Gems of Knowledge
An educational evening brought to you by WJA NorCal and the Golden Gate Chapter of GIA.
Tuesday, July 16th
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
935 Carleton St, Berkeley, CA
Are you interested in how the Women's Jewelry Association can support you? Have you thought about furthering your education through the GIA? Perhaps you are a designer wanting to gain some additional knowledge about the gemstones you are purchasing? Or, are you a gemologist interested in learning about marketing and design? Would you like to meet more people in the jewelry industry?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this event is for you! We are thrilled to be combining the collective expertise of our two organizations to bring you an evening where everyone can walk away with a bit more knowledge and a new friend!
The evening will begin with a keynote speech by
Robin Kramer, on the Art of Networking.
Robin is a brand marketing maven and sales expert with an impressive history with retail industry leaders. For the past twenty-plus years, Robin has worked with primarily small, upscale wholesale jewelry brands and designers to bring their products to market, position these niche brands for maximum exposure to their target customers, and build relationships with national and international retailers.
After our keynote, we will break out into groups for smaller up close table presentations on the following subjects:
GIA Station 1: Forensics
Presenters: Suzanne Martinez and Ben Shemano
Suzanne and Ben will show you how they use the tools they learned in a forensic approach to the valuation of the jewelry that comes across their desks. This can be applied to your appraisal as well as buying practices.
- Checklist for evaluating condition?
- How do you tell if a piece is an authentic antique piece or a reproduction?
- How do you separate good from pedestrian vintage jewelry?
- What era was this made?"
GIA Station 2: Demystifying the Gemology Tools and Jewelry Hacks
Presenter: Starla Turner
Hands-on Quick Tips on Using the Spectrascope and the Chelsea Filter. Separating blue Topaz and Aquamarine by feel and tests. Is it a ruby or a garnet? Starla will run this mini-seminar multiple times throughout the event and, in between, will have something interesting for participants to look at or do. This is a great station for novices, experts, and everyone in between.
GIA Station 3: Gem Identification Challenge
Test your knowledge of gems. Is that orange beauty a garnet or a fire opal? Is that a gem or a piece of glass? What is that blue stone?
WJA Station 4: Jewelry Design
April will walk you through how she finds inspiration and brings it to life through jewelry. There will be display items of jewelry in various levels of completion and some of her favorite tools of the trade.
Agenda
6:30 - 7:00: Arrive, grab a drink and a bite. Catering by
Picante7:00 - 7:10: Introduction of WJA NorCal
7:10 - 7:40: Keynote speaker, Robin Kramer, on The Art of Networking
7:40 - 7:50: Introduction of the Golden Gate Chapter of GIA and a brief explanation of our educational stations.
7:50 - 9:30: Presentation stations, networking, and refreshments.
This event is $20 for the general public and $10 for WJA and GIA members. RSVP required.
