14th February 2023 Tuesday
Registration
Almas Tower
Pre Congress Board of Directors Meeting
Dinner at the Taj Dubai, Sponsored by ICA
Tuesday, February 14, 2023 (7:00 pm)
Burj Khalifa Street, Business Bay
Be our guest at the luxurious Taj Dubai Hotel, a breath-taking fusion of rich Indian heritage, signature Taj service, generous local traditions and contemporary design. Dinner will be in the stunning Opera Ballroom.
15th February 2023 Wednesday
Douglas Hucker
Welcome - ICA CEO
Clement Sabbagh
Opening Speech - ICA President
Ahmed Bin Sulayem
Congress Introduction Speech - President, DMCC
Rui Galopim de Carvalho, FGA DGA
Master of Ceremonies Remarks
Ashish Vijay
Remarks from Presenting Sponsor - AV Globale
Dr. Jeffrey Post, Ph.D.
Keynote Speaker - Dr. Jeffrey Post, Ph.D. - The Smithsonian Gem Collection – In Color!
Of all the objects in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, its magnificent gems, perhaps best and uniquely, provide an intersection of natural science, human history, culture, romance, and artistic skill and creativity—set against the allure of immense value and awesome beauty.
Jeffrey Post, curator of the U.S. National Gem and Mineral Collection and author of the recently published book: “The Smithsonian National Gem Collection – Unearthed: Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels,” reveals the scandals, mysteries, and human stories behind some of the world’s most famous gems. The Hope Diamond is familiar to most people because of its fascinating human history, which includes kings and thieves and perhaps a curse o. r two. Still, The National Gem Collection is also well-known for its many other world-class gems and jewelry pieces, such as Polly Logan’s 423-carat sapphire, the historic Maharaja of Indore Emerald Necklace and Empress Marie Louise Diadem, and the spectacular Carmen Lúcia Ruby. He also discusses rarely displayed gems from the Smithsonian vault and introduces exciting recent acquisitions.
Post shares how these rare and beautiful jewels have come to encapsulate stories about the individuals—from ordinary people to kings, emperors, maharajas, celebrities, and captains of industry—who once owned or were associated with them, for better or worse.
Coffee Break
Chris Smith, AGL
Aaron Palke, GIA
Thanong Leelawatanasuk
Laboratory Panel
Douglas Hucker
Moderator
Sean Gilbertson
Jing Jing
Female Influence in the Coloured Gemstone Consumption in China - Harper's Bazaar Jewelry
Colored gemstones are becoming increasingly popular in the Chinese market. Both the traditional favorites and the emerging varieties have become a hot spot for collection after diamonds. In the consumption chain of colored gemstones in the Chinese market, the influence of women is even more omnipresent. Among the six key players - media, PR teams of international brands, KOLs and celebrities, designers, independent jewelry brand managers and target consumers - women emerge as the most crucial roles. This presentation is narrated from the characteristics and influence of each of these roles, as well as the organic connections among five roles.
Nadia Hatta
ICA Gemlab Update
Nadia Hatta will present an update on the ICA Gemlab's new strategic direction going forward. The ICA Gemlab is making changes to become more cost-effective, market friendly, and developing additional divisions that will support the lab and our industry. Join Nadia for this exciting reintroduction to the ICA Gemlab!
Lunch
Wim Vertriest
Field Gemology, GIA
Rui Galopim de Carvalho, FGA DGA
Panel: Jewelry Designers
Moderator
Laura Inghirami
Tarun Jain
Darren Sherwood
Panel: Jewelry Designers
Coffee Break
Sophie Stevens
The Auction House's Perspective
The auction houses continue to set record breaking prices for coloured stones and help shape value benchmarks in the market. Sophie Stevens, Jewellery Specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, sheds lights on recent auction results for exceptional coloured gemstones, not only from the ‘traditional’ geographic origins, but also those from more recent sources such as those across the African continent. She also discusses the strong relationships between the auction houses and international gemological laboratories, as well as the ‘gems to watch’ – the other coloured stones outside the “Big Three” (ruby, sapphire and emerald) that are experiencing an increased demand at auction.
Yogita Vichare
Dinner at the Ritz Carlton, Sponsored by Belmont Emeralds
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 (7:00 pm)
Al Mamsha Street
Be ready for a spectacular evening of fine dining, entertainment, and delight, hosted by Premier Sponsor, Belmont Emeralds.
16th February 2023 Thursday
Tom Moses
Keynote - Tom Moses, GIA - Country of Origin and Its Paradox
The presentation will provide some context with the current state of country-of-origin determination and discuss potential future protocols for these reports.
Guillermo Galvis
The Butterfly Effect: Butterflies and the Colombian Emerald Industry
The most beautiful emeralds in the world are born in a magic corner of the world, as are the most amazing butterflies! The Butterfly of Muzo features a unique combination of color, reflection and beauty that inspires the best Colombian emerald with the Butterfly Effect! Today we are developing a special program to help preserve over 300 species of butterflies in the region; it brings hope in the middle of a climate crisis and strengthens the commitment of the gemstone industry to our communities and the environment.
Ioannis Alexandris
The Importance of Gemstones and Jewelry Through the Ages
Gems and Jewelry have been treasured throughout history, for decoration, adoration and investment, as means of barter, symbols of wealth, source of power, magic, as well as in medicine and astrology.
In this presentation, the importance and the influence of Gems & Jewelry to humankind will be discussed.
Joanna Hardy
Peridot - Past, Present & Future
Sponsored by Fuli Gemstones.
The Egyptians worshipped this vibrant green gemstone, it resides in the St Edward’s Crown, sits proudly in some of the world’s most prestigious jewellery museums, and examples have even been found in pallasites.
To find out more about this unique gemstone, taking us on an insightful, illustrative tour of peridot will be jewellery expert Joanna Hardy, who is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association, lecturer, author, and Trade Warden of The Goldsmiths’ Company.
Coffee Break
Jessica Han
Dr. Edward Liu
Dr. Hanco Zwaan, PhD, F.G.A
Panel - Fei Cui Jade
Jadeite jade, as it is known in Western markets, ranks second only to diamonds by value as a jewellery category worldwide. In China, these fibrous polycrystalline aggregates, composed solely or principally of the minerals jadeite, omphacite and kosmochlor, or any combination of the three, are known as Fei Cui (翡翠).
With this terminology question on the table, CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has been working to create a single, clearly defined and universally accepted set of standards, practices and nomenclature.
Moderator: Jessica Han
Kent Wong
Stanley Chu
Elle Hill
Why initiating ESG into your competitive strategy is essential to your business success and how to communicate it without “greenwashing”
If you wonder whether end-consumers and the retailers and manufacturers that serve them are asking for more sustainable products, wonder no longer. It’s no longer a debate. Businesses that respond to this demand by sharing authentically their journey to a more sustainable future will reap the rewards in growth.
In this talk we will dive into how and why sharing your journey is indispensable to your business’s success.
Lunch Break
Marcelo Ribeiro
Rui Galopim de Carvalho, FGA DGA
Aaron Palke, GIA
Panel: ESG Sustainability in the Colored Gemstone Industry
The supply chain for colored stones has always concerned the gemstone community. Now, the sustainability of the supply chain is a concern for the discerning customer as well. Find out how the industry monitors supply chains to be free from funding armed conflict, human rights abuses, sustainability, and more.
Johanna Levy
Moderator
Andrew Lucas
Ruby Liu
China Colored Gemstone Market Report: Now the Biggest Market in the World
In 2021 China became the leading market for jewelry and watches. The colored gemstone industry has seen exceptional growth for several varieties of stones such as emerald, spinel, and aquamarine. We will examine real statistics for colored gemstone consumption in China and observations for future trends in the market.
Coffee Break
Annie Doresca
Diversifying Our Industry
Black in Jewelry Coalition is the first international non-profit membership association dedicated to the inclusion and advancement of Black professionals within the gem, jewelry, and watch industry. Our organization strives for the advancement of Black professionals within the industry through networking, education, representation and an abundance of resources.
We promote change in our industry with the fundamental understanding that by uniting our resources and partnering with allies, we cultivate growth and create opportunities through an alliance that is for us, by us. Our strategies include providing tools and resources for professional success and growth, and recruitment for increased representation through heightened awareness.
Veronica Maina
Mining in Kenya
Senator Maine will provide an in-depth look at the mining industry in Kenya. She'll discuss the rich resources available, the infrastructure of mining projects and the opportunities for growth.
Dinner Cruise, Sponsored by ICA
Thursday, February 16, 2023 (7:00 pm)
Embark on Dubai’s largest and most luxurious cultural boat, the Ocean Empress, for a tour of Dubai by sea. The cruise will feature dinner, music and traditional entertainment!
17th February 2023 Friday
Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri PhD
Keynote: Gaetano Cavalieri - The Challenge of Supply Chain Transparency: Seeking Clarity in an Opaque Environment
More than any other sector in the jewellery industry, coloured stones present a set of inherent challenges that are difficult to overcome. Upward of 80 percent of rough stone production is in the hands of artisanal miners, unlike diamonds and precious metals where major producers own or control most of the output. Furthermore, many of the artisanal miners operate in under-developed economies, where the ability to track the movement of merchandise is limited, if it exists at all. The opacity is further clouded in the midstream, where small and medium-sized traders are dominant, and merchandise typically changes hands multiple times before making its way downstream.
However, end consumers are typically unimpressed by the objective difficulties that the coloured stone sector faces, and disregarding their demand for more transparent supply chains carries with it a high degree of risk. The solution to the problem comes with setting reasonable expectations, accepting that under current conditions full traceability is not possible in most cases, but transparency is, on condition that all players in the supply chain can carry outreasonable due diligence. There also are a growing number of technological solutions.
Evan Caplan
Damien Cody
Miriam Kamau
Gems Keep Giving: ICA's Initiative for Colored Gemstone Artisanal Miners
‘Gems Keep Giving’ (GKG) is an initiative set up by the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) to support artisanal gemstone mining and cutting communities around the globe. As the name implies those involved in the gemstone industry now have a way of giving back to those in our industry who are most in need. By giving we are not only changing lives for the better but we are also helping to make our industry more sustainable.
Warren F. Boyd
The Future of American Sapphires
This session will cover the future of sapphire mining in Montana, followed by an update on newer sapphire localities recently noted in Canada.
Zainab Ali
The Application of Machine Learning on the Chemical Analysis of Gems: A Case Study on Emeralds.
Analysis of trace elements of seventy-one emeralds from nine different localities was conducted using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Using the LA-ICP-MS data, machine learning technology (tree classifier) was used to aid emeralds origin determination.
Ruth Benjamin Thomas
Annie Doresca
Yogita Vichare
Diversity:The Impact on the Colored Gemstone Business
Miriam Kamau
Elle Hill
Menahem Sevdermish
Post Corona Gem Color Trends and Insights
This presentation will reveal the recent popularity of unusual colors, such as colors mixed with gray, brown, other tints, and unique pastel colors. These colors, until recently, would never have had the chance to be exposed to so many potential customers. Today there are no inferior colors of gemstones. All colors sell; it just requires a story behind it. The presentation will display gems with these particular colors and discuss the new potential post-Corona gem market trends. An additional project insight will be about detecting online oddities on gem trading platforms.
Lunch
General Membership Meeting
Press Conference
ICA Board of Directors Meeting
ICA Congress Gala Dinner, Hosted by DMCC
Friday, February 17, 2023 (7:00 pm)
Atlantis Dubai, Crescent Court, Palm Jumeirah
