Mark B. Mann is co-founder and president of Visual Communications, Inc., a company specializing in the development of technical content for jewelry design, repair and manufacturing.

The company focuses on the study and application of emerging jewelry industry technologies, product testing and research and presents this information in a reader friendly format accompanied by detailed images to convey the concepts.

Mark’s ‘jeweler’s eye’ photography and his wife, Lainie’s intuitive illustrations are the trademarks of Visual Communications, Inc.

Mark’s articles are currently published exclusively in print in JCK magazine. Over the last decade, VCI’s visually formatted submissions also appeared in Professional Jeweler and American Jewelry Manufacturer magazines. On the web, the content can be found at many industry sites including the JCK, Professional Jeweler and the Ganoksin libraries and archives.

Mark was formerly the director of certification and trade programs at Jewelers of America where he developed national skill standards through a multi-level professional certification program for manufacturing and retail store personnel. There he directed all phases of certification to include the operating budget, marketing strategy, fulfillment and systematic testing and evaluation procedures. He also conceived and produced a variety of compelling bench presentations in collaboration with national trade organizations, most notably “Masters in Motion”, a series of live bench demonstrations featuring Master Bench Jewelers from across the U.S.

In 1997, Mark wrote “The Guide to Fine Jewelry Craftsmanship”, a compilation of a series of articles that appeared monthly in Professional Jeweler magazine for 8 years. Drawing from his own expertise and collaborating with subject experts throughout the industry, Mark designed a unique ‘counter book’ format for the publication. Retail jewelers around the nation use the guide and its beautifully illustrated images to describe to their customers the level of quality work their manufacturing staff is capable of producing.

Prior to JA, he was the director of manufacturing arts at GIA. He was responsible for the program budget, curriculum and grading system, precious metal inventory and hiring and training the instructional staff of 15 jewelers from around the world. While there, he was also the technical liaison and headed a performance team for the re-development of GIA’s successful interactive Graduate Jeweler resident program.

Including the time working with JA and GIA, Mark has worked at the bench for over 30 years, performing repair, design and custom manufacturing for his family’s store, retailers and customers. His hand’s-on approach to jewelry design and manufacturing combined with his teaching, writing and speaking experience has made him a highly sought after speaker at industry events. He has developed, organized and given presentations at the AGS conclave, the Santa Fe Symposium, the JCK, MJSA and JA trade shows and at several notable venues at the annual Gem show convention in Tucson, AZ.

Mark lives in Montana with Lainie and their son, Schuyler, a 2005 graduate of Harvard University.