Gem-A’s International Gemmology Conference.

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain, or Gem-A, held its annual international conference over the first weekend of November, which saw the Association host several events split between the majestic surroundings of the recently refurbished Hotel Russell, Bloomsbury, and Gem-A’s headquarters near Hatton Garden.

A record number of international participants attended the Conference on Sunday 6 November to listen to lectures on a wide range of topics, which included three talks focussed on diamonds. Gary Roskin captivated delegates with his comparison of the Hope and Wittelsbach-Graff diamonds, followed by Branko Deljanin, who dealt with the more modern aspect of diamonds in his summary of the nature and characterising features of synthetic and treated diamonds, whilst Alan Hart closed the day with a discussion of the original cutting and display of the exquisite Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Branko Deljanin also hosted two hands-on workshops at the Gem-A headquarters, which covered identifying synthetic and treated diamonds with a focus on how much could be achieved with basic gemmological equipment.

Other talks and seminars covered issues from Tibetan andesine (Willy Bieri) to ‘Paraíba’ tourmaline (Brian Cook), optical phenomena in gems (Brian Jackson), the modern marketing of gems by GemsTV (Steve Bennett) and a workshop on the characterisation and assessment of jade (Dominic Mok).

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain is the world's longest established provider of gem education and a membership organization that forms an international community of gem professionals, enthusiasts, and graduates of its Diploma courses elected to Fellowship (FGA) or Diamond (DGA) membership status. As a UK registered charity, the Association seeks to serve the best interests of the gem and jewellery industries, support gemmological research and is committed to high educational standards.