Jul 25, 2002/ FW/ --- The global gem and jewelry industry lost one of its true giants and greatest contributors on July 23 when the man known worldwide as the "Father of Modern Gemology," Richard T. Liddicoat, passed away at age 84 in Los Angeles after a lingering illness.

Liddicoat joined the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in 1940 after graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in geology and an M.S. in mineralogy. He assisted GIA's founder, Robert M. Shipley, in guiding the young Institute as it grew into the gem and jewelry industry's premier source for education, research, gemological instrument development, and laboratory services for diamonds, colored stones, and other gem materials.

Liddicoat became executive director of GIA in 1952 (later re-titled president) and led the Institute until 1983, when he retired as president and was unanimously elected chairman of the board. In 1992, he was named chairman of the board for life. Liddicoat was also editor-in-chief of Gems & Gemology, GIA's professional journal, from 1952 to the present.

He was revered throughout the jewelry industry and the gemological community, as well as in scientific circles, for his pioneering efforts in advancing the science of gemology and for his breakthrough innovations, the most famous of which was creation of the International Diamond Grading System™ in 1953. This method of evaluating diamonds, based on the Four Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat weight), became the de facto worldwide standard for grading diamonds. Liddicoat was also instrumental in organizing and building GIA's renowned Gem Trade Laboratory.

In addition, Liddicoat was acclaimed internationally for his work in the development of GIA's education program (with more than 25,000 recipients of the prestigious Graduate Gemologist [G.G.] diploma alone) and numerous contributions to the gemological literature -- including such staple publications as The Handbook of Gem Identification, The Diamond Dictionary, and The Jeweler's Manual.

He was also involved in developing new gem-testing techniques and instruments, and oversaw the establishment of a formal research program at GIA. In the eyes of many, however, his greatest achievement was his personal influence on the professionalism and ethical standards of the international gem and jewelry industry.

William E. Boyajian, president of GIA, who was personally mentored by Liddicoat for more than 25 years, gave voice to the sentiments that many in the gem and jewelry industry felt on learning of Liddicoat's passing: "We have lost a man of incredible dedication and achievement in this great industry, a man of monumental stature."

"Richard Liddicoat's contributions on behalf of jewelers, gemologists, and the consuming public have changed the course of history. He was a true friend and a father figure to me, as I know he was to others, and it saddens me immensely that he will no longer be here to provide the wisdom and guidance that only a man of his remarkable intellect and incomparable accomplishments could offer," Boyajian continued.

Glenn Nord, who succeeded Liddicoat as president of GIA in 1983 and served in that position until Boyajian was appointed in 1986, said, "Richard T. Liddicoat meant the world to me, and I'll miss him deeply. He inspired me to excel in gemology and as a person, and he set the highest standards of achievement and integrity for everyone at GIA, students and staff alike, as well as for the entire industry. We'll not see a man of his character and significance for a long, long time."

A celebration of the life of Richard T. Liddicoat will be held at GIA's Carlsbad headquarters on Saturday, August 24. For more on Richard T. Liddicoat's life and his incomparable contributions to GIA and the gem and jewelry industry and for updates on observances for him, visit the GIA web site at www.gia.edu.