The
Scottish Gemmological Association
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SGA News (update 14th October 2010) Wednesday 10th November 2010 (update 30th July 2010) Heat Treatment of Ruby and Sapphire: a full day seminar by Ted Themelis **Places are still available for this workshop** Please see Events for details.
Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Some Extraordinary Gemstones - Alan Hodgkinson Please see Events for details
SGA Conference 2011 (update 19th July 2010) Preliminary Announcement The SGA Annual Conference will take place in Perth from Friday April 29th to Monday 2nd May 2011. Speakers confirmed so far include: Karl Schmetzer, David Callaghan, Alan Hodgkinson, Dominic Mok, Marcia Pointon and Stuart Robertson. Put the dates in your diary now! SGA Conference 2010 (update 22nd June 2010) A slide show of photographs from this year's conference can be viewed in the Members Area
Congratulations (update 1st June 2010)
Trade Alert concerning 'Keshi' Cultured Pearls (update 13th May 2010) For those members and others who attended the recent workshop on Pearls, given by Vanessa Paterson at the Scottish Conference, we'd like to draw your attention to the Trade Alert recently published by the SSEF regarding the large influx of apparent natural saltwater pearls, which, on testing turn out to be 'Keshi' pearls produced as a by-product of the cultured pearl industry. It would seem that these can only be identified using sophisticated methods and therefore have the potential of undermining the trade in natural pearls. To read more about this issue and the initiative by the SSEF
to establish an International Certification of pearls, please go to this link
Forthcoming Events (update 10th May 2010) (follow the Events link in the main menu for details) All the talks below will be held at the British Geological
Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh
All talks start at 7.3-pm. Doors Open at 7.00pm - Cost £5.00
Thursday 9th September 2010 - Joanna Whalley Faking Luxury in Medieval and Renaissance Europe Tuesday 5th October 2010 - John Smith Tassies Tuesday 9th November 2010 - Practical Session (Postponed) It shouldn't happen to a Ruby! A hands-on practical session on today's so-called rubies SGA Annual Conference (update 3rd May 2010) We had a truly fantastic Conference. We had a record attendance, despite recent volcanic activity, excellent presentations and workshops. Thanks to all our speakers and workshop leaders and to all our delegates for making it such a successful event . It was fantastic meeting old friends and making new ones. We are very grateful indeed for all the support from our Sponsors and Supporters. Without their generosity, it would be impossible to hold such an event, attracting the best of speakers from home and abroad. We hope that everyone can make it back next year. SGA Annual Conference (update 29th April 2010) We're sorry to say that Don Hoover and his party from the US have cancelled their trip to the Conference where Don was to give a presentation on his work on magnetism in gemstones. Concerns over ash clouds and potential further disruption to travel, should future eruptions take place, have resulted in Don's cancellation. We hope that they will be able to join us in 2011. SGA Annual Conference (update 22nd April 2010) The SGA Annual Conference is still on schedule despite volcanic ash clouds (in Iceland!) Scottish airports are now open and It's not too late to come along so book now. Follow the Conference 2010 link GemSet 2010 Jewellery Competition (update 11th April 2010) We're pleased to announce the winners of the GemSet 2010 Jewellery Competition. Congratulations to all who took part in an excellent competition with a large number of entries.
The winner of the first prize is Filipa Oliveira of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, University of Dundee. All of us would like to congratulate Filipa on her winning piece!
The Winning Entries can be viewed by following the link to GemSet 2010 above
Tucson Show
See a selection of images from this year's Tucson Show
AGM News (update 31st March 2010) We'd like to thank everyone who made to the AGM on Tuesday the 29th March. The weather was atrocious and the evening ended with very heavy snowfall. We really do appreciate the efforts made by all attendees to get there and contribute. The new SGA Management Committee was elected and we had a good debate on the issue of future funding. Minutes of the AGM will be made available shortly in the Member's Area. The AGM was followed by an excellent talk by Padraic Lavin on 'Emeralds from the Piteiras Mine, Brazil' Magnetism - by Don Hoover (Update 22nd March 2010) We are really pleased to publish articles by Don Hoover on magnetism in gemstones. The articles are written in preparation for our Conference in May, where Don will demonstrate the measurement of magnetic susceptibility of garnets.
The articles
can be downloaded here:
Auction of Gemmological Instruments and Books (Update 22nd March 2010) We'd like to draw member's attention to the forthcoming auction of gemmological equipment previously owned by the Gem-A and books owned by David Callaghan at Fellows Auctions on the 13th April Lots 383 to 512 : http://www.fellows.co.uk/ShowAuction.asp?sAuctionNumber=1070 There are refractometers, spectroscopes, balances, moissanite testers, light boxes, books (many signed by the authors) etc . An excellent opportunity to acquire gemmological equipment and reference material. Award for Dorothy Hogg, MBE (Update 10th March 2010)
Read an excellent article on 'The Crisis in the Gem Trade' by Joel Arem at http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/may09/new-gemstone-treatments.cfm
This addresses the crisis in the gemstone industry caused by the avalanche of rubies which have been Pb-glass filled or perhaps could be termed new Pb-glass stones filled with bits of ruby!
Jack Ogden at Gem-A has brought attention to the new data on the Gubelin gemstone collection published by the GIA.
You can see this at http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/gia-gem-database/ Tucson Night (Update 3rd March 2010) We had a great evening learning about the gemstones, beads, equipment, minerals, trade issues and background of the Tucson show. Thanks to all our members who gave us such excellent presentations. Future Funding of the SGA (Update February 26th 2010) All members are asked to respond to Alan Hodgkinson's posting on the Members Forum. This is the text of an address Alan made to SGA Members at the AGM regarding the future funding of the SGA. We would like to get Members' views on this issue so please contribute if you can. SGA Members Forum (Update February 24th 2010) A Members Forum is now available within the Members Area. Please try it out and give us some ideas as to how we can improve things and provide more facilities for members. Article - Alan Hodgkinson - Members Area only
We are pleased to publish an article by Alan Hodgkinson entitled 'Beryls - Natural and Synthetic' with permission from Gemworld International Inc. The article is published in The Gem Guide January/February 2010 Volume 29, Issue 1 and can be viewed in the SGA Members Area Article on Moissanite By popular demand, Alan Hodgkinson's article on Moissanite Testing can be seen by following the Resources link on the above, left-hand side. Members Area This is now available by logging on via the Member Login button above Registered members of the Association now have Login Ids and passwords. Gem-Set Jewellery Design Competition 2010 Entries for the Competition are now closed. For details of the Competition please follow this link Forthcoming Events Our 2010 Conference is filling up with many of the workshop places now filled. We recommend that you book your place and register as soon as possible. Select the appropriate link above Our Spring Programme of events can be viewed by selecting Events for details Join the SGA - Membership forms are now available *** Apply for membership now ***
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