SNAG CONFERENCE TO EXPLORE ART
“To share diversity and interaction within a legacy of light, space and color, and explore the wealth of traditional and inventive metalwork.”
The mission statement of the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference, to be held in Albuquerque, N.M., April 16-19, hints that the experience will be unique. Attendees will trade ideas at receptions and in talking circles, and will explore the Southwestern art scene in the galleries and museums of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The keynote speaker will be Tom Joyce, who will discuss the belief by ancient cultures that life is released into objects made by a hammer and anvil, and how that belief is embodied today. Other presentations will be “A Testament to Diversity” by David McFadden, “Horatio Alger & Guadalupe” by Dr. Thomas Chavez, “Borneo & Beyond” by Enid Kaplan, “Andean Silver” by Martha Egan, “Taking the Mystery Out” by Phil Poirier, “A Closer Look at the Other Side” by Marilynn Nicholson, “The Formation of a Metals Group” by the Colorado Metalsmiths Association and “Intentions, Integrity and Business” by Ivan Barnett.
Three talking circles will allow audience participation: “Makers & Sellers” with a panel of jewelers and gallery owners, “Typecast” with trade press editors and “Pathways of Learning” with teachers of metal arts.
Attendees will be able to tour manufacturing and supply facilities, the Santa Fe Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum and dozens of other galleries and museums. Receptions will be held at the Albuquerque Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Old Town Albuquerque and the Santa Fe museum complex.
The SNAG Suppliers Room will feature suppliers of gemstones, tools, equipment and the SNAG book department. Students studying metal arts at the university level will show their work in a slide competition, and attendees can compete for items in the silent auction. A gala banquet and dance with Latin music will serve as the grand finale to the conference.
Registration is $195 for members, $225 for non-members, $140 for student members and $165 for student non-members.
Pre- and post-conference workshops will be held in Santa Fe and Taos April 12-15 and April 20-23. Registration and fees for these workshops are separate. SNAG, 5009 Londonderry Dr., Tampa, FL 33647; (813) 977-5326, fax (813) 977-8462.
AGS TO CELEBRATE 60th ANNIVERSARY
Visitors who step into the historic Palmer House Hilton this month will be swept back to 1937, when the first American Gem Society Conclave was held in this thriving hotel in downtown Chicago, Ill. AGS members will reconvene here April 16-20 to enjoy the Diamond Jubilee Conclave, complete with seminars, buying shows, games and social events.
Industry authorities will team up to provide presentations in six education tracks: gemology, business and technology, sales and merchandising, manufacturing arts, appraisals and alternative learning, which will include one-on-one meetings with Jim Shigley, director of the Gemological Institute of America’s Research Laboratory, famed diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky and gemology and photomicrography specialist John Koivula. A Youth Gemology Camp will be held for two age groups of members’ children.
In addition, the Gemological Institute of America will administer AGS Way Practical Exams in diamond grading and colored stones. GIA also will oversee the Conclave Lab Room to help attendees complete any written or practical GIA course requirements.
Conclave attendees will step out in style on the deck of the Odyssey, a 600-passenger dinner/dance ship, at the President’s Gala. The evening will feature a pre-gala wine and cheese reception, open bar, seasonal cuisine and live music as the ship cruises along the shore of Lake Michigan.
The winner of the 1997 Robert Shipley Award, honoring significant contribution to the field of gemology and the member’s community, will be announced at the Shipley Luncheon. Other events will include the Diamond Promotion Service Opening Reception, a membership breakfast and lunch, a New Titleholders’ Reception, a Welcome
Reunion honoring JCK Editor Emeritus George Holmes and former Managing Editor Deborah Holmes, an AGS Suppliers’ Breakfast, the Platinum Guild International
Breakfast and a reception celebrating the 50th Conclave attended by Richard Liddicoat of GIA. Jewelers can test their mental reflexes during Jeopardy for Jewelers; the winner will receive a free 1997 conclave registration.
Attendees can brush up on technology at the Computer Software Show during two days of the show, and suppliers can attend a buying show on April 18. A silent auction will be held that day inside the buying show.
Registration for all five days is $495 for members and $545 for non-members. AGS, 8881 W. Sahara, Las Vegas, NV 89117; (800) 846-8485 or (702) 255-6500, fax (702) 255-7420.
MJSA EVENT TO BENEFIT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS
The Manufacturing Jewelers and Silversmiths of America will host a cocktail reception and dinner dance April 5 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, R.I. Live and silent auctions will benefit two domestic violence treatment and prevention programs.
This is the first time in MJSA’s 90-year history that the public will be invited to attend the Bal des Bijoux, the event that kicks off the MJSA Expo Providence, to be held April 6-8. The band Roomful of Blues will entertain.
Proceeds from the auctions will benefit the National Domestic Violence Hotline and women’s treatment programs at Butler Hospital in Providence. The hotline provides crisis intervention, information, referrals and support for victims, friends and families. It averaged more than 8,000 calls a month during 1996. Butler Hospital is a leader in the treatment of women affected by post traumatic stress disorder, sexual and physical abuse, eating disorders and depression.
“The jewelry industry owes a considerable debt of gratitude to women, the largest percentage of our customers,” says James Marquart, president and chief executive officer of MJSA. “This is our way of attempting to increase the awareness that domestic violence destroys families, self-esteem and, in too many cases, life itself.”
Chairing the event are Tom Tanury of Tanury Industries, Lincoln, R.I., and Mary Maguire, a reporter from WJAR TV-10 in Rhode Island. Tickets are $95 per person. MJSA, One State St., Sixth Fl., Providence, RI 02908; (800) 444-MJSA or (401) 274-3840, fax (401) 274-0265.
SOUTH CAROLINA JEWELERS SCHEDULE CONVENTION
The South Carolina Jewelers Association will hold its annual convention April 18-20 at the Fripp Island Resort in Fripp Island, S.C. The program will include a seminar on appraisals, a “Morning with Colored Stones” presented by the Gemological Institute of America and sporting and social events. SCJA, P.O. Box 23099, Columbia, SC 29224; (803) 788-3142.
TEXAS ASSOCIATION PLANS CONVENTION
The Texas Jewelers Association will hold its annual convention April 19-21 at the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville, Tex. The highlight of the educational program will be a presentation of the Jewelers of America Bench Jeweler Certification© program. A representative will be on hand from the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology, the program’s co-organizer, to answer questions. The convention also will feature the TJA Discovery Room and annual design contest, as well as entertainment and golf outings. TJA, 504 W. 12th St., Austin, TX 78701; (800) 299-4872 or (512) 472-7342, fax (512) 474-5011.
WJA FUNDS17 SCHOLARSHIPS
The Women’s Jewelry Association Scholarship Fund helped to make the dreams of 17 future female jewelers come true last year. The 1996 fund provided six $1,000 grants, two $600 grants, six $400 grants and three $300 grants to women for continued study in their chosen jewelry fields.
Winners of the $1,000 scholarships were Staci Kerman, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; Melissa Lovingood, University of California San Diego; Marci Margolin, University of California San Diego; Angel Maria Soderberg, Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, N.Y.; Stacy Van Waldick, Parson School of Art & Design in New York City; and Yuko Yagisawa, University of California San Diego.
The Scholarship Fund is support-ed by fund-raising activities and grants from the David Yurman Fund, the Finlay Fine Jewelry Fund, the Helene Fortunoff Fund, the Osnat Gad-Solomon & Shoshana Memorial Fund, the Linda Goldstein Fund, the Gumuchian Fund, the Judith Jack-David Rosenberg Memorial Fund, the Reynor-Moss Fund, the Marvin Markman-Suberi Bros. Fund and the Ruth Tivol Fund.
The 1997 scholarship applications are now available and are due May 1. WJA National Headquarters, 333B Route 46 W., Suite B201, Fairfield, NJ 07004; (201) 575-7190, fax (201) 575-1445.
JA WINS AWARD, REWARDS AFFILIATES
Jewelers of America has received the Crystal Award of Excellence from The Communicator Awards for its video What You Should Know About Buying a Diamond.
The Communicator Awards is a national awards organization that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Of 2,714 entries from 43 states in the organization’s 1996 video competition, JA won the top prize for its entry.
What You Should Know About Buying a Diamond was sent to all JA members for in-store education and promotion and for home viewing by prospective diamond customers. The video, produced by JA and Rainbow Video of Morristown, N.J., outlines the facts and lore of diamonds.
In other news, JA recognized16 state and regional affiliates that achieved increases in membership in 1996 through the Gold Ring Program. In effect since September 1995, the program encourages affiliates to increase membership by promising cash awards of up to $4,500. Affiliates must attain a net increase of at least 7% in membership to qualify for the reward.
Another program established in 1995 – the JA 100 Club – recognizes retail jewelry operations that have been in business for 100 years or more. Recently inducted into the club were Bartikowsky Jewelers in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (established in 1887); The Bisanar Co. in Hickory, N.C. (1896); Maier & Berkele in Atlanta, Ga. (1887); Marks Jewelers in Lawrence, Kan., (1880); and Garibaldi & Bruns in Charlotte, N.C. (1896).