Events & Awards

Russ Shor, Guy Borenstein Among Speakers for 2023 AGA Vegas Conference

Events & AwardsMay 12, 2023

Russ Shor, Guy Borenstein Among Speakers for 2023 AGA Vegas Conference

Online registration is open now for the annual event and early-bird savings will end May 28.

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This year’s AGA conference will be a half-day diamond-centric event and is scheduled for June 1 at the Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa.
Las Vegas—The Accredited Gemologists Association has opened registration for its 2023 Las Vegas conference and reception.

Scheduled for Thursday, June 1, at the Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa, the half-day event will feature internationally renowned experts on both colorless and fancy color diamonds.

AGA said speakers will provide diamond-focused education, news and information about technologies in the global diamond sector. The talks will be followed by a reception. 

Sessions will start at 1:45 p.m. PDT, beginning with Guy Borenstein, chief gemologist at Stuller Inc.
 
Borenstein is slated to discuss screening technologies for lab-grown diamonds as well as each growing technique’s limitations and blind spots, as determined from Stuller’s screening tests experience.

Following Borstein will be the Fancy Color Research Foundation’s Fancy Color Diamond Business Expert David S. Rhodes and CEO Miri Chen. 

The pair will explain the grading methodology and the important elements and characteristics to focus on when analyzing fancy color diamonds. They also will discuss the pricing principles that determine the value of fancy color diamonds, auction prices, and the fancy color diamond price index.  

The conference will end with Russell Shor, senior diamond industry analyst at Russell Shor Communications and Consulting, who will provide a discussion on natural diamonds versus lab-grown diamonds. 

Following the sessions, AGA will host a cocktail and networking reception beginning at 6 p.m.

 Related stories will be right here … 

Advanced purchase registration and savings are available until 11 p.m. on May 28. Ticketing options include conference and reception, or reception only.

AGA member tickets to conference and reception are $125 and non-member tickets are $150. Reception-only tickets are $89.

After May 28, it will cost $175 for conference and reception tickets, and $115 for reception-only tickets.

Industry friends, co-workers, and spouses are welcome to attend.

More information is available on the AGA’s website. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Vendor tables are available for the conference. Email Raymond Mason, azgemlab@gmail.com, or call 602-615-2116 for more information.

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