Charles Carmona is President of Guild Laboratories, Inc. (www.guildlabs.com), which he established in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Los Angeles in 1980. He is a professional gemologist/appraiser/consultant, working with international and national government agencies, attorneys, accountants, insurance companies, the jewelry trade and the public. He has qualified to testify as an expert in Federal and State Courts, in both civil and criminal matters, as well as in the Tax and Bankruptcy Courts.
Beginning as a hobbyist, collector and amateur gem cutter, and then as an importer of gemstones from South America and Asia, he subsequently earned his Graduate Gemologist diploma, in residence, in 1978 from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica, California. He has taken the core courses given by both the American Society of Appraisers and the International Society of Appraisers. His designation as an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) was earned in 1986. Also in his appraisal repertoire are numismatics (coins and currency) and household silver, and he has taken courses given by the American Numismatic Association. He now gives seminars on gemology, appraising and other topics on a regular basis to the trade and the public.
His active career has included continuous association work, having served as President of the
Gem & Mineral Council of the <st1:placename w:st="on">Natural <st1:placename w:st="on">History <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum of <st1:placename w:st="on">L.A. <st1:placetype w:st="on">County, the GIA Alumni Association <st1:city w:st="on">L.A. Chapter and the American Society of Appraisers <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">L.A. Chapter. Other active affiliations include the International Colored Stone Association (ICA), the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), the Diamond Club West Coast (DCWC) and the Los Angeles chapter of the Adventurers Club.
As part of his business, he has led tours to gem and jewelry producing areas around the world including <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Madagascar</st1:country-region>, as well as various North American destinations. He has performed gemology and/or appraisal assignments in fifteen <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> states and territories and four foreign countries. He has appeared as an expert gemologist/appraiser on more than a dozen local, national and international television programs.
He was a consultant to the World Bank, making 3 trips to Madagascar in 2006-2007 to establish a gem testing laboratory as part of its national Institute of Gemology, housed in the Ministry of Mines. In 2014 - 2016, he helped establish the Tanzania Gemological Center in Arusha, Tanzania, under another World Bank contract. As a result of his World Bank and other international assignments, he was accepted as a member of the non-partisan think tank, the Pacific Council on International Policy, as a mineral resources consultant.
He is the author of The Complete Handbook for Gemstone Weight Estimation, published in 1998, a top-selling jeweler’s guide and standard reference for the industry. He has also authored articles for Gems & Gemology and numerous trade journals. For the 4-year period of 2002 to 2005, his image has been featured in GIA’s worldwide education catalogs, and on their website, as an example of the success and prestige that a GIA education can bring.