Carol Chatham was the first to commercialise the flux growth of Emerald. As a young aspiring chemist Carol Chatham was passionate about gemstone crystal growth, and even though one of his experiments ended up in an explosion that shook his San Francisco neighbourhood, as he continued he achieved great successes in the flux growth of emerald, ruby and other gemstone crystals in his lifetime. His youngest son, Tom, transformed his fathers business into what it is today, and now, upon taking a step back from the day to day operations of the company, has written down the stories that formed the foundations of the Chatham Legacy. In this episode Sofie speaks to Tom about the book, the innovations he and his father have pioneered and the challenges he has faced in doing so.
About the speaker
Tom Chatham is currently chairman of the board at Chatham Created Gems & Diamonds, Inc. Previously, he was CEO of Chatham Created Gems & Diamonds, Inc. The firm’s accomplishments include the first successful production of emerald, ruby, sapphires of many colours alexandrite, and lab grown diamond. Tom Chatham has been active in the gem production area for over 55 years and has been a frequent speaker world wide on the subject of gemstone and diamond production. Tom Chatham is also an author, releasing the book “The Chatham Legacy” in 2023. Chatham Inc sells to every level of the gem business, world wide, on the wholesale level. Today, principle aim is at independent jewellery outlets numbering in the thousands of outlets.
Click here to learn more about Tom’s work