2009 Tucson AGA Conference was held Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Groundbreaking News & the Latest Research Findings Related to Diamonds & Colored Gems
Program Included...
Christopher P. Smith, Vice-President and Chief Gemologist of American Gemological Laboratories kicked off the morning session with a discussion of recent issues observed in the lab including research concerning the identification of natural, non-heated tanzanites.
Dr. Emmanuel Fritsch, Professor of Physics at the University of Nantes, in Nantes, France joined by Franck Notari, founder and director of GemTech Lab in Geneva, Switzerland presented a lecture on Treated Corundum—From The Naked Eye To The Spectrometer.
The afternoon session was graced by the return of an AGA favorite, Alan Hodgkinson, Director of the Scottish Branch of Gem-A, who presented findings of his recent research of Natural and Synthetic Beryls.
Alan was followed by AGA board member Gary Smith along with Stan Hogrebe of Dazor Lighting who presented the latest scientific findings from the AGA’s task force on lighting standards in the field of gemology, initiated by the Association’s groundbreaking position paper on the impact of lighting on color-grading fluorescent diamonds, unveiled at the 2008 AGA Las Vegas conference. (See related files on right.)
The concluding speaker - John Koivula, GG, FGA, Chief Gemologist for GIA, gave an insightful presentation on observations made through the microscope.
The evening concluded with our festive dinner and awards ceremony, honoring this year’s winner of the prestigious Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology, Christopher Smith.