Joseph A. Cassarino didn’t just dream of being a jeweler. He prepared himself to be an exceptional jeweler. A graduate of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, he opened his first jewelry shop, The Gem Lab, in 1958, armed with a prestigious gemological degree and a sterling reputation. Located in the Sibley Tower Building in downtown Rochester, New York, the original Gem Lab occupied one small room where Joe set up shop as the “jeweler’s jeweler” offering a variety of technical services, including gem identification, jewelry repair and fabrication. His esteemed Fellow of the Gemmological Association degree (FGA) and level of expertise soon gained him a loyal following among retail and major department jewelry stores.

The FGA degree is a benchmark of merit that few share. Awarded by the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, less than 175 people in the United States currently hold the title. A jeweler who has achieved an FGA offers absolute assurance to the customer tha