U.S. customs agents in El Paso, Texas, intercepted the package, which would have been worth $9 million if the jewelry was genuine.
AGA announces Tucson conference speaker lineup
Gübelin’s Lore Kiefert and AGL President Christopher Smith are among those slated to speak at the Accredited Gemologists Association conference in Tucson this February.
San Diego--The Accredited Gemologists Association announced that a number of prominent researchers will be keynote speakers at the organization’s annual conference in Tucson, Ariz. in February.
The AGA has confirmed that the headliners will include Lore Kiefert, chief gemologist at the Gübelin Gem Lab Ltd. in Luzern, Switzerland; Shane McClure, GIA’s director of West Coast identification services; and Christopher Smith, president of American Gemological Laboratories.
The AGA’s conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 pm. on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at the Marriott University Park in Tucson.
Topics will include “Exploring the Multiphase Inclusions of Emerald and What They Reveal about the Stone,” “Identifying Emerald Fillers,” “The Black Opals of Ethiopia,” and “Tablet to Tablet--A Grand Journey through the Literature of Gemology.”
The early registration deadline is Jan. 15. Before this date, tickets are $195 for AGA and Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) members, and $240 for non-members.
After Jan. 15, they are $230 for members and $280 for non-members.
Breakfast, a light lunch, and a ticket for the evening dinner and awards ceremony, which will honor Thomas Hainschwang, director of GGTL Laboratories and 2015 winner of the prestigious Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology, all are included with the price of the conference.
For more information or to register, visit the AGA’s website.
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