Laurent is a lecturer and researcher on gemstones at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) also works for the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF - a leading gemmological laboratory. Laurent holds a Ph.D. from the University of Basel (Switzerland). His Ph.D. research explored sustainability and traceability issues in pearl farming, and in this context co-founded the Sustainable Pearls project which also obtained funding from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. He has been working for a number of years on issues of natural resource management and sustainable sourcing of gemstone materials. He continues to work on sustainability issues in coloured gemstones and diamonds and frequently visits mining areas, most recently in West Africa and Burma. He has authored articles in all major gemological journals. His work has been presented in National Geographic, BBC, FastCoExist, Inhorgenta and Tages Anzeiger. He holds a Master in Earth Sciences from Basel University and is a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.