He was 70 years outdated.
Lynch’s family launched his passing via his Fb internet web page on Nov. 26.
For the earlier 35 years, Lynch owned and operated Ouellet and Lynch, an unbiased gem and jewelry appraisal company in Phoenix.
Since 2008, he had served as a result of the gemological information and appraiser for the “Someplace inside the Rainbow” assortment.
“Our rainbow merely turned a lot much less vibrant,” Shelly Sergent, curator of the Someplace inside the Rainbow assortment, talked about in a undergo Lynch’s Fb internet web page.
Consistent with his on-line obituary, Lynch was born on Feb. 28, 1954, in Duluth, Minnesota.
He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was devoted to his faith, a cornerstone of his life.
He was wanting to share the gospel, his family talked about. He was baptized on March 3, 1962, and he served as a full-time missionary in England from 1974 to 1975.
Lynch moreover was obsessed along with his work as a gem and jewelry appraiser.
He earned his graduate gemologist accreditation from the Gemological Institute of America in 1983, adopted by his accredited senior gemologist title from the Accredited Gemologists Affiliation in 1985.
Lynch later turned a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers and a certified insurance coverage protection appraiser by the use of the Jewelry Insurance coverage protection Appraisal Institute.
Over the course of his virtually 50-year occupation inside the jewelry enterprise, Lynch handled and appraised numerous unusual and historic jewels, along with the 76-carat D-flawless “Archduke Joseph” diamond that purchased for $21 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2012.
He did fairly a couple of worth determinations for the Smithsonian’s mineral and gem assortment on the Nationwide Museum of Pure Historic previous in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Pure Historic previous of Los Angeles County, and The Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
In 2002, he was chosen as a result of the appraiser for all jewelry and watches recovered from the RMS Titanic wreckage, in accordance with a profile on Lynch on the American Gem Commerce Affiliation’s site.
Lynch authored a variety of revealed articles along with the 2010 e-book, “Is That Really A Ruby?”
He moreover shared his data on television a variety of situations domestically and nationally, with AGTA noting he had appeared in further than 45 episodes of the PBS television assortment “Arizona Collectibles” as a result of the current’s on-air skilled for gems and jewelry.
Gail Brett Levine, govt director of the Nationwide Affiliation of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA), instructed Nationwide Jeweler via electronic message that Lynch’s presence was felt in Tucson on a variety of ranges, and he on a regular basis had time to greet you with a smile and one factor to share.
“His contributions to the appraisal neighborhood have been unstinting,” talked about Levine. “Not typically would Craig decline an invitation to present as he beloved sharing his data, along with finding out from others. He believed in coaching.”
Commerce journalist Jennifer Heebner, who presently serves as editor-in-chief of AGTA’s Prism journal and e-newsletter, talked about via electronic message that every time she was writing about an obscure matter, like appraising pearls, Lynch was prime of her itemizing of people to call.
“He had every the real-world and classroom experience to provide insights that others wouldn’t know, such why cultured pearls is perhaps current in some 100-year-old pure pearl necklaces,” she talked about.
“I be mindful him telling me that if pearls wished to get changed over time, people would most definitely merely add cultured ones on account of they’ve been so much less complicated to amass than an an identical pure. Craig was a wealth of knowledge for these tales.”
Following the announcement of his demise, Lynch’s Fb internet web page was flooded with posts from associates and colleagues, who remembered him as caring, generous, an exquisite good pal and a gifted gemologist.
Phillip Bosen, director of product sales at Arizona jewelry retailer Coffin & Trout Advantageous Jewellers wrote, “Craig was on a regular basis optimistic and upbeat. He was what all gemologist(s) ought to aim to grow to be. Reliable, educated, kind, expert, respectful, and relatively extra. Deepest condolences to his family.”
Alongside his work, Lynch had a wide range of hobbies and pursuits, along with a love for the skin and journey and his penchant for telling “dad jokes.”
He turned a certified scuba diver at age 15 and later pursued enterprise deep-sea diving teaching on the Divers Teaching Academy in Florida, occurring to volunteer as a search-and-rescue diver.
Lynch was preceded in demise by his father, Robert John Lynch; his mother, June Diane Kotka; and his grandson, Noah Michael Jakeman.
He is survived by his partner of 42 years, Donna Wilkinson Lynch of Phoenix; son Joshua Robert Lynch, daughter-in-law Ariel Jensen, and granddaughter Iris of Murray, Utah; and daughter Alexandria Elizabeth Jakeman, son-in-law Shaun Jakeman, and grandchildren Lilyan, Elijah, Aiden, and Emma Jakeman, all of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
A memorial service shall be held proper this second at 4 p.m. MST/6 p.m. EST at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phoenix.
For these unable to attend specifically particular person, the event shall be live-streamed via Fb.
Flowers or donations may be despatched to Sunland Memorial Park Mortuary, located at 15826 Del Webb Blvd., in Photo voltaic Metropolis, Arizona.
A GoFundMe Lynch’s daughter organized to spice up money for funeral payments and assist his family is perhaps found proper right here.