Gem-A

Gem-A Creating and supporting gemmologists since 1908.

Sponsor in the Spotlight – Harmony Gems 💎 Among the Bronze Sponsors of the 2026 Gem-A Conference is Harmony Gems – a Hat...
02/10/2026

Sponsor in the Spotlight – Harmony Gems 💎

Among the Bronze Sponsors of the 2026 Gem-A Conference is Harmony Gems – a Hatton Garden-based, family-owned gemstone supplier.

Founded in 1993 by fourth-generation jeweller Fazil Ozen, Harmony Gems is renowned for offering a wide selection of fine natural gemstones, including sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and tourmalines, available in both unique cuts and calibrated sizes.

With over 40 years of experience in the global gemstone trade, Harmony Gems is also deeply committed to gemmological education and knowledge sharing. Through Harmony Academy, the company provides professional training, hands-on workshops, and lectures for jewellers, gemstone traders, and students with a focus on upholding the highest possible standards.

📅 The Gem-A Conference will take place at The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s on the weekend of November 7-8.

Secure your tickets and learn more about our speakers, sponsors, and schedule on our website.

Cu-bearing tourmaline from Ethiopia ⭐The latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology (Volume 40, No. 3) contains a featur...
01/10/2026

Cu-bearing tourmaline from Ethiopia ⭐

The latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology (Volume 40, No. 3) contains a feature article dedicated to a new deposit of Cu-bearing tourmaline from Abulo Rukessa (or Abuloo) in the Guji Zone of southern Ethiopia.

First reported in June 2026, this article describes a detailed analysis of 14 stones (five faceted and nine rough samples) conducted by the team at the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF. It also shares insights from comparisons between the Ethiopian material and Cu-bearing tourmalines from Brazil, Mozambique, and Nigeria.

📸 Pictured here are attractive blue to greenish blue tourmalines from Ethiopia. The rough material weighs up to 3.76 g. Photos courtesy of Paul Wild GmbH & Co. KG, Kirschweiler, Germany.

📚 Gem-A Members can read the issue online.

➡️ Become a Gem-A Member to start receiving our publications and secure priority access to our online and in-person events. More information via our website.

Gem-A Conference 2026 – Day Two Agenda 💎 Take a closer look at the Gem-A Conference agenda for Sunday, November 8.We wil...
29/09/2026

Gem-A Conference 2026 – Day Two Agenda 💎

Take a closer look at the Gem-A Conference agenda for Sunday, November 8.

We will start the day bright and early at 9 AM with opening remarks led by Gem-A CEO Cath Hill and Gem-A President Richard Drucker, starting promptly at 9 AM. Doors will open an hour before for registration and a light breakfast.

Here's the complete schedule of speakers for the day…

📅 9.15 AM - Dr. Aaron Palke

New frontiers in geographic origin determination

📅 10.45 AM - Olivier Segura

Precious coral

📅 11.45 AM - Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez

From collections to certificates: provenance research on emeralds and gold

📅 2.00 PM - Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton & Dr. Emmanuel Fritsch

The Pink Diamond: new discoveries on a historic treasure (Musée Condé, Chantilly, France)

📅 3.30 PM - Dr. Hanco Zwaan

Namibian tourmaline

📅 4.30 PM – Richard Drucker

Market update: diamonds & lab-grown diamonds

To find out how to join us at The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s, comment 'MORE INFO' in the comments.

We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks' time!

Gem-A Conference 2026 – Day One Agenda 💎We are thrilled to share the Gem-A Conference agenda for Saturday, November 7. A...
28/09/2026

Gem-A Conference 2026 – Day One Agenda 💎

We are thrilled to share the Gem-A Conference agenda for Saturday, November 7.

Attendees will be warmly welcomed to The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s by Gem-A CEO Cath Hill and Gem-A President Richard Drucker, starting promptly at 9 AM. Doors will open an hour before for registration and a light breakfast.

From 9.15 AM, our speakers will start sharing their wisdom and insights on a range of topics. Here’s the schedule for Day One…

➡ 9.15 AM - Dr. Stefanos Karampelas

Studying gems from museum collections: insights from recent scientific research and advances in geographic origin determination

➡ 10.45 AM - Elizabeth West FGA DGA

Diamond Minds: who shaped our understanding of diamond?

➡ 11.45 AM - Dr. Michael Mintrone

Recent and ongoing investigations of type IIa diamonds from the Letšeng mine

➡ 2.00 PM - Dr. Klaus Schollenbruch

A new source of copper-bearing “Paraiba-type” tourmalines from Ethiopia: a gemmological, spectroscopic and chemical characterisation

➡ 3.30 PM - Craig O'Donnell FGA

Arts and Crafts jewellery: makers, materials and identification

➡ 4.30 PM – Pia Tonna

Market update: coloured gemstones

We look forward to seeing you there! Secure your ticket and find out more about our speakers, sponsors, and scheduling via our website.

Conclude your Gem-A Conference experience with a one-day workshop delivered by the London Diamond Bourse 💎 Join us at Ge...
28/09/2026

Conclude your Gem-A Conference experience with a one-day workshop delivered by the London Diamond Bourse 💎

Join us at Gem-A HQ on Monday, November 9, for a deep dive into diamond manufacturing, incorporating the essential stages and processes from rough to polished.

✅ Visual overview of rough diamond models
✅ Marking exercises to understand crystallography
✅ In-depth presentation on modern manufacturing techniques
✅ Insights into global manufacturing centres
✅ Guide to rough planning and equipment
✅ Hands-on experiences with rough and polished diamonds

The day will be led by Craig Sievewright, a renowned rough and polished diamond industry specialist who spent 34-years at De Beers Group.

Gem-A Conference delegates receive an exclusive discount when booking. Please note that this professional development opportunity is available to Gem-A Members, non-members, and students.

Secure your place and learn more about our upcoming events on our website 💻

Sponsor in the Spotlight – Gemmology Rocks 💎We are thrilled to welcome Gemmology Rocks to the Gem-A Conference 2026 as o...
25/09/2026

Sponsor in the Spotlight – Gemmology Rocks 💎

We are thrilled to welcome Gemmology Rocks to the Gem-A Conference 2026 as one of our valued Bronze sponsors.

Founded by Kerry Gregory FGA DGA EG GG, Gemmology Rocks offers reclaimed and recycled gemstones and educational workshops that build professional confidence.

Plus, Kerry and her team have a great social media presence that offers valuable advice, helpful identification insights and plenty of entertainment for professional and amateur gemmologists alike.

When securing your ticket to the Gem-A Conference, don’t miss the chance to attend our ‘Test the Rainbow’ one-day workshop, hosted by Kerry at Gem-A HQ on Friday, November 6. More information can be found on our website.

The Gem-A Conference will take place at The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s on the weekend of November 7-8.

Everything you need to know about this year’s speakers, sponsors, workshops, tours, and schedule is available on our website.

The latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology (Volume 40, No. 3, 2026) is now available for Gem-A Members to access onl...
24/09/2026

The latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology (Volume 40, No. 3, 2026) is now available for Gem-A Members to access online 📚

Highlights include a feature article examining Cu-bearing tourmaline from Ethiopia, which has been much discussed in the field since a new deposit was discovered in Abulo Rukessa (or Abuloo) in mid-2026.

The Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF characterised fourteen stones reportedly from the area, including five faceted and nine rough samples, using a variety of techniques. SSEF compared chemical data from these stones with Cu-bearing tourmalines from Brazil, Mozambique and Nigeria in its database, and used statistical data processing to successfully differentiate the new Cu-bearing tourmalines from those of other localities.

Additional feature articles cover the gems of the sodalite group, new gem opal reportedly from Yemen, and gem-quality labradorite feldspar from the Haute-Loire region of France.

📸 On this issue's cover, we can see Ethiopian Cu-bearing tourmaline specimens, including crystals weighing 5.5 and 1.0 g (left and bottom left, respectively) and gemstones weighing 3.7, 2.0, 6.4 and 1.8 ct (clockwise from upper left). The individual images have been resized and digitally arranged, and so are not shown to scale. Composite photo by SSEF.

➡️ Gem-A Members can read the issue via our website.

Become a Gem-A Member today to start receiving our industry-leading publications and professional resources.

22/09/2026

Are you ready to take your learning to the next level? 👏

Take a peek at our Gemmology Diploma course notes, including one book dedicated to gemstones and another focused on theory.

So much hard work and dedication have gone into these essential resources, and we can’t wait for future cohorts of Gem-A Students to get their hands on them!

If you have completed the Gemmology Foundation, you are eligible to enrol on the Gemmology Diploma, which is your only route to achieving FGA status.

Find out more via our website or by contacting our team on [email protected].

22/09/2026

The printed editions of our new Gemmology Foundation and Gemmology Diploma course notes have arrived and they are looking fantastic 🎉

Our courses have been refreshed and revised to provide the most comprehensive and scientifically rigorous training in gemmology. Students joining us in September 2026 are among the first to receive these updated booklets, and we’ve already had great feedback.

Kickstart your gemmology journey with GemIntro, the Gemmology Foundation and the Gemmology Diploma… a pathway of learning that leads to Membership of the Association and the coveted FGA status.

Find out more via our website or by contacting our team on [email protected].

The Gem-A Conference schedule is bigger and better than ever 🤯 This year, we've expanded proceedings to include in-perso...
22/09/2026

The Gem-A Conference schedule is bigger and better than ever 🤯

This year, we've expanded proceedings to include in-person workshops at Gem-A London on both Friday, November 6, and Monday, November 9.

If you are very quick, you may be able to snap up the last remaining tickets for Justin Prim's session on 'The Science of Gem Cutting', which will tackle the intersection where gem cutting and gemmology overlap.

Justin's workshop will combine traditional gemmological knowledge with advanced optics to help participants understand why different cuts help or hinder the colour and brightness of gemstones. He will also explain what each of the traditional cutting styles does for light- and dark-toned stones.

Secure your place now to dive deeper into the physical world of gem cutting and learn what to look for (and what questions to ask) when buying cut stones or commissioning a lapidary.

➡️ Find out more and book tickets via our website.

💎 There's still time to join us at the Gem-A Conference 2026. Discover the full agenda, speakers, sponsors and more on our website.

Address

21 Ely Place
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EC1N6TD

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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