Before Donna Belote Russell - better known to her friends and clients as "Diamond Donna"- moved to Knoxville, TN in 1998 and began writing appraisals in the area; she had already become an accomplished professional in the jewelry business. She was employed as a knowledgeable gemologist and successful manager of fine jewelry stores in Corpus Christi, Texas and Chicago, Illinois. She had already achieved her dream of managing an elite jewelry boutique on Michigan Avenue, in the heart of Chicago's world-class shopping known as the "Magnificent Mile" area. With four shopping centers, world-renowned boutiques and locally acclaimed designers, Chicago's Magnificent Mile area is a shopper's paradise. But to hear Donna tell it, she still wanted something more.

"I missed the charm of the South, and the luxury of having the time to study diamonds and gems as much as I wanted to," she says, "Also, Chicago is colder than the North Pole during the long winters!" Her husband's family wanted them to move to Tennessee to take care of property they owned out in the country. (The Russell's have lived in Knox County and Blount County as far back as the records go, and Donna's husband was born in Knoxville, TN.)

Donna has always loved a challenge, and a good puzzle to solve. To be happy, she needs to be around green growing things, flowers, and other natural treasures. One treasure that has fascinated her since she was a toddler is the sparkle and glow of beautiful rocks. She looked for diamonds (unsuccessfully) in the rivers by her home in Central Texas. Collecting pretty rocks, geodes, and fossils kept her content until she walked into an elegant jewelry store in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1982. The fine quality of the brilliant gems, diamonds, gold, and pearls was truly magical.

Her job began there in 1982 as an employee in the office of the store. There was no way to keep her away from the gems though! The main difference was that she had grown up seeing jewelry, of course, and jewelry stores, but had never looked at truly fine quality gems. She fell in love. Simultaneously, she found the career and the husband that she would stay with for the rest of her life.

Since she had grown up as an avid fan of "Nancy Drew" mystery stories, she puzzled over why one diamond that looked so much like another was worth so much more. Also, why was one strand of pearls so alive and glowing and another chalky and lackluster? She knew right away that more than a cheap magnifying glass and a "good hunch" would be needed. Nancy Drew's criminals paled in comparison with the mass merchandisers passing off poor quality as "flawless gems." A 10 power jewelers loupe, or better yet, a binocular microscope was needed to find clues.

There weren't that many books in the libraries or the bookstores to learn from. In the 1980's, girls didn't go into careers like grading diamonds; but she knew that girls in Nancy Drew's time didn't go around trying to solve mysteries either. So she worked at the jewelry store during the day. There was an organization well educated people knew of, called the Gemological Institute of America; so she studied jewelry through their correspondence courses. As a young wife helping to pay the bills, she didn't have the luxury of moving to California to study at the only school devoted strictly to jewelry and gems.

When it was time to take her final exam for "Diamonds and Diamond Grading", she traveled to San Antonio, Texas. It was a bit strange being the only female in the room, and the youngest by at least ten years. Receiving her Diamonds and Diamond Grading Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America encouraged her to study more.

One course led to another. Colored Stones, Gem Identification, Colored Stone Grading- all were fascinating. After Donna and her husband moved to Chicago, the long work weeks in Chicago kept her from taking the final classes she needed to complete her degree. It was only after she moved to Knoxville, TN that she had the time and encouragement to complete all the courses needed. Finally, in 2001, she become a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). While working in Knoxville, it became clear to her that grading diamonds and writing appraisals made her happiest, and she wanted more training in what the insurance industry needed from jewelry appraisers. In the fall of 2007 she traveled to San Francisco, California for a study program at the Jewelry Insurance Appraisal Institute (JIAI) and graduated as a Certified Insurance Appraiser™.

It's an ongoing, never-ending education while solving jewelry mysteries. Every year several new synthetics, imitations, and gem treatments show up that require study and a lab of equipment to identify properly. To her collection of books that are published, and jewelry trade magazines each month, Donna has felt the need to invest in increasingly sophisticated equipment to identify gems, precious metals, and the imitations.

Since she is fascinated by the subject material, Donna enjoys constantly adding to her professional knowledge in order to provide you with the most accurate appraisals of your precious jewelry.

List of Completed Diplomas and Certificates:

Certified Insurance Appraiser
Jewelry Insurance Appraisals Institute

Donna is the only Jewelry Appraiser in the State of Tennessee to be awarded the designation of "Certified Insurance Appraiser™" by the Jewelry Insurance Appraisal Institute (JIAI) and bound by the Code of Professional Ethics of JIAI. ACORD is the institution that sets the standards for jewelry appraisals and insurance and helped establish the JIAI. To learn more about ACORD please click here.

Donna Belote Russell received her gemological training from the Gemological Institute of America. To learn more about GIA please click on the link below:

Graduate Gemologist Diploma Gemological Institute of America

Advanced Diamond Grading Certificate
Gemological Institute of America

Pearl Grading Certificate Gemological Institute of America

Detecting Fracture Filled Diamonds and Gems
Gemological Institute of America

Fine and Advanced Fine Jewelry Sales Consultant Certificates
Gemological Institute of America

Insurance Replacement Appraisal (Certificate of Completion)
Gemological Institute of America

Few people are as fortunate as I have been to get to do something they really love as their career. When I was growing up, solving mysteries and finding treasures of beautiful gems filled my dreams. Growing up, "Nancy Drew", the smart, clever girl that solved mysteries was my hero. She was a role model for me in many ways. So I became a gemstone and jewelry detective. After studying jewelry for over twenty years; I started becoming quite concerned with how little information people were given when they asked for an appraisal so they could insure their jewelry. When they filed a claim and the insurance agent wanted me to look over their appraisal, I realized 95% or more jewelry owners weren't getting enough information in writing about their jewelry to insure it properly. At that point I began taking steps to study what information they needed the most.

The insurance industry states that the overwhelming majority of jewelry appraisals they receive do not have enough information. The leaders in the jewelry industry explain that most people selling jewelry do not have adequate training to know what is needed by the insurance companies. Just knowing a lot about jewelry or having sold it a long time is not the same as being highly trained to describe jewelry to document it for insurance purposes. Simply put, I want to provide as many people as possible with jewelry appraisals that have real value; that are accurate and use standardized, professional terminology. I want them to be happy with their jewelry; and avoid additional stress if they ever have to file a claim.

It is very satisfying and rewarding to me to know that I am giving them the best available.

My heart's desire is to continue to learn more about jewelry and enjoy its beauty for the rest of my life. It makes me happy. It's a great feeling when I solve a "mystery" as to the identity and quality of a piece of jewelry. My mission is to help other people see the beauty and differences between gemstones that I have learned to see as a trained professional. To the left on this page is more information about my training.

One mystery I'm still working at solving is why so few jewelers and appraisers have taken the time to be trained in writing an appraisal that includes all the information the insurance industry asked jewelry appraisers to begin using in 1998. I'm too busy to solve THAT mystery!