The new event of Jewellery Valuers Association (JVA), the U.K. and Ireland’s independent organization for professional valuers of jewelry, precious stones, watches and silver, will be held on Sept. 6-8, 2024 at Holywell Park within Loughborough University in Leicestershire. This three-day event will include lectures and workshops led by industry experts. The format is the same as that of the JVA Conference 2023, which we hosted a detailed overview of by Alberto Scarani.
The JVA Conference 2024 will start on Friday, Sept. 6, with a talk by Robert Weldon, gemologist, writer and photographer, who will explore the topic “How AI will affect Photography in the Gems and Jewellery Business”. Weldon will discuss the transformations expected in the field of gemological photography with the advent of artificial intelligence. Immediately following, Alberto Scarani will present “Spectroscopy applications for diamonds and colored stones”, offering an in-depth overview of spectroscopy applications in the gem industry. The day will conclude with a talk by Alistair Tait, a Scottish author and specialist in the history and culture of river pearls, who will present “The River Pearls of Scotland”.
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the day will begin with Stuart Robertson’s in-depth “Valuers vs. Guessers: Comparables, Sources and Appropriate Markets In Context”, which will offer significant insights into the valuation and importance of appropriate sources and markets. Next, Helen Molesworth, author of the book “Precious: The History & Mystery of Gems Across Time”, published in May 2024, will also attend the event for signing copies. She will offer a lecture, the topic of which will be announced later.
The final day of the event, Sunday, Sept. 8, will feature Duncan Parker presenting “Nearly Antique: Art Deco Jewels and Style After a Century”, an in-depth look at Art Deco jewelry a century later. This will be followed by a talk by Charles Bexfield, gemologist and crystallography enthusiast, with the theme “Melee pricing – big does not always mean best”. The event will conclude with a journey into the 1970s and 1980s through Jill Burgum’s lecture on “Influential Designers in Gold”, which will explore the most impactful designers of that era.
The three days will feature 26 workshops divided into six sessions. Notable workshops include “Gem Identification in Decorative Art Museums”, with internationally renowned gemologist Rui Galopim de Carvalho. Other workshops include “Deconstructing Complex CAD Jewellery for Valuing” with Darren Sherwood, a freelance gem setter, and “The Devil in the Details – Tiny Errors that Make Authentication Easier” with Adrian Hailwood, who will provide tools for spotting errors during appraisals. There will also be technical workshops such as “Fluorescence spectroscopy, screening and gem testing” by Alberto Scarani and Mikko Åström.
The full JVA Conference program is available in the official guide.
