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Bill Larson's full bio:
Bill Larson, President of Pala International, Inc., gemstone importers and lapidaries, is one of the worlds experts on precious stones, especially rubies and sapphires.
His interest in fine gems and minerals began at a very early age when he combed the hills of northern San Diego County with his father, Josephine Scripps, and John Sinkankas in search of mineral and gem crystals. He earned an advanced degree in geological engineering, receiving the coveted silver diploma from the Colorado School of Mines. He then spent two years in the Army assigned to special services, teaching lapidary and jewelry making.
In 1968, Larson and partner Ed Swoboda formed Pala Properties International, Inc., and purchased three gem mines: The Tourmaline Queen, Stewart Lithia, and Pala Chief, whose histories go back to the 1800s. In 1972, an extraordinary strike established Pala Properties International as one of the prime sources of tourmaline in the world, and the only firm actively mining pink tourmaline in all North America. In 1980, Larson bought out his partner, sold three properties, and leased the Himalaya Mine. He then started dealing on a more international scale, renaming the corporation Pala International. As one of the leading firms in gemstone mining Pala International has now been involved in mining operations for silver minerals in Mexico, dredging the alluvial gravels of Sri Lanka, mining tsavorite and tanzanite in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as mining tourmaline at the Himalaya Mine in Mesa Grande. In 1969, as a separate but joint venture, two outstanding retail shops called The Collector, located in Fallbrook and La Jolla, California, were started as showcases for fine-colored stones, jewelry, and objects d'art. The Fallbrook store remains to this day and is being managed by Jeanne Larson, Bill's wife.
Larson is a respected veteran of the gem and mineral world. He travels extensively throughout Europe, South America, Africa, and the Orient and deals directly with miners, gem collectors, and museum curators. Bill has made more than 30 trips into Myanmar (Burma) and with the permission of Myanmar Gems Enterprise has visited and consulted on primary mining techniques in the famous Mogok Mining District. Bill's personal mineral collection is considered by many specialists in the field to be one of the finest ever assembled. Among his career highlights, in June 2003, he appraised Swiss gemologist Eduard Gübelin's collection, one of the world's finest, which was accessioned by GIA. Pala and its staff have a long history of involvement with GIA, working closely on various activities such as sponsoring a charity Golf Tournament to benefit both Children's Hospital and the Starlight Foundation.
Larson is often called upon to be a media spokesperson on jewelry and gem topics. He is consulted frequently as an authority to help with the colored stone pricing index and reports on international trends in gemstone pricing for periodicals such as Jewelers' Circular-Keystone," "National Jeweler," and "Modern Jeweler. Pala International is a founding member of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), and Larson served on the Board of Directors for six years, as well as being chairman of the Ethics & Grievance Committee for several years. He is also a founding member of the International Colored Stone Association (ICA) and a registered supplier of the American Gem Society (AGS). A frequent lecturer on gemstones, tourmaline mining, and overseas gem mining and gemstones, Larson has been a keynote speaker for the American Gem Society, a guest speaker for the American Gem Trade Association, as well as GIA's Symposium events.
In 2012, he was keynote speaker at the Arusha International Gem, Jewelry and Minerals Fair.