My Story

I am Anne M. Pokoski, a GIA gemologist with more than 25 years of experience in multiple facets of the jewelry business. I have worked as a certified fine jewelry appraiser, retail sales associate, custom jewelry designer, store buyer, private seller, estate manager, and personal jeweler. It is my pleasure to provide a unique combination of fine jewelry services offered by no other individual or company in the St. Louis region.

My professional history is unique among St. Louis jewelers. The skills I possess, my industry credentials, and the relationships I have made not only during my diverse experience within the jewelry business, but also from my career prior to joining the industry, inform and enhance my abilities as a fine jewelry consultant.

Upon graduation from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism degree, my career began in the marketing office at Plaza Frontenac, the region’s first upscale shopping center. At age 24, I was named Advertising & Fashion Director for the shopping center. In this position, I coordinated dozens of fashion shows and photo shoots, wrote a weekly fashion column that ran in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and coordinated the center’s print advertising.

Following my years at Plaza Frontenac, I joined the team at St. Louis developer Hycel Properties Co., where I directed marketing and leasing efforts for the Saint Louis Galleria, one of the nation's most ambitious mall developments of the time. Pursuing exclusive specialty stores, selling them first on St. Louis, then on the Galleria project itself, and negotiating the financial terms of their lease agreements taught me invaluable business lessons that I use every day.

After many fulfilling years in the shopping center business, I decided to completely restart my professional life, in the world of fine jewelry. Jewelry, minerals, and gemology had always been a hobby, but until then I had never considered the field as a career.

Luckily, it was a perfect fit. My interest in gemstones, appreciation for fine craftsmanship and design, attention to detail, and love of fashion were all manifested in jewelry. Since beginning my second career, I have worked for two St. Louis jewelers, both of whom were members of the American Gem Society. AGS jewelers are dedicated to client education, ethical business practices, and professionalism, which meshes with my personal ethos. Early on I achieved the titles of Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America, and Certified Gemologist Appraiser from AGS..

While credentials are extremely important in the jewelry business, it was through experience that I learned to appreciate the beauty of both the old and the new; to recognize quality craftsmanship and inspiring design; to discern and understand a woman’s personal style, and to develop exceptional client service. All of this led me to start my own company, where I have the pleasure of helping people make good decisions about fine jewelry.

I am a member of the Saint Louis Art Museum Beaux Arts Task Force, the Fashion Group International of St. Louis, and serve on the board of The City Sewing Room. I support the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, Forest Park Forever, the Saint Louis Symphony and am a former Regional Director of FGI.

Contact me for more information about any of my jewelry consultation services.