehana now travels internationally attending trade shows and manufacturers and is always looking for new and innovative styles.

Green Dragon Mine Vendor and On-Air Expert

Stephan Reif is a Graduate Gemologist (GIA, Thailand) and has a degree in Business & Law from the University of Business and Economics in Vienna, Austria. He has worked within the gem industry for several years and his professional experience ranges from mining to faceting to the gemstone wholesale market. During his career, he has gained invaluable experience in gemstone mining at the Green Dragon Mine in Namibia, the biggest producer of gem quality Demantoid in the world, as well as the knowledge he has acquired about fine quality gem cutting in Thailand. Since 2009, Stephan Reif has headed Global Sales for FCD Ltd. and is responsible for marketing and distributing of Green Dragon Mine Demantoid. His achievements range from successfully introducing Demantoid to the booming Asian markets and positioning Green Dragon Mine Demantoid as a high quality natural gem-stone in Europe and the U.S.

Artisan Collection of Turkey Guest

Summer Soker is a collector of artisan-made objects from Istanbul, Turkey. Studying design in Milan, Italy has given her the opportunity to work in brand management for international companies.

Her Turkish upbringing led her to fall in love with the Artisan Collection of Turkey. The intricate detail of this collection fuses together the old and new world of Turkey. At the heart of this artful collection are meticulously detailed filigree styles paired with colorful, faceted gemstones.

Park Avenue Collection Creator

Tony Malvagna is just a guy from Brooklyn, New York and is fortunate to travel around the world. He is a lifetime New Yorker and no matter where he goes, his heart will always remain somewhere between Brooklyn and Park Avenue. After graduating from St. Johns University with degrees in Marketing and Accounting, a curious sequence of events landed his first job in the jewelry industry. Working for a New York based company he traveled the road for ten years selling jewelry to major retailers. In fact, it was during this time on the road that he learned “the business”. He developed a keen understanding of merchandising, styling, and trends that enabled him to move on in 1994 and create The Park Avenue Collection. The Park Avenue Collection has been seen around the world and now is available on Jewelry Television. This is such a wonderful opportunity to offer this fantastic collection to all of Park Avenue loyal followers, and at the same time introduce it to the many, many fans of Jewelry Television.

JTV's Official Bench Jeweler

Tony Thompson, Manager of the JTV Jewelry Shop, holds a diploma from GIA in Jewelry Design and Technology. Jewelry is a family business in a way for Tony. While he took the 26 week course on the GIA California campus, his twin brother completed GIA’s Graduate Gemologist program. They spent six months on the West Coast and returned home with diplomas and skills to advance their careers.

Tony studied CAD design software, product concept development, manufacturing techniques, rapid prototyping and developed metalworking skills he uses every day for Jewelry Television customers. He enjoys creating a one of a kind ring casting on demand, for example, to showcase a high quality gemstone purchase by a JTV customer.

As manager, he works with a dozen bench jewelers plus professional gem cutters. If you need a repair and send it to JTV, Tony will know about it and make sure it is just right before it leaves the building on its way back to you.

Jewelry Designer

With the help of her father, Sarkis, who is a master jeweler and designer himself, is exactly how Vanna started designing jewelry. She would always find herself sketching various designs and would ask her father to put them into production and create a piece just for her. Vanna was fortunate to bring the designs she envisioned along side her father who has over 45 years in the jewelry business.

Though jewelry design has been the family business for three generations, Papa never meant for his little girl to follow in his footsteps. “For you…great things” he often said, as young Vanna would peer over his shoulder at the platinum wonders unfolding under his pencil.

Papa got his way – or so he thought. While Vanna dutifully fulfilled his ambitions by excelling as a multi-lingual scholastic star, for Vanna, none of it extinguished her fierce, unremitting passion to sketch, imagine, and bring to life-sculpted precious metal in ways never before seen or worn.

Today the next generation of bridal and fashion design has arrived. Led by a member of the very age group her product will serve, Vanna K is entirely in sync with her customers' sensibilities, taste, and shared vision of timeless beauty.

Vanna K specializes in micro pave, which is a jewelry creation process involving the precise placement of small stones (diamonds in this case) over the entire work. This process results in incredible brilliance and fantastic shine unlike anything you have ever seen.

Vanna K has been seen in numerous fashion magazines, commercials and celebrities on and off the red carpet. Most recently Vanna was awarded the prestigious 2011 Jewelers’ Choice Award design for best earring design voted on by more than 12,000 jewelers.