Tom Paradise is a professor of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas, where he teaches geography, geology, and gemology classes. Paradise has earned degrees in the gemological sciences with the history of jewels and gemstones through the Gemological Association of Great Britain (FGA, Gem-A) and the Gemological Institute of America (GG, GIA). He has conducted appraisals for VIPs, corporations, banks, and national and international agencies since the 1980s.