Classes & Courses

The Appraisers Association of America will hold its national conference Nov. 17-19 in New York City. The conference, titled "The Value of Value: The Appraiser in the Home," will be held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

"New regulations being imposed on appraisers are now extending into every aspect of appraisal report writing," says AAA President Alex J. Rosenberg. "Even appraisals written to insure general household contents are being scrutinized thoroughly by regulators and the courts. With this in mind, the AAA has structured a program with a highly pragmatic point of view, designed to address the needs of all appraisers in their daily practices.

At the conference, William Doyle Galleries will install a model room as part of a home that appraisers could expect to find during an average assignment. Participants will be invited to appraise the contents and compete for a prize.

The keynote speaker will be Carol Vogel, a New York Times columnist and expert on events that shape the art market. Another highlight will be a panel discussion on often-asked questions, including those involving IRS requirements, the relation of insurance and real estate appraisals and the fairness of fair market value. Also scheduled are "The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and New Methodological Considerations in Appraisal Report Writing" and "How Errors and Omissions Insurance Can Protect the Appraiser."

Twenty workshops will give appraisers a chance to examine specific disciplines, including estate jewelry, contemporary jewelry, clocks and the silver market.

Museum excursions are planned to the Hispanic Society of America, the Studio Museum of Harlem and the Morris Jummel Mansion. Conference participants will receive complimentary admission to the Triple Pier Antiques Show and can hear several dealers discuss the state of the market during a tour of the "Modernism" exhibition in the 67th St. Armory's Tiffany Room.

A preconference seminar titled "Establishing and Conducting an Appraisal Practice" on Nov. 16 will cover topics such as "A Viable Business Plan," "Marketing Strategies," "Advertising," "Maintaining a Business," "Self-Promotion," "When to Consult an Attorney" and "The Role of Professional Associations."

Appraisers Association of America, 386 Park Ave. S., New York, N.Y. 10016; (212) 889-5404, fax (212) 889-5503

The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute will offer a new 45-week watchmaker training program beginning July 15, 1996.

The course is intended as one answer to a critical shortage of skilled watchmakers in the U.S. and around the world. AWI provides state-of-the-art training rooms; a full-time, Swiss-trained watchmaker; and visiting horological instructors. Tuition is $6,250 plus hand tools.

American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute, 701 Enterprise Dr., Harrison, Ohio 45030; (513) 367-9800, fax (513) 367-1414.

About 30 International Gemmological Institute gemologists participated in an advanced diamond grading seminar conducted by the Gemological Institute of America in July.

IGI says it contracted withGIA for the seminar to maintain uniformity in clarity grading.

Nine experts will speak at a seminar to be presented Nov. 4-5 by the Society of Jewellery Historians in London, England.

The presentations are: "Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewellery," "Diamonds Pre-1381," "Diamond Crystals, Shapes and Sources," "Properties of Diamonds," "The Earliest-Known Diamond Cutting Machinery," "From Rough to Polished," "Early Diamond Cutting in Venice," "Danish Regalia of the Renaissance" and "Diamonds in 18th Century Court Jewellery." Speakers include Jack Ogden, president of the society; Nigel Israel, chairman of the society; renowned gem cutter Gabi Tolkowski; and Martin Chapman of the Los Angeles County Museum.

Society of Jewellery Historians, Department of Prehistoric & Romano-British Antiquities, British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom; (44-171) 404-3334, fax (44-171) 404-8843.

ETA, the Swiss manufacturer of watch movements, has announced its 1996 schedule of courses. Here are the courses, the dates and the information covered in each:

· Basic Course, April 15-18 and Oct. 21-24, basic knowledge of ETA quartz products, excluding chronographs.

· Updating Course, Nov. 27-28, information on new ETA products.

· Specialization Course, on request, information on ETA mechanical and quartz chronographs.

· Individualized Course, on request, information tailored to technical and administrative personnel.

· Exclusive Course, June 10-13, information on Elégance and mechanical and quartz calibers with perpetual calendar.

· Mechanical Watches, Oct. 14-17, information on the whole range of ETA mechanical products, excluding chronographs.

· Technical Training, Sept. 2, product knowledge on mechanical and quartz watches.

All courses are taught in English at ETA headquarters in Grenchen, Switzerland. The Individualized Course can be taught in other locations on request.

ETA SA Training Centre, Bahnhofstrasse Nine, CH-2540 Grenchen, Switzerland; (41-65) 51 71 71, fax (41-65) 51 71 74.

The CFH Institute in Lausanne, Switzerland, will offer a three-month course in retail management for watchmakers and jewelers beginning Jan. 8.

The first six weeks will be devoted to product knowledge and sales; the rest of the course will cover store management.

For more details and fees, contact CFH Institute, Ave. Agassiz Five, 1001 Lausanne, Switzerland; (41-21) 320-1201, fax (41-21) 320-1007.

The Minneapolis Technical College Jewelry Department has received a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant of $95,937.

The program works in conjunction with Jostens' Design and Tooling Division, which awarded a matching grant that includes equipment, training and facilities.

The grant will be used for machine tool jewelry manufacturing training. "The students we hire from the college save us time and money and are valuable members of our production teams," says Al Bunge, Jostens' plant operations supervisor.

The Gemological Institute of America has published its 1996 schedule of traveling classes and seminars in gemology and jewelry manufacturing arts.

Four-day classes available in major cities include "Diamond Grading," "Gem Identification" and "Colored Stone Grading." A new, shorter seminar on pearls will be held at GIA's campus in Santa Monica, Cal.

Other day and evening seminars in various cities include "Identifying Challenging Synthetics," "Detecting Treated Emeralds, Rubies and Sapphires" and "Detecting Fracture-Filled and Synthetic Diamonds."

For a complete schedule of classes, locations, dates and tuitions, contact the GIA Educational Advisory Dept. PR53H, P.O. Box 2110, Santa Monica, Cal. 90407-2110; (800) 421-7250 or (310) 829-2991, ext. 292; fax (310) 453-7674.