In the heart of the historic center of Ferrara, Italy, listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site, the “IV National Conference Diamond and Coloured Gems: Identification, Tracing and Ethic Aspects” will be held on July 7 and 8, 2022, organized by the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences of the University of Ferrara, Italy, in collaboration with the University of Catania and with the sponsorships of various business operators.
The location of the Conference will be the wonderful Palazzo Tassoni Estense, a renaissance Palace built between the XIV and XV Century. Many topics will be covered during the two-day conference: crystallographic applications of minerals for gems use, recent development of non-invasive and non-destructive techniques applied to material of gemological interest, the role of geochemistry/petrology in gemological research, ethical aspects related to mining, exploitation and market…
The conference follows the three previous editions, held in Catania in 2016 and 2019 and in Bari in 2021, of which IGR (Italian Gemological Review) – Media Partner of the 2021 and 2022 editions – has published a complete review of all the talks.
You can register to the event on the Conference website and view the detailed program as well as abstracts of the talks.
On Thursday, July 7, the following will speak, in order of appearance: Obone Sepato (Anglo American), with the talk “Geophysical exploration methods for diamonds”; Fabrizio Nestola (Università di Padova), with the talk “Another present from the very deep Earth: ringwoodite and zirconia in super-deep diamonds”; Giovanna Agrosì (Università di Bari), with the talk “Non-destructive analysis of a diamond of historical interest from the Spada collection (19th century)”; Loredana Prosperi (Istituto Gemmologico Italiano), with the talk “Color perception and grading of colored diamonds”; Peter Tollan (Gübelin Gem Lab), with the talk “The application of geochemistry in a modern commercial gem lab”; Raffaella Navone (R.A.G, Torino), with the talk “Cobalt-treated beryl”; Ilaria Adamo (Istituto Gemmologico Italiano), with the talk “Red beryl: natural and synthetic compared”; Giuseppe S. Elettivo (Università di Bari), with the talk “Treatment of topaz color by electron irradiation”; Rocco Gay (Petramundi, ICA Ambassador), with the talk “The big jewelry brands and their gems produced in Valenza”.
This talks will be followed on the afternoon of July 7 by some short talks: Pia Antignani (Laboratorio Italiano di Gemmologia), with the talk “Hypatia: extraterrestrial diamonds in the Egyptian desert”; Francesco Maria Lo Forte (Università di Palermo), with the talk “Gemmological and chemical characterization of Simetite (Sicilian amber)”; Sofia Lorenzon (Università di Padova), with the talk “Genesis and depth of formation of ferropericlase inclusions within super-deep diamonds”; Giuseppe S. Elettivo (Università di Bari), with the talk “Utilization of alternative tools to seek gemstones”, Maura Fugazzotto (Università di Catania), with the talk “The mounted gemstones of the Diocesan Museum of Catania” and Giada Musilli (Università di Milano La Statale), with the talk “Ethiopian emeralds: gemological analysis and characterization of a new provenance”. The final of the Video Contest “Beryl in 3 minutes”, a national competition organized by the Apulian Academy of Sciences, will close the first day.
Friday, July 8, will be another day full of talks. Participating, in order of appearance: Lutz Nasdala (University of Vienna), with the talk “Applications of Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy in gemology”; Cristina Caggiani (Università di Catania), with the talk “In situ Raman spectroscopy analysis on gems of high historical value”; Lucilla Fabrizi (Università di Firenze), with the talk “Micro-Raman and PIXE-PIGE analysis of gemstones of the Medicean Collection of ‘Carved Stones’”; Floriana Rizzo (Università di Bari), with the talk “Study of color change in tourmalines with different origins treated with electron irradiation”; Sara Monico (Università di Milano la Statale), with the talk “Aquaprase: a new gemological variety of chalcedony. Mineralogical and gemmological characterization”; Michele Macrì (Università di Roma La Sapienza), with the talk “The GEMstone age”; Paolo Minieri (IGR – Rivista Italiana di Gemmologia – Italian Gemological Review), with the talk “‘Fair disclosure’ and traceability as ethical issues in gemology. Framing from a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) perspective”; Nicola Precisvalle (Università di Ferrara), with the talk “Framing and identification of a national gemstone: the Macedonian ‘ruby’”; Chiemi Sasajima (Istituto Gemmologico Ligure – ATC Gem-A Italia), with the talk “Evolution in pearl production over time and space”; Flavio Butini (Istituto Gemmologico Nazionale), with the talk “Archaeogemology: the contribution of the gemological laboratory to archaeology and commerce”; Clarisse Poloni (Affide), with the talk “Credit on esteem and the new challenges of the sustainable economy” and Piero Alberto Manuelli (Istituto Gemmologico Ligure – ATC Gem-A Italia), with the talk “Brewester angle gemological refractometer – Realization of working and industrializable prototype”.
The Conference will be in presence and online in agreement with the Italian compliance with national and local legislation on health claims to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19.
