World of Gems Conference Looks at Synthetics, Treatments

The fifth annual World of Gems Conference will be held Sept. 23 and 24 at the Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel, and this year it will focus on treatments and synthetics.

Among the presentations later this month:

“Synthetic Diamonds Are Not That Hard to Identify, HPHT Treated Ones Are,” Dr. Emmanuel Fritsch;

“Pearls, Their Mollusks, and Treatments,” Nicholas Sturman, GIA Thailand;

“The Challenges of Creating a Fancy Cut Diamond Grade,” Al Gilbertson, GIA;

“Characterization and Formation of Metamorphic Sapphires.” Hanco Zwaan, Netherlands Gemmological Laboratory;

“The Jades of Burma,” Roland Schlussel, Pillar & Stone International;

“Treasure from Trash: Identifying the Value in Gemstones Recovered from Scrap,” Kerry Gregory, Gemmology Rocks;

“State of the Natural Color Diamond Market,” Alan Bronstein, Aurora Gems;

“Pricing What Nature Never Intended,” Çiğdem Lüle and Stuart Robertson, Gemworld International;

“Paint it Black: Black Gem Challenges,” Çiğdem Lüle, Gemworld International;

“The Diamond Market: Profits, Pricing, Projections, and Problems,” Jon Phillips, Corona Jewellery;

“Pricing Challenges,” Richard Drucker, Gemworld International.