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Here Is the 2025 AGTA GemFair Tucson Educational Lineup
The seminar series covers topics from market trends and colored stone terminology to working with museums and growing an Instagram profile.
At AGTA GemFair in Tucson, Arizona, next month, attendees can view live gem cutting and several presentations as part of the organization’s “Inspired” seminar series.
Tucson, Ariz.—The 2025 AGTA GemFair Tucson, set to take place next month, will feature educational programming through its “Inspired” seminar series.
The sessions will take place from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7 in the Tucson Convention Center’s West meeting rooms 201-203 and will include panel discussions, as well as live demonstrations.
The show will kick off with a presentation on the new RapNet Gemstone Trading Network, a platform designed for buying and selling loose gemstones from AGTA members. Hosted by panelists Saville Stern, chief operating officer of RapNet, and John Ford, CEO of AGTA, the session is slated for Feb. 5 from 9 to 9:55 a.m.
It will be followed by “Images of a Lifetime - And Their Stories,” a presentation from gem photographer Robert Weldon from 10 to 10:55 a.m. on his most noteworthy images.
From 11 to 11:55 a.m., Angela Hedges, longtime archivist at Harry Winston, will dive into the history of the storied jeweler in “Harry Winston & His Most Notable Pursuits.”
In the afternoon, Brandee Dallow, president-elect of Ethical Metalsmiths, will discuss incorporating positive change into one’s jewelry business from 1 to 1:55 p.m., and Chris James Boehner, the content creator behind @chrisjamesgems on Instagram, will give tips on growing an Instagram platform and creating “standout content” from 2 to 2:55 p.m.
The sessions will take place from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7 in the Tucson Convention Center’s West meeting rooms 201-203 and will include panel discussions, as well as live demonstrations.
The show will kick off with a presentation on the new RapNet Gemstone Trading Network, a platform designed for buying and selling loose gemstones from AGTA members. Hosted by panelists Saville Stern, chief operating officer of RapNet, and John Ford, CEO of AGTA, the session is slated for Feb. 5 from 9 to 9:55 a.m.
It will be followed by “Images of a Lifetime - And Their Stories,” a presentation from gem photographer Robert Weldon from 10 to 10:55 a.m. on his most noteworthy images.
From 11 to 11:55 a.m., Angela Hedges, longtime archivist at Harry Winston, will dive into the history of the storied jeweler in “Harry Winston & His Most Notable Pursuits.”
In the afternoon, Brandee Dallow, president-elect of Ethical Metalsmiths, will discuss incorporating positive change into one’s jewelry business from 1 to 1:55 p.m., and Chris James Boehner, the content creator behind @chrisjamesgems on Instagram, will give tips on growing an Instagram platform and creating “standout content” from 2 to 2:55 p.m.
The day will close with a presentation from 3 to 3:55 p.m. with insights from Vincent Pardieu, vice president of Consulting WLL, and the creator of social media travelogue series, “Somewhere in the Ulu,” which invites viewers into his adventures to Afghanistan, Madagascar, East Africa, Tasmania, and Colombia.
Thursday, Feb. 6, will begin with “Colored Stone Price and Market Trends,” presented by Gemworld International, Inc. President Stuart Robertson, and Brecken Branstrator, editor-in-chief of GemGuide, the company’s trade publication.
The discussion will take place from 9 to 9:55 a.m. and explore supply and demand in the colored stone market as well as treatments, trends, and a forecast for the year.
From 10 to 10:55 a.m., Richard Hughes of Lotus Gemology will present “Describing Color in Gems | A Fool's Guide,” discussing popular gemstone terminology, followed by Branko Deljanin, the director of Gemmological Research Industries in Canada, who will present “A Historical Review of Lab Grown Diamonds and Their Detection” from 11 to 11:55 a.m.
Geologist and gemologist Sarah Caldwell-Steele, a doctoral researcher in the archaeology of Whitby jet at Durham University, will start the afternoon sessions with “Gems of Salvation or Stones of Damnation: In a 17th-Century Context Marked by Fear of Witchcraft, can Country of Origin Determination for European Jets?” from 1 to 1:55 p.m.
She will be followed by Josh Helmich, CEO of Helmich Luxury Group and Kevin Reilly, senior vice president of Platinum Guild International, who, from 2 to 2:55 p.m., will discuss the benefits of Inoveo platinum.
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Jennifer Shaheen, president and founder of Technology Therapy Group, will close the day with “Navigating AI’s Role in Jewelry: From Design Innovation to Customer Connection,” from 3 to 3:55 p.m.
On Feb. 7, the final day of presentations will kick off with James E. Shigley, distinguished research fellow at GIA, who will host a seminar on gemology as a changing science from 9 to 9:55 a.m.
It will be followed by “Iconic Modern Masters—A Retro & Introspective View of American Jewelry Design” from 10 to 11:25 a.m.
The session is a retrospective of the past 50 years of jewelry making as well as in introspective of master craftsmanship in the future, and panelists include Adam Neeley of Adam Neeley Designs; Jennifer Rabe Morin of George and Jennifer Rabe Jewelers; Victor Velyan of Victor Velyan Designs; Susan Helmich, master goldsmith and designer at Susan Helmich Designs; and Zoltan David, master goldsmith, designer and “innovative metallurgist” at Zoltan David Designs.
It will be moderated by Shelly Sergent, curator of Somewhere In The Rainbow and Eddie Sakamoto, master goldsmith and designer at Sakamoto Designs.
Another panel discussion, “How Museum Experiences Inspire Buyers and Collectors and the Role Museums Play with Trade Fairs and the Industry,” will take place from 1:00 to 2:25 p.m. featuring panelists Violetta Wolf, director at the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum; Kimberly Vagner, executive director at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals; Raquel A. Perez, curatrix at Harvard University’s Mineralogical and Geological Museum; and Eloïse Gaillou, director and curator at the Mineralogy Museum of l’École des Mines de Paris (Paris School of Mines), which is now known as Mines Paris – PSL.
It will be moderated by Dr. Gabriela Farfan, curator of gems and minerals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
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The day will close with “From Science to Social Media: How Trade Media Engages With & Covers the Jewelry Industry” from 3 to 4:25 p.m., and panelists include Aaron Palke, senior research scientist at GIA; Eileen McLelland, managing editor at InStore; Brendan Laurs, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Gemmology; and Jennifer Heebner, contributor to AGTA, Rapaport, InStore, and Professional Jeweler.
It will be moderated by Gary Roskin of Roskin Gem News.
Each day will feature a live gem cutting session at noon in the convention center’s meeting room 204.
The week will begin with an interactive session by Nadine Marshall of Tumbled Upon Faceting on Feb. 5, cutting by Steven Tyler of Steven Tyler the Designer on Feb. 6, and concluding with cutting by lapidary artist Brett Kosnar on Feb. 7.
The MJSA Journal Live series will also return to this year, with bench demonstrations taking place at 4 p.m. each day, also in meeting room 204.
Artist Rémy Rotenier will kick off the week with an interactive session on sketching with colored pencils on Feb. 5, followed by metalsmith Melissa Muir’s Feb. 6 session on techniques for texturing metal and her Feb. 7 session on engraving.
Read more details and sign up for these sessions on AGTA’s website.
The 2025 AGTA GemFair Tucson show will open on Monday, Feb. 3, and close at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb 9.
Registration is open now.
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