Robert James – Thespian?

We must admit that we were as gobsmacked as anyone. While we were aware of Robert James' artistic aspirations, we never really dreamed the International School of Gemology's mickey mouseketeer would really make a stab at centre stage. And yet that's just what happened when he put up a video on YouTube.

What precipitated this quest for superstardom? Was it Swedish gemmologist Conny Forsberg's LinkedIn response to a Mr. Bean advertorial regarding gem nomenclature? Or a simple realisation that his audience is shrinking to zero following the revelation that he had falsified information about the 91.83 ct green sapphire he purchased on eBay for $1.25 in an effort to discredit an important critic.

We cannot claim to understand what goes on in the mind of Robert James; all we can do is observe and comment. And so we will...

In response to Forsberg's post, James decided to strut his stuff on the silver screen. Sadly, the video was removed after a very short run, but not before we downloaded a copy, which we present below (purely for purposes of criticism and review, as allowed under the Title 17 'fair use' clause of the US copyright laws that don't apply to us anyway):

[Note: if you are using Internet Explorer and having trouble watching these videos, please upgrade to Internet Explorer Ver. 9].

Watching this was almost as exhausting as watching Andrei Rublev, but we did soldier through the entire ten minutes.

Of course, Robert James being Robert James we did note that several salient scenes seemed to have ended up on the cutting room floor. Thus the Gobsmacked Gang got busy. Below you will find the world premier of Robert James' International School of Gemology Report on Fake Gems from Thailand – The Outtakes – aka Robert James & the Incredible Expanding 91.83 ct. Green Sapphire Crisis.

 For those readers who want a closer examination of the 91.83 ct green sapphire evidence, see this article.

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Sadness

For the Gobsmacked Gang, the saddest part of being forced to put up an entire website to counter the almost weekly missives from Robert James is the devastating impact that his misinformation has on the International School of Gemology students. These are people who have come to study gemmology with the best of intentions, not realising what kind of person the headmaster was and is.

To these students, we extend our utmost sympathy. We are confident that other organizations will allow due consideration for the studies completed at the International School of Gemology, consideration that will allow students to progress to degrees of true standing.

If finances are a real concern (and they often are), there are a number of online resources that students can avail themselves of at little or no cost. Foremost among this is the Gemology Project, an online archive of gemmological information that is both accurate and free.

For those who have questions as they study gemmology, GemologyOnline is a free forum with thousands of members, many of whom have specialised expertise and gladly share it.

Let us also not forget that one of the best resources for study is a good book. Here are some general introductions to gemmology and gemstones that we can highly recommend, with great photos and accurate information, and all available at reasonable cost:

• Arem, Joel (1987) Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones. US$76.
• Arem, Joel (1994) Gems and Jewelry. US$4.
• Hall, Cally (2002) Gemstones. US$13.
• Liddicoat (1993) Handbook of Gem Identification. US$78.
• Matlins, Antoinette (2008) Gem Identification Made Easy. US$22.
• Newman, Renée (2003) Gemstone Buying Guide. US$13.
• Read, Peter (2008) Gemmology. US$33.
• Schumann, Walter (2009) Gemstones of the World. US$13.
• Wise, Richard (2006) Secrets of the Gem Trade. US$26.

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About us

We are the Gobsmacked Gang, those who cannot believe the things that spring from the mouth of the International School of Gemology's Robert James, the Mr. Bean of the gemmological world. Please note that the Gobsmacked Gang has nothing to do with what appears to be yet another Robert James attack site FakeGemology.com, which is designed to hurt someone making an honest attempt at teaching gemmology. Once again, as is copiously detailed on our Files page, James reveals what an evil little spawn he is. We would pray for his soul, but there is no evidence he has one. Thus we suggest a career change. A man like this certainly belongs in the Trump administration.

Testimonials

"If I were to catch any of my ISG Registered Gemologists or Registered Gemologist Appraisers trying to pull the stunts that you are pulling on eBay, I would pull their diplomas, publicly expel them from the ISG, and personally make sure that they did not work again in this industry with anything but a broom in their hand."

— Robert James

"They [the insurance industry] do not take kindly to frauds being perpetrated on consumers."

— Robert James

Read about the Robert James eBay fraud in our article here.