PHOTO PROVIDED Gary Smith works in his store’s workshop at 344 Broad St., Montoursville.

Few people are aware that in the heart of downtown Montoursville, lies the only gem and jewelry forensic laboratory in the U.S., but that and so much more is what one would find when visiting Smith’s Jewelers, 344 Broad St, Montoursville.

“I always liked jewelry and I was fascinated in gemology,” owner Gary Smith said.

While serving in Vietnam with the Fifth Special Forces, Smith would save a child who was getting beaten up. That child would go on to take him to the family home, where Smith would discover the boy’s family had been jewelers and goldsmiths for generations.

“They adopted me into their family, so in my free time when I was in Saigon, I would go there, and they would show me techniques, stuff that they would never share with an Occidental, like how to temper a piece of 24-karat gold,” Smith explained.

While stationed in Germany, Smith would continue his apprenticeship.

After returning to the U.S., Smith began a side job in jewelry repair, and quickly took on work from several local jewelers, ultimately setting up shop as Smith’s Jewelers in 1982, and settling into the former Laurel Theatre building, where he resides today.

Smith performs a number of services, all from his self-made work bench, including ring sizing, diamond setting, polishing, part-making laser welding and even eye glass repair, with his emphasis being on jewelry restoration.

Smith possesses specialized equipment allowing him to more accurately appraise jewelry and metals, as well as to identify whether a diamond is organic or laboratory grown.

The showroom and website also offers original and custom pieces courtesy of Stuller Jewelry Manufacturing.

But, that is only one facet of Smith’s business, as his storefront is also home to the only gemological forensic laboratory in the U.S., with Smith being one only two people in the world to specialize in the field.

“In the whole U.S., there are less than 500 accredited gemological laboratories, and we’re actually accredited by two different organizations,” Smith said, adding that he owns the copyright to the terms “forensic gemologist” and “forensic jeweler.”

As such an expert, Smith has been called to testify in several high stakes cases.

“I’m doing litigation work all over the world. I have two multi-million dollar cases I’m dealing with right now,” he said.

“Last December, I finished three and a half years representing the entire Swiss watchmaking industry. My report was 4,211 pages long. I was deposed about a half dozen times by attorneys from opposing sides on that,” he said, citing just one example.

Smith had an early interest behind the working of things like clocks and radios, as a child, often dismantling them and putting them back together.

This interest in “tinkering” was solidified when, at the age of 14, Smith’s uncle would gift him a make-your-own-radio kit for Christmas.

Smith is a member of the American Society of Appraisers, even serving as their international president in 2014.

“It’s the world’s largest multidisciplinary appraisal society, so I learned all of the techniques and laws regarding valuation theory,” he explained

“I’ve got about every degree in the world of gemology,” said Smith, who is a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of America(G.I.A.).

Smith sees his time in the business and his experience as his strong suit.

“Quality is most important. You can get something inexpensive, but it’s going to cost you in the long run, because the diamonds aren’t going to be set well, or something of this nature. So if you’re looking for quality, someone that has a reputation, customer service and has been doing this for a while, stop in and see us,” he said.

Showing no sign of slowing down, Smith is happy to help pass on his passion to the younger generation.

“Every year we have the third grade class of the schools come in, and we get about 200 students come through in one day,” he said.

“It’s whetting their appetite, and I love to teach, because you get to inspire,” Smith said, expressing his interest in teaching some courses on the subject upon his eventual retirement.

With such a wealth of knowledge and high demand, Smith said many have asked why he hasn’t relocated to a bigger city.

“I’ve had numerous calls to move to Dallas, Phoenix, LA, places like that. But this is home, and that’s why we settled here,” he said.

For more information on all that Smith’s Jewelers has to offer, please visit www.smithsjlrs.com.