The 68th Gemmological Association of Australia (GAA) Annual Federal Conference will be held across four days and feature a strong focus on education.
The program includes lectures and “hands on” workshops presented by a number of high-profile local and international experts such as American gemmologist Richard Hughes who will be discussing his book, Ruby & Sapphire. According to the GAA, the publication is “considered by many in the gem and jewellery industry to be the most authoritative treatise on the subject”.
Canadians Geoffrey Dominy and Tino Hammid will also be presenting at the conference. Dominy, an independent gemmologist and jewellery appraiser, authored the Handbook of Gemmology, which featured images from Hammid, who is internationally renowned for his gemstone and jewellery photography. Dominy will be speaking on the new treatment and enhancement of gemstones while Hammid will discuss how to achieve realism in gemstone and jewellery photography.
Other speakers include world-renowned hand engraver Ray Hood, gemstone cutter Scott Langford, ruby and sapphire expert Grant Hamid, opal expert Bill Merrill and diamond setter Mark Madden.
Uniting the industry
A secondary focus for the conference will be to bring the industry together by incorporating a number of social functions such as the Graduation Dinner.
Formerly known as the Gala Dinner, GAA publicity and marketing officer Kathryn Wyatt said the Saturday evening event would celebrate the GAA’s recent graduates as well as provide opportunities for all gemstone professionals to connect.
“It [Graduation Dinner] is a like-minded group of people who catch up face-to-face once a year and have a lot of fun while raising money for the GAA; however, the main aim is to have a great night,” she said.
Wyatt added that she expected the “hottest” topics of conversation to be synthetic diamonds, opal nomenclature and the ethical sourcing of gemstones.
Members at the conference will also be able to attend the GAA federal meeting, which will provide an opportunity to discuss the association’s progress and put forward suggestions and ideas.
The conference will be held from Saturday 26 July to Tuesday 29 July 2014 at The Monastery in Glen Osmond, South Australia.
More information is available on the GAA website.