Those attending the American Society of Appraisers’ International Conference
this October will find far more than just updates on valuation standards.
Gems & Jewelry Track Tackles AI, Authentication, Antique Jewelry—and What It Means to Be an Appraiser Today
Gary Roskin
Roskin Gem News Report
Artificial intelligence may be changing how appraisal reports are written, but it hasn’t changed the most important part of the profession.
Appraisers still need to know what they’re looking at.
That balance between emerging technology and traditional expertise runs throughout the American Society of Appraisers’ International Conference (ASAIC26), taking place October 4–6 in Fort Worth, Texas. Under this year’s theme, “A New Frontier — Appraising in a World of Change,” the conference brings together specialists from business valuation, personal property, machinery and equipment, real property, appraisal review—and, of course, gems and jewelry—for three days of education and collaboration.
For gem and jewelry professionals, the conference offers a program that moves comfortably between cutting-edge technology and centuries-old craftsmanship, recognizing that successful appraisers increasingly need both.
AI takes center stage—but doesn’t steal the show
It probably won’t surprise anyone that artificial intelligence shows up throughout this year’s Gems & Jewelry Track. But what caught our attention wasn’t that ASA included AI in the program. It was that nobody is debating whether it belongs there anymore.
The conversation has already shifted to far more practical questions: How do we use these tools effectively without compromising professional judgment? Where does AI actually help an appraiser—and just as importantly, where doesn’t it?
Jennifer Shaheen opens Monday with “How Smart Appraisers Are Using AI to Work Less and Deliver More,” comparing platforms including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Manus. Rather than simply introducing the technology, the session promises practical demonstrations of where each platform performs best for documentation, image analysis, communication, marketing, and research.
But ASA wisely doesn’t stop there.
On Tuesday, Mona Miller asks, “Is the Devil in the Details? Appraisals & AI,” examining how AI is already affecting appraisal practice, while Trang Pham follows with “Navigating AI in Jewelry Valuation: Potential, Boundaries, and Best Practices,” focusing on where artificial intelligence can improve workflow—and where professional judgment remains irreplaceable.
Together, these three sessions reflect what many gemologists have been discussing over the past year: technology can help organize information, but only the appraiser has the expertise to recognize an undocumented treatment, identify a repaired claw, understand why one seemingly similar piece deserves a dramatically different valuation than another, or recognize when AI has simply gotten it wrong.
History still matters
If AI represents one frontier, history represents another.
Çiğdem Lule introduces attendees to the emerging field of archaeogemology, exploring how gemology, archaeology, and geology intersect in the study of ancient gems. Her session examines the unique challenges involved in authenticating ancient gem artifacts and the considerations appraisers should keep in mind before accepting these specialized assignments.
Antique and estate jewelry receives equally strong attention.
Gina D’Onofrio of Heritage Auctions explores the recurring fascination with historical design in “Revivalism in Jewelry,” helping appraisers distinguish genuine period pieces from later revival styles and reproductions.
Lang Antiques’ Suzanne Martinez and Starla Turner continue the theme with practical methods for separating Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Retro jewelry—knowledge that becomes increasingly valuable as reproductions continue entering the secondary market.
Elizabeth Bray rounds out the historical sessions with “Peace, Love and Diamonds: Jewelry from the 1960s,” examining how the social revolutions of the 1960s transformed jewelry design and continue to influence fashion and jewelry designers today.
Stories behind the jewelry
Not every appraisal begins with a laboratory report.
Some begin with a story.
Shelly Sergent, curator of the celebrated Somewhere In The Rainbow collection, invites attendees to examine remarkable jewels firsthand while discussing the people, histories, and cultural significance behind them.
Tiffany Dubin’s “When Small Works Tell a Big Story” examines how artists transformed jewelry from simple ornament into meaningful works of art. By exploring the patrons, muses, and cultural movements behind these creations, the session offers appraisers valuable context for understanding the significance of the objects they evaluate.
Learning from the marketplace
The conference also steps outside the classroom.
One highlight will be an exclusive visit to Heritage Auctions’ new Dallas headquarters. There, attendees will follow important collections from evaluation through cataloging and ultimately to auction before joining Heritage specialists for a discussion of today’s marketplace—and how it continues to shape valuation decisions.
Valuing jewelry in today’s market
Perhaps no session better captures the challenges facing today’s appraisers than Kathleen Turner’s presentation, “Defensible Value in a Distorted Market: Advanced Valuation Challenges.”
Lab-grown [synthetic] diamonds, enhanced disclosure requirements, online resale platforms, shifting consumer demand, and changing brand perceptions have all complicated the valuation process. Rather than relying solely on traditional formulas, Turner examines how experienced appraisers are adapting methodologies and report language to produce valuations that can withstand scrutiny in insurance, litigation, estate, and secondary-market assignments.
More than a conference
Taken together, the Gems & Jewelry Track reflects a profession that continues to evolve without losing sight of its foundations.
Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve. Markets will continue to shift. Consumer expectations will undoubtedly change.
Yet successful appraisers will still depend on the same qualities that have always defined the profession: observation, judgment, historical knowledge, and the ability to explain—not simply estimate—value.
That’s a frontier worth exploring.
Tap here for the complete ASAIC26 Gems & Jewelry Track schedule and registration information.
