One of the best things about the Tucson Gem Show is the amount of knowledge you can garner from some of the greatest people in the Industry!
The AGTA GemFair is known for the quality of their Seminar Schedule every year! this year is no different with the addition of Laura Cave, Director of The Knot Market Intelligence as she shares insights from the 2011 Engagement Jewelry Study from The Knot, the #1 wedding planning site online!
I have to say that this year it is more difficult than ever to choose the seminars I want to attend - almost every one of them sounds fabulous!
The AGTA GemFair is known for the quality of their Seminar Schedule every year! this year is no different with the addition of Laura Cave, Director of The Knot Market Intelligence as she shares insights from the 2011 Engagement Jewelry Study from The Knot, the #1 wedding planning site online!
I have to say that this year it is more difficult than ever to choose the seminars I want to attend - almost every one of them sounds fabulous!
From the AGTA website:Free Seminars
AGTA GemFair™ Tucson offers important educational seminars designed to help industry professionals looking for new and innovative strategies to create opportunities for profit and growth in their businesses. Choose from more than 30 seminars geared toward a wide range of interests and needs.
Our exciting lineup of FREE seminars offers education at every level — from basic to advanced. Seating in all free sessions is limited by room capacity and, in a few cases, by the availability of samples. Plan to arrive early to ensure seating. Speakers are subject to change without notice. Presentations last one hour unless otherwise noted.
With Topics ranging from Beginners Issues like “Keys To Selling More Color” from Adam Graham of the AGTA or “Passport To Pearls” with Kathy Grenier of the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA). To more advanced sessions from John Koivula of the GIA (Recent Inclusion Discoveries) and Cathy Calhoun of Calhoun Jewelers with a talk on Procuring Estate Jewelry (“when to offer cash and when to offer credit, how to receive the best value back for your expenditure, whether turning to estate dealers, holding a piece in your own estate case, or when it makes sense to melt.”).
If gemology is more your thing and you like hands on demonstrations and learning to use the tools of the trade there is a three hour session with Antoinette Matlins on Gem ID Made Easy:
A 2-Part Workshop that teaches the use of most Gemological tools and this year Recognizing HPHT Diamonds with Dusan Simic, Analytical Gemology and Jewelry.
For a complete list of seminars see the AGTA Website: http://agta.org
But the AGTA doesn’t have all the Seminars in town in fact there are some really good offerings from the Jewelers Ethics Association and the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society.
JEA (Jewelers Ethics Association) will present the following free seminar program at the Hotel Arizona:
Monday Jan. 30
* 6:30pm David Epstein of Precious Resources “Luck Or Plan? Your Gemstone Sales Success”
Tuesday Jan. 31
* 6:30pm Robyn Hawk @AFlyOnTheWall – “Building Your Brand Through Social Media”
Wednesday Feb. 1
* 6:30pm Dan Cooper of Gemcuts International – “Natural Sapphire: Availability & Demand”
Thursday Feb. 2
* 6:30pm Jim Rentfrow of The Green Gem Foundation – “Ethical Gemstones”
Monday Jan. 30
* 6:30pm David Epstein of Precious Resources “Luck Or Plan? Your Gemstone Sales Success”
Tuesday Jan. 31
* 6:30pm Robyn Hawk @AFlyOnTheWall – “Building Your Brand Through Social Media”
Wednesday Feb. 1
* 6:30pm Dan Cooper of Gemcuts International – “Natural Sapphire: Availability & Demand”
Thursday Feb. 2
* 6:30pm Jim Rentfrow of The Green Gem Foundation – “Ethical Gemstones”
At the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show there are several Seminars from 9:30 am to 6 pm on Friday February 10th in conjunction with the Arthur Roe Memorial Micromount Symposium.
...and also on Saturday February 11th there is a program for the 33rd Annual FM-TGMS-MSA Mineralogical Symposium built around the topic “Minerals of Arizona”
Thursday February 9th from 1 pm to 3 pm
Mineral Photography Seminar with Jeff Scovil
Saturday, February 11th from 2 pm to 3 pm
“Bisbee Mines and Minerals”
Richard (Dick) Graeme - a Bisbee native, and was born in 1941 into a pioneer family of miners that first arrived here in 1883. Like his grandfather and father before him, Dick went to work underground as a laborer, as soon as he was old enough. By time the mines closed in 1975, he had become the Resident Geologist at the Copper Queen Branch. N ow, more than 50 years after Dick began working in the mines, he continues to work in the copper industry as the head of a company in Peru.
Bisbee was a mining town; few were its residents that did not depend on the mines for their livelihood. Thus, the tempo of the whole community revolved around the operations schedule and the mine whistle, which signaled that it was time to drop into the dark world of the miner. Bisbee was a mining town; where miners toiled in the hills that surround it, going ever deeper to win an important resource for the growing American industry.
...and also on Saturday February 11th there is a program for the 33rd Annual FM-TGMS-MSA Mineralogical Symposium built around the topic “Minerals of Arizona”
Thursday February 9th from 1 pm to 3 pm
Mineral Photography Seminar with Jeff Scovil
Saturday, February 11th from 2 pm to 3 pm
“Bisbee Mines and Minerals”
Richard (Dick) Graeme - a Bisbee native, and was born in 1941 into a pioneer family of miners that first arrived here in 1883. Like his grandfather and father before him, Dick went to work underground as a laborer, as soon as he was old enough. By time the mines closed in 1975, he had become the Resident Geologist at the Copper Queen Branch. N ow, more than 50 years after Dick began working in the mines, he continues to work in the copper industry as the head of a company in Peru.
Bisbee was a mining town; few were its residents that did not depend on the mines for their livelihood. Thus, the tempo of the whole community revolved around the operations schedule and the mine whistle, which signaled that it was time to drop into the dark world of the miner. Bisbee was a mining town; where miners toiled in the hills that surround it, going ever deeper to win an important resource for the growing American industry.
World Gem Society Tour of Tucson 2012 sponsored by the International School of Gemology.
International School of Gemology Tour of Tucson 2012 Headquarters this year is the Holiday Inn, Grant Avenue. This will be our starting point each day at 0900hrs, and our always-popular "Show and Tell" in the evenings after the shows, starting at 1900hrs (7pm). Here is the schedule:
International School of Gemology Tour of Tucson 2012 Headquarters this year is the Holiday Inn, Grant Avenue. This will be our starting point each day at 0900hrs, and our always-popular "Show and Tell" in the evenings after the shows, starting at 1900hrs (7pm). Here is the schedule:
Tuesday 31 January 1900hrs: FEAR FACTOR for First Timers to the Tucson Gem Shows.
Wednesday 1 February: Head 'em Up...Move 'em Out to the AGTA Gem Fair and the GJX Show!
Thursday 2 February: Kickstart my Heart on the Wild Side of the Freeway
Friday 3 February: Gonna Give All My Secrets Away...at some of the out of the way shows that you might not know about.
Saturday 4 February: Boogie Fever, Boogie Down on Electric Avenue Park
Sunday 5 February: SNOOP DOG DAY to the Fossil Shows to find some BONES!
The AGTA also offers Fee-Based Seminars in conjunction with the GIA
The AGTA offers fee-based educational seminars presented by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). To enroll in GIA tuition-based classes and seminars, or for more information, please call 800-421-7250, x 4001 or visit www.gia.edu.Diamond Grading Lab Class COCONINO ROOM
Required for these diploma program(s): GIA Graduate Gemologist, Graduate Diamonds
Through our unique combination of hands-on training, one-on-one coaching, and integrated multimedia presentations, you’ll learn to grade diamonds consistently and accurately using a modern gem microscope and jeweler’s loupe. Become proficient in GIA’s Diamond Grading System, discover time-saving shortcuts to determine a variety of grading factors, and learn to read a GIA Diamond Grading Report. Spend more than 18 hours practicing grading techniques on diamonds that were carefully selected and graded by GIA. In the process, you’ll learn to recognize the most common diamond features. Students must pass a two-stone practical test to complete the class successfully.
Monday-Friday Jan 30 – Feb 3, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.;
Coconino Room
Tuition: $1350 + $70 for Books & Materials= $1,420 + applicable sales tax
Earn a Letter of Completion
Field Gemology COCONINO ROOM
2 hours
In this lecture and hands-on seminar, you will learn to utilize pocketsize instruments to make identifications in the field. By using instruments such as a loupe, hand-held spectroscope, and dichroscope, gemologists can make identifications at trade shows, buyer’s offices, swap meets, garage sales, and even mines.
Saturday, Feb 4, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.; Coconino Room
Tuition: $145
Earn a Letter of Attendance
Identifying Ruby Treatments COCONINO ROOM
2 hours
Numerous treatments and combinations of treatments are applied to rubies from a variety of sources. Some of these treatments can have a significant effect on the value of rubies. During this lecture and hands on lab, you’ll learn what treatments you can identify with standard gemological equipment and how to detect their identifying characteristics. Treatments covered in this seminar include heat-treatment, glass filling, composite rubies, flux-assisted healed fractures, and beryllium diffusion.
Saturday, Feb 4, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.; Coconino Room
Tuition: $145
Earn a Letter of Attendance
