PRESS RELEASE: Gem-A Announces Expert Speaker Line-Up and New Venue Details for 2025 Gemmology Conference

The Gem-A Conference 2025 will welcome 10 renowned international speakers to The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s on November 1-2, 2025.

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) is pleased to share further details about its upcoming Gem-A Conference 2025, including an inspiring new Central London venue and an esteemed line-up of speakers who will share their expertise on the weekend of November 1-2, 2025.

This year’s event will take place within the state-of-the-art conference suite at The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s, complete with views over one of the Capital’s most iconic landmarks. Details such as convenient transport links, ample catering, and discounted hotel stays have all been considered, ensuring the Associations national and international guests can attend with ease.

Elsewhere, Gem-A is pleased to announce its 2025 speakers who represent a range of gemmological specialisms and disciplines. Highlights include sessions dedicated to Oregon sunstone, Mogok sapphires, the Winston Red diamond, and demantoid garnet, among other anticipated talks.

This year’s experts and the titles of their talks are outlined below:

Day One – Saturday, November 1

1. The Blue List – the Responsible Jewellery Supply Chain Lexicon – Why Words Matter - Purvi Shah, PS, Head of Ethical and Sustainable Value Chains, De Beers Group.

2. The Copper Connection: Identifying Oregon Sunstone - Rosie Young, BSc, FGA EG, Gemmologist, GCS Gemmological Certification Services.

3. Updates on the Timing and Geochemistry of Mogok Sapphire Formation - Rachelle Turnier, Ph.D., Manager of the Carlsbad Museum & In-Kind Gifts, GIA.

4. How Old is Your Treatment? - Çiğdem Lüle, Ph.D., FGA, GIA GG, DGA.

5. The Winston Red diamond: Contribution to the Understanding of the Rarest Colour - Eloïse Gaillou, Ph.D., Director of the Mineralogy Museum of Mines Paris – PSL.

Day Two – Sunday, November 2

6. Gemtelligence: A Deep-Learning Software to Determine Origin and Treatment in Gemstones - Daniel Nyfeler, Ph.D., Managing Director, Gübelin Gem Lab.

7. Gem Demantoid Garnet: A Review and New Insights for Understanding its Genesis – Isabella Pignatelli, Ph.D.

8. Carbon-Based Gems, Carbon-Based Consequences: Jet’s Synthetic Legacy Proves that Some Forevers are Measured in Catastrophe, Not Carats – Sarah Steele, FGA, DGA, Curator of Jet, Whitby Museum.

9. Cartier: A Blockbuster Behind the Scenes - Helen Molesworth FGA, FSA, Senior Curator of Jewellery, Victoria and Albert Museum.

10. Hidden Gems – Secrets of the Natural History Museum - Robin Hansen, FGA, Senior Curator, Gems and Minerals, Natural History Museum, London.

The annual Gem-A Conference is a highly regarded professional development opportunity for gemmology professionals, jewellers, retailers, auctioneers and research scientists, including Gem-A Members, non-members and students. Its broader schedule of events includes a series of practical, hands-on workshops and London-based tours organised by the Gem-A London team on Monday, November 3.

Sessions confirmed to date include practical workshops dedicated to visual optics and artificial materials, hosted by Pat Daly FGA DGA and Charles Bexfield FGA DGA EG, and workshops led by Richard B. Drucker FGA GIA GG, Sarah Steele, FGA DGA, and Alistair McCallum FGA. Places are limited and must be secured in advance. 

This year’s event is supported by industry sponsors, including The Jewellery Valuers Association (JVA), Charles Bexfield Gemstones & Services, Gemworld International and Marcus McCallum. Further corporate sponsors are expected to be announced in due course.

Gem-A Chief Executive Officer, Cath Hill, says: “With an impressive new venue and an esteemed group of speakers, I am confident that this year’s Gem-A Conference will provide the learning experience our Members crave. The Conference has developed into an unmissable occasion for gemmologists, both Gem-A Members and non-members, who are seeking continuing professional development and enrichment. I look forward to welcoming familiar and new faces to London in November.”

Gem-A Honorary President, Richard B. Drucker FGA GIA GG, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies at the event, adds: “This year we have an historic lineup of renowned speakers in the profession from across the globe. Topics to be covered include gemstones from various sources including Burma sapphire, Oregon sunstone, demantoid garnet, gemstones of importance in museums, age dating of treatments, and much more. We will also be looking into the current hot topics of AI and sustainability. We look forward to seeing you in November.”

Following this, on Monday, November 3, Gem-A will once again welcome graduating students from around the world to its annual Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards. The celebrations will take place at The Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s in a change to previous years.

Tickets

Tickets for the Gem-A Conference 2025 are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Discounted early bird ticket rates are available for Gem-A Members, non-members and students until September 30, 2025.

The registration process can be completed here: https://web.cvent.com/event/a299c7b3-3469-427a-af96-6949eab329b7/register.

Further information about the Gem-A Conference 2025, including more details about the speaker schedule, venue, accommodation and corporate sponsorship opportunities can be found here: gem-a.com/conference-2025.

About Gem-A

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain, or Gem-A, is the world’s longest established provider of gem and jewellery education. Our Gemmology Diploma evolved from the first gem course proposed for the UK jewellery trade in 1908, and our prestigious Gemmology and Diamonds Diplomas—taught in five different languages and 19 countries around the world—are recognised globally.

Gem-A forms an international community of gem professionals and enthusiasts. We serve the interests of the gem and jewellery industries through high standards of education in our courses and our support for global gemmological research. We also provide various membership opportunities, offer high-quality gemmological instruments, and host a number of educational events throughout the year, as well as two internationally distributed publications, The Journal of Gemmology and Gems&Jewellery.

www.gem-a.com