Who is Gerald Wykoff . . .

Who is the author of all these software programs, mechanical inventions, kits, tutorials - and what are his credentials?

Dr. Gerald Wykoff holds graduate degrees from Temple University and DePaul along with other degrees and professional titles from various technical and business organizations including a Graduate Gemology (GG) degree from the Gemological Institute of American and International Registered Gemologist (IRG) and Certified Supreme Master Gemcutter (CSM) degrees from the American Society of Gemcutters. During his successful business career, he also attended Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Notre Dame and survived successful executive roles with the General Electric Company, the National Dairy Products Corporation as well as a number of national trade associations.

The author of more than 50 published books (a printed copy of his opus, Master Faceting, sells for over $700 on Amazon.com), over 40 multi-media CD-ROM/DVD learning programs, some 300 commercial computer programs, and more than 40,000 magazine features, articles, essays and treatises, he also launched seven successful magazine ventures, organized two national association organizations, operated his own gem cutting equipment manufacturing corporation and holds several patents and trademarks for various inventions in lapidary, jewelry making and construction. He is also a Key holder from the American Society of Association Executives, Washington DC, which named him in 1994 as the top association executive in the world and in 1995 was honored as the best editorial writer in America by the American Association of Industrial Editors. At age 75, he came to the indisputable conclusion that it was time to write his third novel, and in Janary 2006 Adamas Publishers launched "Fallen Fortress," which is, as usual, a writing experiment, this time consisting of a full-length "action-teaching" novel which also seeks to impart gemological expertise to the reader. "By including solid, applicable gemological information into the story line," he explains, "readers get a good, fun dose of sin-sex-stealing sensationalism along with a worthwhile learning experience that can be put to good use for the rest of their lives. It's a notion I felt was worth exploring and doing." The novel is available at Amazon and this website.

A former newspaper reporter in Philadelphia, PA, and Wilmington, DE, he's an accomplished oil painter and sculptor, computer programmer, former professional musician who once played lead trumpet for the late Louis Prima in New Orleans, championship middleweight boxer(38-3 28 KO), and martial arts instructor. Nowadays his health is somewhat of a disaster but he keeps pushing his envelope, even in retirement, in Port Charlotte, FL, where the direct hurricane hit of 2004 wiped out completely his house and workshops. Most of his elaborate gem lab-workshop, tools, computer equipment and inventory ended up buried in a vacant lot next door. At age 76, unhandicapped with 9 heart attacks to his credit, his house and internet business were up and running again in 60 days - and now he even operates this website www.thegemconnection.com where you can find all of the products he's developed as well as acquire valuable free information and software that's related to gems, lapidary and gemology.