The Jewellery Valuers Association (JVA) very popular Annual Conference was held at Holywell Park in Loughborough, England, bringing together jewellery valuers, gemmologists and industry professionals for four days of presentations, practical workshops and networking.
Running from 11 to 14 September, the very well-attended conference placed several of the most pressing issues facing the jewellery valuation profession at the centre of its programme, including artificial intelligence, synthetic diamonds, authentication, gemstone treatments and changing market conditions.
Among the headline presentations is Kym Hughes’s session, “Trust in Jewellery Valuation – AI, Automation & Authentication: Professional Judgement in an Age of Artificial Intelligence”. The presentation will examined the implications of increasingly sophisticated technology for professional valuation and the continuing importance of human judgement.
The growing challenge posed by synthetic diamonds, otherwise known as “laboratory-grown diamonds”, will also receive significant attention. Gareth Brown will present “The Synthetic Diamond Challenge: Fraud, Crime and Risk in the UK pre-owned Jewellery Market”, addressing risks associated with synthetic stones in the second-hand jewellery sector.
Other presentations will covered diamond identification, gemstone science and the watch market. Colin McGuinness of De Beers Science & Technology will discussed the development of diamond screening instrumentation, while Adrian Hailwood examined the state of the watch market in 2026 and asked whether current conditions are simply “ticking along” or concealing deeper problems.
The conference programme was complemented by more than 25 practical and theory-practical workshops, the very soul of this conference and considered the highlights of this professionals’ event, giving delegates opportunities for hands-on learning with recognized trade experts in gemmology, valuations, jewellery and art history and watches. Subjects range from coloured gemstone valuation and pearl identification to antique jewellery, fancy-colour diamonds, diamond grading, hardstones in the decorativ arts and the use of new detection technology. Workshops also addressed practical aspects of running a valuation business, social media, photogrtaphy and modern techniques such as 3D scanning.
Ethics and the wider cultural history of jewellery also featured prominently. Dr Çiğdem Lüle explored the relationship between ethical jewellery and appraisal practice, while George Spyromilios examined 6,000 years of Hellenic jewellery and the legacy of Greek jewellery designer Ilias Lalaounis.
With its combination of technical education, emerging industry issues and professional networking, this year’s JVA conference kepts is tradition in providing delegates with both practical skills and insight into the challenges shaping the future of jewellery valuation.
Guest articles by Rui Galopim de Carvalho:
https://gem-spectrum.com/category/rui-galopim-de-carvalho
About the author:
Rui Galopim de Carvalho is a renowned independent Gem Education Consultant, author, luxury industry training expert and popular international lecturer on gemmology and on the history of gem materials. During his 30 year experience as a gemmologist, Rui has studied important collections in both public and private museums, notably the Portuguese Crown Jewels.
Founder of the popular Home Gemmology webinar series launched during the COVID-19 lockdown, Rui has a long history as a gemmology communicator, notably on social media where he is a popular figure.
Rui Galopim de Carvalho can be reached through his website:
