Mason-Kay Jade to Hold Inaugural International Jade Summit
The event, which will co-locate with the Monterey Bay Jade Festival, will bring education sessions focused on jade to the United States.

The new professional jade conference will comprise a full day of education sessions tailored to jade enthusiasts and gemologists, a “first-of-its-kind” jade-focused education event for the United States, Mason-Kay Jade said.
It is slated for Saturday, June 14, in conjunction with the annual Monterey Bay Jade Festival, which will run from June 13-15 at Custom House Plaza in Monterey State Historic Park in Monterey, California.
The summit will be held at the nearby Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center.
Throughout the four sessions, a jade miner, jade discoverer, gemologist, and geologist/geophysicist will present on the two jades, Jadeite jade and Nephrite jade.
Mason-Kay Jade invites gemologists, jewelry appraisers, and retail jewelry sales staff to attend the summit and expand their knowledge of the colored gemstone and its market.
The event is also open to customers and enthusiasts.
Summit organizers encourage attendees to take time between seminars to explore the Georg Schmerholz Jade Carving Exhibition located next door to the event and to visit the more than 40 Jadeite and Nephrite jade vendors at the festival.
The summit will begin at 10 a.m. with a welcome breakfast offering networking opportunities.
The first education seminar will run from 11 a.m. to noon with Mary Lou Ridinger, an archeologist, owner of Jade Maya, and the discoverer of the Guatemalan Jadeite jade deposits, presenting on “Guatemalan Jadeite Jade.”
Lunch will be from noon to 1:30 p.m.
From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Eugene (Lou) Blanck, a geophysicist, geologist, and vice president and chief financial officer of Earth Design Inc., will present his seminar, “Nephrite Jade Formation.”
Kirk Makepeace, owner of Jade West Corp., one of the largest producers and exporters of nephrite jade in the world, and an expert in Canadian nephrite jade history, geology, and value, will present “Canadian Jade Mining” from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The day’s final educational seminar will run from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with gemologist Jeff Mason, owner of Mason-Kay Jade and one of the nation’s leading experts in Jadeite jade testing and valuation, presenting “Natural Vs. Treated Jadeite Jade.”
Tickets to the summit include all-day access to the seminars, the welcome breakfast, and a voucher for lunch.
Admission is $60 and can be purchased through Mason-Kay Jade’s Eventbrite.
For more information on the Monterey Bay Jade Festival and the 2025 International Jade Summit, visit the festival’s website.
The Latest

The singer’s new bling, reportedly a natural old mine-cut diamond, is no paper ring.

Plans for dining out, booking vacations, and buying big-ticket items were down.

The “Play” collection centers on nostalgic toys that have kinetic elements to carry playfulness and wonder into adulthood.

Jewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.

Designer Christina Puchi, the creative force behind CCWW Designs, has created charms and pendants based on iconic candies and crackers.


The Jonas Brothers star showed off new timepieces against the backdrop of his favorite spots in his home state of New Jersey.

The family-owned jeweler in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is in the hands of the second generation.

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

In his latest column, Emmanuel Raheb shares tips for encouraging customers to treat themselves to new jewelry.

The new stand-alone Rolex boutique is housed in the former Odd Fellows Hall, a landmark built in 1897.

The Brilliant Earth ambassador co-designed a diamond medallion featuring meaningful symbols.

Wrap jewelry is more than just a trend; it’s the perfect motif for the coming season of layering, scarves, and pumpkin spice.

The three-day watch collector show, coming this October, will feature 44 exhibiting brands, as well as a new dinner experience.

Sriram “Ram” Natarajan is now GIA’s senior vice president of laboratory operations and is based out of the lab’s headquarters in Carlsbad.

The one-of-a-kind collar represents the beauty of imperfection and the strength to rebuild.

Three C-suite executives, including former CEO Tom Nolan, have resigned as part of what the company describes as a “transition.”

The retailer, which recently filed Chapter 11, inked a deal to sell its North American business and intellectual property.

Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down in February and be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke.

The group met with the president's senior trade advisor earlier this week to express the industry’s concerns about the effects of tariffs.

The pop-up will display this year's Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies along with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.

The New Hampshire-based store has expanded to Boston, propelled by the success of Alex Bellman’s TikTok page, “The Truthful Jeweler.”

The latest incident happened Monday at a store in Oakland, California, continuing a pattern JSA first warned about last month.

The new aqua green New York Harbor Limited Edition II is the watchmaker’s second collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project.

Participants who attend any three Rings of Strength events will be awarded a special medal.

Smith shares wisdom he gleaned from a podcast he was listening to one morning while being walked by his dog, a Malshi named Sophie.

The counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewels would have been worth more than $30 million if genuine.

The MJSA Mentor & Apprenticeship Program received the Registered Apprenticeship Program designation by the U.S. Department of Labor.