Second AGS Virtual Education Conference Is All About Negotiation Skills
“Confluence” is happening in August.

Planned for Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. PST, Confluence 2022 will focus on negotiation skills.
“Each year, Confluence offers our members a great opportunity to hone specific skills that can enrich their career and help them achieve their goals,” said American Gem Society and AGS Laboratories CEO Katherine Bodoh.
“Successful negotiation is essential to many of our members’ careers. We are pleased we can provide them with this important learning opportunity.”
The half-day of sessions will feature presentations from four negotiation experts.
Phil Jones will lead a session called “Exactly What to Say—The Magic Words for Influence and Impact.” Author of the internationally best-selling book of the same name, as well as six other business books, Jones is also the founder of five multi-million-dollar companies.
He is one of less than 200 living members of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame and will teach virtual attendees how to make conversations count.
Kate Vitasek will present “The New Economics of Commerce: How to Leverage Nobel Prize-Winning Theory in Your Next Negotiation.” The author of seven books including “How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft Are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships,” and, “Getting to We: Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships,” Vitasek provides research-based advice on innovation through strategic partnerships.
After a career with positions at P&G and Microsoft, among other companies, she is now a faculty member at the University of Tennessee.
Victor Antonio will present a session titled: “Position Your Value, Not Your Price.” He is a sales trainer and consultant with 14 books on sales and motivation to his name.
He is also the founder of an online sales training platform with over 60 courses called SalesVelocityAcademy.com.
Tony Perzow will speak on: “Negotiating Price Like a Pro.” Perzow has trained executives in the art of negotiation as a former negotiation trainer at the Karrass Organization and vice president of negotiation training at Strategic Pricing Associates.
He will deliver concrete actions, ideas and techniques based upon his experience as a buyer and seller that negotiated with companies like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco.
Only open to AGS members, they can register for Confluence online.
GIA is the 2022 event sponsor.
Bodoh said, “Because of their generous support, we are able to bring this valuable education to our membership. We are very grateful to GIA for all they do for the AGS community.”
The Latest

Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show

A private American collector purchased the 10-carat fancy vivid blue diamond.

The designer has taken the appeal of freshly picked fruit and channeled it into a capsule collection of earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

The country’s gem and jewelry exports fell 5 percent year-over-year last month, while imports declined 18 percent.


Around 54 million Americans and counting live with a disability. Here’s how to make your jewelry store and website more accessible.

Before Pope Leo XIV was elected, a centuries-old procedure regarding the late pontiff’s ring was followed.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

The one-of-a-kind platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was estimated to fetch up to $1.7 million.

While the product has entrenched itself in the market, retailers and consultants are assessing the next phase of the category’s development.

The police are trying to identify the man suspected of robbing two Tiffany & Co. locations in the area.

The well-known Maine jeweler takes over for Brian Fleming and will serve a one-year term.

The donation was the result of the brand’s annual Earth Day Ingot event.

Located in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.

The nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.

BIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.

As a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.

The company plans to halt all consumer-facing activity this summer, while Lightbox factory operations will cease by the end of the year.

Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.

The deadline to submit is June 16.

Moti Ferder stepped down Wednesday and will not receive any severance pay, parent company Compass Diversified said.

Lichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.

The miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.

Michel Desalles allegedly murdered Omid Gholian inside World of Gold N Diamond using zip ties and then fled the country.

Associate Editor Lauren McLemore shares her favorite looks from a night of style inspired by Black dandyism.

Sponsored by Instappraise

CEO Beth Gerstein discussed the company’s bridal bestsellers, the potential impact of tariffs, and the rising price of gold.