The Scottish gemmological Association 2025 conference

Programme

Friday, 3rd. may

6.30 to 7.15pm

Registration and a welcoming drink to be enjoyed with friends old and new

7.15 - 8.15pm

Samantha Lloyd - A Brief Look at the Current State of the Diamond Market

from 8.30p.m   Buffet Dinner

 This will be a buffet, seated indoors, or optionally outdoors, should there be brave souls and kind weather. Wine is not included.

Saturday, 4th may NOTE: pROVISIONAL RUNNING ORDER ONLY

09.20 - 09.30am Welcome

9.30 - 10.15am

Peter Lyckberg - Treasures of Gem Pegmatites

Granitic pegmatites, with the same composition as granite, but where each mineralgrain had the  chance to grew to at least several centimeters to many meters, host a great variety of minerals.  Additionally, alkaline pegmatites host many rare minerals of gem quality.  Pegmatites form in orogenic (mountain building plate collisions)  or non-orogenic geological  environments or can form from local anatexis (local melting by tectonic-metamorphic events).    The pegmatites themselves can form inside a granite intrusion typically and are in this case  located at the roof zone and rims, or can penetrate surrounding rocks in fissures. 

The first have  various shapes from melon shaped or loaf shaped, to chimney or fracture filling of various  thickness from 10 cm to dozens of meters) within its mother granite and if intruded into  surrounding rocks typically as fracture fillings forming so called pegmatite veins which can be  from a few meters long, more typically tens to hundreds of meters long and in extreme cases 5- 30  km long (ex Afghanistan)  Within those pegmatites, cavities from a few centimeter to giant 5-25 meter in size  sometimes form and may contain besides quartz, feldspars, micas, large and transparent,  colorful crystals of gem quality tourmaline, beryl, topaz, garnets, kunzite, brazilianite.  

The largest known gem pocket the author dug measured 85 meter in maximum known  dimension but it was not completely excavated. It yielded some 2.5 ton gem heliodor.  Other pockets the author dug yielded up to over 7 ton gem topaz. Tourmaline pockets are  known to have produced 20-50 ton tourmaline (Morro Redondo and SW Nigeria (pocket  serie)). Gem pegmatites may have up to many hundred pockets within a single vein.  

Metamorphic events can form pegmatitic veinlets with gem ruby, sapphire, sapphirine,  and granitic intrusions are often the heat source and reasons to form also gem quality  spinel, ruby and many rare gems in marble hosted rocks such as in Myanmar where the  highest quality is found in zones of pegmatitic large grain size calcite with gem quality  micas, fluorapatite etc.  In principle within any rock units nearby affected by such  granitic intrusion for instance in east Africa, Madagascar, Namibia.

10.15 - 10.45am Break

10.45 - 11.30am

Beatriz Chandour-Sampson Tadema Gallery London - Jewllery from 1860’s to 1960’s 

Tadema Gallery was founded in 1978 by Sonya and David Newell-Smith in London’s famed Camden Passage in Islington.  They were successful photojournalists who ventured into the field of 20th Century Abstract Art and the Decorative Arts of the 19th and 20th centuries.

By 1982 they discovered a passion for artist designed jewellery and showed in the gallery an eclectic choice of jewels from significant designers of the Revivalist, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Jugendstil, Art Deco and Modernist movements. Clients included museums and private collectors from all over the world and they exhibited at Art & Antiques Fairs in London, New York and Tokyo. 

11.30 - 12.15am

Speaker - tbc

12.30 - 1.45pm LUNCH

1.45 - 2.30pm

Helen Molesworth Cartier – Inspiration and Innovation 

An inside look from the eye of the Lead Curator of the next jewellery blockbuster exhibition at the V&A: Cartier.

Opening only in April 2025, this exhibition is the largest and most expansive Cartier exhibition in Britain for nearly 30 years. Covering a hundred years of creativity, creation and brilliant business acumen since the three Cartier brothers Louis, Jacques and Pierre took over their grandfather’s business,

Helen will take us through some of the highlights, including royal and aristocratic jewels and gems, some never before seen by the public.    
 

2.30 - 3.15pm

Stuart Robertson - Market Transformation: The Trends Defining the Current Gemstone Trade 

This presentation by Stuart Robertson, President of Gemworld International,   will examine the primary and secondary factors influencing the supply and demand in the current market. With more than 40 years of industry experience, 27 of which were focused on researching and analyzing price and consumption trends in the colored stone trade,

Stuart will delve into how the green- fallacy helped trigger one of the largest value losses  has seen in the jewelry industry of the coloured stone trade into traditionally diamond-centric market channels. The presentation will discuss how once fringe segments of the gem industry are now primary drivers of consumer demand.  

The talk will conclude with a look at the supply, demand and pricing of ruby, sapphire, emerald and remaining members comprising the top ten hottest gem varieties of 2025 with particular attention directed to those materials that have now hit their price ceiling and those that currently appear undervalued.

3.15 - 3.45pm Break

3.45 - 4.45pm

Carol Woolton – If Jewels Could Talk, Links Through Time

Carol Woolton will talk about how 25 years of organising big shoots for Vogue led her to write her new book: If Jewels Could Talk which delves into where the urge to decorate ourselves comes from  and the cyclical nature of jewellery, as well as the history and cultural significance of jewellery. 

She will take us on a whistlestop tour through history via seven items of jewellery: the cuff, brooch, ring, charm, hoop, bead  and head ornament, as well as looking at current trends and where things are heading.

7.00 for 7.30pm Pre-dinner drinks

7.30 - Midnight Dinner, Ceilidh and dancing.

This is a Gala Dinner.  There is a welcome drink and wine and soft drinks are served with the meal. 

After the meal, we will draw our ever popular raffle and festivities may continue on until well into the wee small hours with a Ceilidh band to add to the entertainment!

Sunday, 5th may

from 9.20am

9.30 - 10.15am Nathan Refro - Photomicrograhy

Inclusions observed in the microscope often give gemmologists tremendous insight into the identity of a gem and the microscope can reveal hidden secrets of the natural world as well as showcase remarkable beauty that would otherwise go unseen. By capturing an image of the microworld of gemstones, we can share our observations to a far broader audience.

This lecture will showcase techniques including the proper use of brightfield, darkfield, shadowing, fiber optic illumination, polarized light and other lighting methods as well as image processing basics including image stacking to get the most out of your photomicrography endeavours. Specialized differential interference contrast microscopy will also be covered.

The presenter will also share several unique and fascinating images captured over the years featuring a wide variety of gem materials.

10.15 - 10.30am. - Report on Gem-A Activity

10.30 - 11.00am. Break

11.00 - 11.45am

Speaker - tbc

from 11.45am Sunday Awards:  Gemmology students and GemSet Competition winners

After the morning's presentations, we will be making awards to Gemmology students and to out Student GemSet Competition winners.  The prize winning pieces will be available to view at this time and through lunchtime, and will be featured on our website.

12.30 - 1.30pm Lunch

Workshops from 1.30pm detailed separately

6.45pm Depart the hotel for dinner, returning around 11.00pm.

Traditionally, on the Sunday, we dine at a recommended local restaurant.  This year we are returning to The Italian-Kitchen in central Glasgow which is about fifteen miles away. 

There will be transport organised to take us to and from the venue. If you personally wish to organise a taxi, you can call Central Taxis on 01236 722772.

Wine and soft drinks will be served with the meal.