AGTA’s INSPIRED Seminar Series, including Gem Cutting & Jewelers Bench Demonstrations
The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) has announced the 2025 AGTA GemFair Tucson INSPIRED Seminar Series.
Seminar presentations by some of the world’s leading experts in gems and jewelry, sponsored by the AGS, include notables such as Angela Hedges speaking on Harry Winston, Vincent Pardieu presenting his experiences from years of gem explorations, and an amazing panel discussion with award winning jewelry designers: Adam Neely, Adam Neely Designs, Jennifer Rabe Morin, George and Jennifer Rabe Jewelers, Victor Velyan, Victor Velyan Designs, Susan Helmich, Master Goldsmith and Designer, Susan Helmich Designs, and Zoltan David, Master Goldsmith, Designer & Innovative Metallurgist, Zoltan David Designs.
There will be demonstrations in cutting, featuring Gen-Z’er Nadine Marshall of ilovegreenrocks, and award winning lapidary Larry Woods of Gem Arts International, as well as MJSA’s jewelers bench demonstrations with award wining artist Rémy Rotenier on sketching the perfect design, and Melissa Muir on techniques in metal texturing and engraving.
Location
All the seminars, including live gem cutting demonstrations and jewelers bench demonstrations take place in meeting rooms 201-203, at the Tucson Convention Center’s recently remodeled event space and meeting rooms, on the main entry Galleria level, just steps away from the grand lobby registration area.
New Dates!
Check your Calendar, Airline Tickets, and Hotel reservations!
The 2025 GemFair runs from Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, through Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.
Seminars
Seminars take place from Wednesday, Feb. 5, through Friday, Feb. 7.
Coffee
Coffee will be available in Room 205 from 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. every morning during the seminars, just ahead of the day’s talks, which start at 9 a.m. [The last session begins at 3 p.m.]
Renowned gemologist Gary Roskin of the Roskin Gem News Report will once again serve as the emcee.
Shelly Sergent
Returning this year is the INSPIRED series of seminars sponsored by the American Gem Society (AGS) and curated by Somewhere In The Rainbow’s Shelly Sergent.
John Ford with Saville Stern
Kicking off the series at 9 a.m. on Wednesday is a seminar on the state of the colored gemstone market with AGTA CEO John W. Ford, Sr., and Saville Stern, Chief Operating Officer of RapNet, the Rapaport Group’s trading network.
Afterwards, recently retired GIA photographer Robert Weldon speaks to showgoers in “Images of a Lifetime and Their Stories.” More industry personalities, including Brandee Dallow, Ethical Metalsmiths, and Chris James Boehner, Chris James Gems, will give presentations later that day.
Stuart Robertson and Brecken Branstrator
On Thursday, the always anticipated “Colored Stone Price and Market Trends” takes place at 9 a.m. with Stuart Robertson, President of Gemworld International, and Brecken Branstrator, Editor in Chief, of Gemworld’s GemGuide magazine.
Richard Hughes of Lotus Gemology speaks next in “Describing Color in Gems, A Fool’s Guide,” and four other speakers—including Branko Deljanin on synthetic diamond detection, Sarah Caldwell-Steele on Witchcraft and Jet, Kevin Reilly and Josh Helmich of Platinum Guild International, and Jennifer Shaheen on Navigating AI, head up their own talks later that day.
Friday – GIA’s James Shigley
Finally, on Friday, Feb. 7, Dr. James E. Shigley, Distinguished Research Fellow, GIA, starts the day’s events with “The Changing World of Gemology: A Look Back and a Look Forward.”
The American Jewelry Design Panel
Following Dr. Shigley is a panel discussion about American jewelry design with a host of talents including Adam Neeley of Adam Neely Designs, Jennifer Rabe Morin, George and Jennifer Rabe Jewelers, Victor Velyan, Victor Velyan Designs, Susan Helmich, Master Goldsmith and Designer, Susan Helmich Designs, and Zoltan David, Master Goldsmith, Designer & Innovative Metallurgist, Zoltan David Designs. This panel is moderated by Sergent and designer Eddie Sakamoto.
Museum Experiences influence Buyers and Collectors: Panel of Museum Curators
Another panel discussion about museum experiences, including Dr. Gabriela Farfan, Curator, Smithsonian, Violetta Wolf, Director of the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum, Kimberly Vagner, Executive Director, Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Raquel A. Perez, Curatrix- Mineralogical & Geological Museum, Harvard University, and Eloïse Gaillou, Director and Curator, Mineralogy Museum.
Panel of Journalists: From Science to Social Media
In the final session of the INSPRED Seminar Series, journalists will talk how they cover the gem and jewelry industry in “From Science to Social Media: How Trade Media Engages with and Covers the Jewelry Industry.” Participants on the media panel include The Journal of Gemmology’s Brendan Lars, AGTA’s Jennifer Heebner, GIA’s Aaron Palke, and INSTORE Magazine’s Eileen McClelland. Gary Roskin, Roskin Gem News Report, serves as moderator.
LIVE Gem Cutting Demos
Live gem cutting returns on Wednesday, Feb. 5 and continues on Thursday, Feb. 6, and is sponsored by Tucson Todd’s Gems. The presenter on Wednesday will be Nadine Marshall of @ilovegreenrocks on Instagram and Tumbled Upon Faceting, LLC. Marshall has been cutting gems since age 12—she’s now 18—and will lead “Bespoke Gemstone Cutting.” Multi-award winning lapidary Larry Woods will be at the cutting wheel the following day.
LIVE Jewelers Bench Demos
More demonstrations take place courtesy of MJSA Journal Live Jewelers Bench, sponsored by A & A Jewelry Supply, from Wednesday, Feb 5, through Friday, Feb. 7, 4 p.m. to 4:55 p.m. daily in Meeting Room 204. Sessions include “Colored Pencil Techniques for Gemstones” with Rémy Rotenir, “On the Surface: Techniques for Texturing Metal” and “Mark of Imagination: Engraving Jewelry Designs,” both by Melissa Muir.
For more information about the seminar series, click here or contact AGTA at [email protected].
