Events & Awards

Treatments, Synthetics at Center of Sept. GemWorld Conference

Events & AwardsAug 29, 2017

Treatments, Synthetics at Center of Sept. GemWorld Conference

The two-day World of Gems event is geared toward manufacturers, retail jewelers, appraisers and gemologists.

Glenview, Ill.--A few of the industry’s hottest current topics--gem treatments, undisclosed synthetic stones and the challenges they present to the market--will be discussed at an upcoming event hosted by GemWorld International.

At its World of Gems Conference V slated for next month, renowned researcher Emmanuel Fritsch will present “Synthetic Diamonds Are Not That Hard to Identify, HPHT Treated Ones Are,” addressing the fact that while labs can identify synthetic diamonds with relative ease, identifying mined diamonds that are color enhanced by one or more treatment methods is challenging.

Industry experts also will touch on why the current slate of inexpensive “testers” being offered for sale to the trade likely aren’t the answer to accurate identification of synthetic diamonds, GemWorld said.

World of Gems Conference V will be held at the Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental) in Rosemont, Illinois, on Sept. 23 and 24.

It offers content geared toward manufacturers, retail jewelers, appraisers and gemologists, presenting the latest original gemological research and information, gemological education and current topics and market trends.

The two-day event will include such sessions as “The Jades of Burma” by Roland Schlussel of Pillar & Stone International, “Treasure from Trash: Identifying the Value in Gemstones Recovered from Scrap” by Kerry Gregory of Gemmology Rocks, “State of the Natural Color Diamond Market” by Alan Bronstein of Aurora Gems, “Paint it Black: Black Gem Challenges” by Cigdem Lule of Gemworld and “Pricing Challenges” with Richard Drucker, president of Gemworld, among others.

It also is book-ended by three days of additional-fee workshops.

The price of admission is $425 for GemGuide subscribers and $495 for non-subscribers.

For more information, a full schedule or to register, visit GemGuide.com.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.

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