2027 Tucson Gemological Conference

Dr. Thomas Hainschwang is Director and co-founder of GGTL Laboratories (GGTL Laboratories Liechtenstein). He founded Gemlab (Liechtenstein) in 1996 and joined a very close collaboration with GemTechLab in Geneva in 2011, through which [GGTL Laboratories](http://www.ggtl-lab.org) emerged, with the three member labs in Liechtenstein, Geneva and Antwerp.

Dr. Hainschwang has been working on the analysis of diamonds, colored stones and pearls for the past 30 years, and is a respected and widely published expert in the field of gemological research, with extensive experience in the complex topic of colored diamond.

Besides his expertise as a multidisciplinary gemmologist with specialization in diamond research and testing, Dr. Hainschwang has developed and built many analytical instruments for gem and pearl testing in the past years.

Dr. Hainschwang holds a PhD in Physics (materials science) from the University of Nantes, France, a university diploma in advanced gemology from the University of Nantes (DUG diploma), and gemological diplomas by the GIA (GG), by the British Gemological Association (FGA), and by the Swiss Gemological Society (SGG).

Sia is a gemologist with a lifelong love affair with all things that sparkle. She started collecting crystals at the age of nine—and clearly never grew out of it. What began as a childhood fascination turned into a career devoted to gemstones, their beauty, history, and the stories they carry.

When she’s not surrounded by gems, you might find her hanging upside down doing anti-gravity yoga, indulging her other passion for makeup, color, and a touch of glamour—or drinking rather impressive amounts of coffee. Because apparently, sparkle and caffeine make an excellent combination.

She lives in Stockholm with her husband, two now-adult children, and two cats, who naturally consider themselves very much in charge of the household.

In her talk, she’ll take you on a journey through Nordic design and the fascinating history of gemstones in the Nordic countries, exploring how craftsmanship, culture, and a distinctly Nordic sense of beauty have shaped the way gems have been worn, treasured, and passed down through the ages.

Roland Schluessel was born in Switzerland and spent part of his childhood in Milan, Italy. After graduating from business management and marketing schools in Switzerland, he studied gemology in Idar-Oberstein and London, where he was awarded the Rayner Prize in 1985.

Roland was a senior director of the gemstone and jewelry department of the largest jewelry and watch company in Switzerland. During his many travels to South America, Africa, and Asia, Roland captured more than 300,000 pictures of gem mining, gemstones, and volcanic eruptions. His presentations have been valued in many countries throughout the world.

Roland has extensively visited Myanmar and is the author of the book Mogok – Myanmar, A Journey to the Finest Rubies and Sapphires in the World (2002; in German language). He has also written dozens of articles in specialized publications and is a co-author of the book Jade – a Gemologist’s Guide edited by Richard Hughes in 2022.

In the 1990s, Roland had the opportunity to spend several days in the three Paraíba tourmaline mines that were active at that time. As a member of a European group of volcanologists, Roland traveled several times to Ethiopia, where he visited the volcano Erta Ale, and where already in the 1990s he was offered pegmatite minerals in the region where Paraíba tourmalines are recovered today.

For the past 20 years, Roland was co-owner of Pillar & Stone International, a company that is being dissolved. Currently, Roland is the Managing Director of THE 7 KEY COLORS Inc, a company specializing in the import and wholesale of fine gemstones.

Kerry has a one track life*. She’s a gemologist. It’s her job, her passion, and her hobby. She doesn’t do much else!

(*full disclosure she does also enjoy good wine, great food, close friends and pub quizzes.)

She spends her time exploring gemology, playing with it, questioning it. She even spends most of her “holiday time” travelling with other like minded friends, often wearing a tiara, whilst seeking out gems and jewelry and licking rocks (she’s been told to stop the rock licking but does it anyway).

Always striving to find ways to improve her practice, learning outside her immediate field.

She also has dedicated much of her career to discovering new ways to help others learn. Whether that is travelling to far flung corners that other gemology schools and teachers don’t go to at her own expense.

Studying neurodiversity, dyslexia and other hurdles to learning and adapting lessons, resources and teaching to make this education more accessible. Or simply making gemology entertaining and engaging for all her students.

A past long term tutor and head of ATC for Gem-A, she served on the board of Gem-A, and ran one of the UK Branches.

Currently on the Board of Trustees for the Silversmiths and Jewellers Charity (UK), and a key contributor to the National Association of Jewellers (UK) Professional Trade Standards Committee, particularly focusing on Gemstones, Diamonds and Hallmarking practices.

Kerry is also a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the City of London, and a Government appointee to the British Hallmarking Council committee.

Most recently she and her team won the Environmental, Social and Governance Initiative award at the National Association of Jewellers for their projects on working with and making reclaimed gemstones more accessible to designers, jewellers and makers.

Violetta Wolf has served as the Director of the UA Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum since 2023, providing leadership in the museum’s initiatives for further research, development, and education across the UA, gem, mineral, and local Tucson communities.

Violetta has a successful history serving in the museum field at institutions including the Oakland Museum of California, the Museum of Science, Boston, and the Harvard University Mineralogical and Geological Museum. She specializes in natural history, preservation and collections management, exhibition development, and museum operations.

Violetta obtained a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies at the Harvard Extension School and a Bachelor of Science in Archaeological Materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.