Ilene Smith is Nebraska born and a graduate of the University of Colorado,and the University of Colorado Medical School where she specailized in nuclear medicine. She is also a gemologist with degrees in colored stones and gem identification from GIA (Gemological Institue of America) and has been co-owner of the Prospectors Pouch for 38 years. 

A Georgia native, C.R. Smith is a former U.S. Navy aviator and still enjoys flying as a hobby. C.R. is an avid gem and mineral prospector and has developed his own prospecting techniques. These techniques have led him to some rare and unusual finds.

Mr. C.R. Smith was nationally recognized as one of the nation's youngest short story writers, dating back to his high school years. As a native Georgian, he has prospected the Southeastern states for many years. His interest in gems and minerals dates back to his preteen years when his curiosity was stimulated as he discovered unusual crystal formations.

The discovery of Georgia Midnight is destined to become a strategic and very valuable find for Georgia and the Southeast. It is a very rare occurrence to find all of the precious metals combined in one formation where they first originated - a primary source generally termed "Motherload."

His formal education includes Middle Georgia College; Del Mar College, Texas; Auburn University, Alabama; Georgia Tech; U.S. Navy Flight School, Pensacola, Fla. and Corpus Christi, Texas; and U.S. Navy Post Graduate School, Monterey, California. He has been a Fellow of the Gemological Association of Great Britain since 1968.