This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 20 in 2025. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
From November 12 to 14, 2024, Palermo, Italy, hosted the “Second Italian Workshop on Fluid and Melt Inclusions”, organized by the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at the University of Palermo. The event took place in the Lanza Hall of the city’s Botanical Garden and provided a valuable opportunity for scientific exchange and dialogue between academia and industry, with the support of leading Italian institutions and scientific societies.
The workshop was sponsored and endorsed by the Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology (SIMP), the University of Milano-Bicocca, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the Italian Association of Volcanology (AIV), the Italian Geochemical Society (So.Ge.I), the Italian Gemological Review (IGR), and PetroLab.
The event attracted a diverse audience, including students, PhD candidates, researchers, and university professors from both Italian and international institutions, as well as professionals from the commercial and gemological sectors. Over the course of three days, participants engaged in thematic sessions introduced by keynote speeches from leading experts in the field.
The primary goal of the workshop was to foster discussion on the approaches, methodologies, advantages, and challenges associated with the study of fluid and silicate inclusions in Earth Sciences. A key focus was strengthening collaboration between academic research and commercial-gemological applications.
Particularly noteworthy was the session dedicated to the use of inclusions in gemology, which drew significant interest and a large audience. Its success highlighted the growing importance of this application within the field and underscored the need for greater involvement of gemologists in future workshops.
Italy will once again take center stage in 2025 in the field of fluid and melt inclusions. Marking the 20th anniversary of the congress in Siena, ECROFI (European Current Research on Fluid and Melt Inclusions) will return to Italy, with the University of Turin hosting the event from June 27 to July 4, 2025.
Gem News published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #20 – Winter 2024/25
