Stephen Hofer began his career in the earth sciences in 1976 as a geophysicist at the University of Connecticut. He went on to study for the GG, the graduate gemologist in residence diploma at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), graduating at the head of his class in August of 1979. After graduation he accepted a position as a Research Gemologist with the GIA Research Department, specializing in the study of colored diamonds and the interaction of light and gem materials. In 1982 Stephen completed the requirements for the FGA, Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, graduating with distinction. Mr Hofer is an accomplished colored diamond cutter, and a graduate of the American Institute of Diamond Cutting (AIDC). He is also an accomplished gemstone photographer specializing in colored diamond macro-photography.
In 1985 he became President of Colored Diamond Laboratory Services (CDLS), a laboratory service available only to members of the diamond trade located in the heart of New York's diamond district. There were several highlights during his tenure in New York. For example, in 1986 Stephen was asked to measure the color of the 0.95-carat purplish red diamond by Mr. Francois Curiel, Director of Jewelry at Christie's to confirm if this was in fact a "true" red diamond. This rare gem eventually sold at public auction in April 1987 for $926,315 per carat, the current world record price (per carat) for a colored diamond. In 1987 Stephen flew to Geneva, Switzerland in July to document the authenticity of a historically significant colored diamond for a private client. In September he returned there to accompany a colored diamond collector who was participating in the Argyle Tender, an invitation only event where participants enter sealed bids in an effort to purchase a limited selection of polished pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Northwestern Australia. In 1988 Stephen was invited by Dr. John White, the former Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. to perform a detailed examination of the color of the famous 45.52-carat Hope blue diamond. In 1989 he was asked to document the famous 260-stone Aurora Collection of colored diamonds currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This labor of love involved seven years of research and writing, culminating in a massive 10 pound, 742-page book, that features over 700 color illustrations.
In 1989 Stephen opened a more personalized consulting service for colored diamonds, referred to as Fancy Color Consultants. This service has enabled Stephen to work one-on-one with private clients who have expressed an interest in purchasing a colored diamond as a fashion statement, and with clients who are interested in building specialized collections of colored diamonds for pleasure as well as their investment potential.
Mr. Hofer has lectured extensively on the subject of color in diamonds. He was one of sixty featured speakers at the 1981 International Gemological Symposium in Los Angeles in 1982, speaking on Natural Fancy Color Diamonds. He presented a paper at the 1991 International Gemological Symposium regarding the measurement of color in diamonds using scientific methods. He has published numerous technical papers in scientific journals and industry magazines, along with writing a quarterly column on colored diamonds for New York Diamonds magazine and Les Joyaux magazine in Japan. Stephen is often quoted in diamond industry articles about colored diamonds, and he has appeared in several general interest articles in the popular news media featuring colored diamonds, such as Town & Country 7/98, Departures 9/98, New York Times 1/5/99, and Forbes 4/99.