 |
| Helen Serras-Herman |
from Press Release | ||||||||||
Tucson, AZ (February 4, 2016) — JCK Tucson welcomed jewelry and gem lovers en masse to its oasis-like enclave at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa yesterday. In its third year, the show is boasting major improvements including a new look with new booth structures, lounges, and a signature coffee shop creating an environment that is both upscale and casual. The designer ballroom features inspired collections by brand names including: Todd Reed, Alishan, Kurtulan Designs, Boaz Kashi, Aaron Henry, Dorian & Rose, and Nina Nguyen to name a few. "I was excited to see the new look and feel of JCK Tucson. It combines the right mix of what you hope to find in Tucson and the quality you expect to find from JCK," stated Lisa Bridge, Ben Bridge.
"I thought the show was very clean, put together and that the designers exhibiting were very talented," said Todd Reed. "JCK pulled together a really awesome group of jewelers. It was good to see everyone," added Sarah Graham.
For more information, visit www.jckonline.com/tucson and follow @jckevents, #JCKTucson. |
 |
| Coming from California the gas prices were a bit of a shocker...in a good way! |
 |
| We even had gemmy soap! |
| |||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
| photo credit: Анастасия Плечова |
| Red Flags for Repairs - MJSA's At the Bench Live and Beyond (www.mjsa.org) | |
| GALLERIA / TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY & SUPPLIES / BALLROOM | 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Presenter: Arthur Skuratowicz | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Some repair jobs are simple, and some only seem simple: Many times, one repair is a signal that other problems lurk below the surface. In this session, Arthur Skuratowciz offers some common "red flags" to help you uncover all of the problem areas in a piece of jewelry. He'll also suggest some handy tips to ensure those repairs go as smoothly as possible. | |
| Hold It! Creating Your Own Fixtures for Holding and Positioning - MJSA's At the Bench Live and Beyond (www.mjsa.org) | |
| GALLERIA / TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY & SUPPLIES / BALLROOM | 3:30 - 5 p.m |
| Presenter: Arthur Skuratowicz | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Whether you're assembling components, repairing or modifying a piece of jewelry, or simply trying to see whether the parts of a design will fit together, you need a workpiece to hold steady. In this session, Arthur Skuratowicz will take a page from woodworkers and luthiers to demonstrate how to make your own positioning fixtures for complex fabrication or repetitive assembly. Ensure that even the most hard-to-hold shapes remain still for greater accuracy and ease. | |
| Roundtable • Live! Hands on & Interactive | |
| GRAHAM ROOM | 9:05 - 10:05 a.m. |
| Betty Sue King, Pearl Goddess, King's Ransom, www.pearlgoddess.com | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Claim a seat at this Roundtable. Live in the moment through the eyes of your clients and feel the exhilaration of indulging passions for things unique and precious. Experience getting first dibs on remarkable pearls. Through this unique intimate setting you will sell more gems, attract new clients, and build custom designs as well as develop collectors and repeat buyers. Engage in a step-bystep guide to plan your own Roundtable. See invitations, place settings & guest interactions. You will be inspired to formulate your own Roundtable and drive your business to greater heights. | |
| Intellectual Property Law for Jewelers | |
| COCONINO ROOM | 9:05 - 10:05 a.m. |
| Sara Yood, Senior Counsel, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, www.jvclegal.org | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Intellectual property - copyright, trademark, patent, and other areas of intellectual property law - is an important part of any business, and understanding how to use it to protect and promote your work can give you a leg up. In this seminar, we'll learn the difference between copyright, trademark and patent, what can qualify for protection, how to protect it, and the practical applications in the jewelry industry. This presentation will cover trade secrets and the right of publicity, which can affect how you advertise your products to the public. Come armed with questions - our expert is ready to offer guidance and education on protecting yourself and your IP. | |
| Sourcing Colored Gemstones in Afghanistan and Central Asia. | |
| MARICOPA ROOM | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
| Gary W. Bowersox, G.G., Geovision, Inc., www.gems-afghan.com | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
This lecture is an update on mine to market gems from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries. Details on sourcing gems in this part of the world will be discussed in the light of the latest political situations, Global Witness, and other reports. Gary W. Bowersox has been exploring and purchasing gems in this area for over forty-five years. He is a member of AGTA, ICA, GIA Alumni and President of Geovision, Inc. | |
| Appraisal Essentials - Increasing sales, service, and appraisals | |
| MOHAVE ROOM | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
| Cos Altobelli, Altobelli Jewelers and Appraisals, www.altobelli.com | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
This presentation will cover the appraisal essentials including increasing sales, service, and appraisals; pricing colored gemstones and diamonds; stone setting; Rapaport subscription changes; Synthetic and treated diamonds waiver; grading diamond melee; appraisal software; U.S.P.A.P. update; American Gem Society independent appraiser availability; an advanced personal property appraiser program; color vision testing changes, and advertising and publicity. | |
| Navigating Rough Diamond "C's" - Diamonds of color is the hottest trend | |
| GRAHAM ROOM | 1:05 - 2:05 P.m. |
| Chandra Horn, G.G., F.G.A., École De Gemmologie De Montreal, Montreal, Canada | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Color is the hottest trend in diamonds and can also be the hardest to predict when looking at rough. What causes color in diamonds and how do buyers and cutters approach these rare beauties in the hopes of coaxing out the best results. How do the 4 C's apply to rough diamonds and how do sorters and buyers predict the quality of the final cut diamond? This talk will look at how rough diamonds are sorted and the unique challenges faced when grading and valuing rough diamonds. | |
| Sustainable Gemstones | |
| COCONINO ROOM | 1:05 - 2:05 p.m. |
| Sheahan Stephen, Sheahan Stephen Sapphires, www.sssapphires.com | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Sheahan Stephen, will cover the importance of sustainable gemstones in today's marketplace. He will define what sustainability is and give specific (pictorial) examples of the process that a sustainable gemstone company would follow in order to offer you a sustainable gemstone. He discuss who the current buyers of sustainable gemstones are and why they are specifically asking for gemstones sourced through this method, also discuss and answer if this is just a trend or if there will be longevity in this specific sector of our industry. Lastly, Sheahan will cover which countries have a sustainable gemstone mining model in place currently and what questions to ask your suppliers when looking for sustainable gemstones. | |
| Proof of Provenance | |
| MARICOPA ROOM | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
| Klemens Link, Director of Development, Gübelin Gem Lab, New York | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
Consumers request more transparency on the provenance of the goods and services they purchase, and also applies to luxury products including gemstones. In stark contrast to this demand, the gemstone trade has a reputation of being opaque. No proper solutions are in place today that truly close this gap: the classical, gemology-based origin determination offered by gem labs merely states the country of origin, and cannot distinguish different producers mining the same geologic unit. Some mining companies have started to issue certificates of provenance, offering information such as the name of the mine, the mining company, and the mining period. The information provided in these documents, however, is largely based on self-declaration, i.e. is not an independent proof of provenance. | |
| Rediscovering the Chivor Emerald Mine - In the Footsteps of Peter W. Rainier | |
| MOHAVE ROOM | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
| Robert Weldon, G.G., Manager of Photography and Visual Communications. Gemological Institute of America | |
| Beginning - Intermediate - Advanced | |
An epic story of triumph over adversity, Peter W. Rainier, a South African, ran Colombia's Chivor emerald mine in the 1920s. He fought bandits, chased elusive emerald veins, and rode across the Andes. His story, revealed in his memoir Green Fire, was licensed by MGM for a movie starring Grace Kelly and Stuart Grainger. Rainer brought Chivor into peak production, extracting the finest emeralds the world had seen. He fought in both World Wars, and helped defeat Rommel's troops at El Alamein. The rediscovery of a lost album of historic photos sparked the idea for a journey to retrace his path. | |
GIA Education  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gem Identification Lab Session | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GREENLEE ROOM, TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER | Monday – Friday, Jan 30 - Feb 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Required for GIA Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Colored Stones Diplomas | 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In this lab, students practice the same time-tested procedures and identification skills used by the Institute's renowned gemological experts. Tools used include a microscope, a refractometer with polarizing filter and a removable magnifying eyepiece, refractive index (RI) liquid, a polariscope with an optic figure sphere, a dichroscope, a table model prism spectroscope, a handheld spectroscope, and a loupe. Students use these instruments to practice identifying natural gemstones, imitations, assembled stones and synthetics. Along with this hands-on training, your facilitators will carefully demonstrate key tests and coach you in quick, effective testing procedures. (Be sure to read the Student Notification of Classroom Chemical Usage in the most current version of the GIA Education Catalog at GIA.edu.) Once you have completed the session, you can keep a lab manual, a gem cloth, and a color grading card. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuition: $1,600.00 + $125.00 Books and + $25.00 Materials = $1,750.00 plus applicable sales tax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Earn: Letter of Completion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To register, call GIA Admissions at +1 800 421 7250 ext 4001 or +1 760 603 4001 For more information about GIA, visit www.gia.edu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Identifying Inclusions in Corundum and Emerald | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GREENLEE ROOM, TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER | Saturday, Feb 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Inclusions are an unending source of fascination for gem professionals. In this seminar, you'll use our lab equipment to explore the interiors of specially-chosen rubies, sapphires, and emeralds and gain insight into what a gem's internal characteristics can tell you about how and where it formed, and whether it's treated. Through lecture and hands-on practice, you'll get an up-close look at gems from new sources, learn to recognize specific types of inclusions, and understand their significance for laboratory gemologists in helping determine geologic origin, possible country of origin, and indicating potential treatment. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuition: $225.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To register, call GIA Admissions at +1 800 421 7250 ext 4001 or +1 760 603 4001 For more information about GIA, visit www.gia.edu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Identifying Synthetic and Imitation Colored Stones | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GREENLEE ROOM, TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER | Saturday, Feb 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This new GIA seminar is designed to sharpen your gem identification skills. Through a lecture and hands-on practice with a microscope, you'll test yourself and gain valuable experience with a selection of unusual synthetics and challenging new imitations. You'll learn key identifying features to help detect these materials, and our experienced gemologists are on hand to provide guidance and help you stay up to date with the latest developments in this area. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuition: $225.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To register, call GIA Admissions at +1 800 421 7250 ext 4001 or +1 760 603 4001 For more information about GIA, visit www.gia.edu
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| Meet Buddha Blue at the exhibit ~ 15ct Ceylon, no heat Sapphire. Concave cutting technique dates back to 1400-1500!! Full documented research done by Chris Smith of AGL Gem Lab and Cigdem Lule. |
“We are thrilled for this collaboration of educational forces in the mineral, gemstone and jewelry world to be experienced and enjoyed. This will be the first time that the Somewhere In The Rainbow Collection will be available to this extent as an educational exhibition and we are honored to share it with U of A and all who visit.” Shelly Sergent, Curator of Somewhere In The RainbowA multi-faceted exhibit is opening to the public in Tucson beginning on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium. The exhibit will showcase exquisite gems from the Somewhere In The Rainbow Modern Gem and Jewelry Collection. Visitors will experience gemstones from six different countries, marvel at the creations of master artisans, and see minerals still in their raw state before they are cut into gemstones.
