Rio Grande’s conference, Clasp—A Convergence of Jewelers, will be held Sept. 14 – 16 in Denver, Colo. The second annual conference will explore all aspects of jewelry-making art, striving to educate and inspire jewelry-makers across the industry in a casual, collaborative setting. Jewelers will have the opportunity to interact with industry experts presenting topics crucial to growing jewelers’ businesses, sharpening their skills, and fueling their creativity. 

The inaugural conference was held in Nashville, Tenn. last September and featured three days of interaction among small manufacturers, metalsmiths, designing jewelers, and bench jewelers. Sessions were built along three theme tracks: Method, Money and Muse.

Clasp 2007 will offer more sessions and more opportunities to collaborate with attendees and speakers, said Andrea M. Hill, chief executive officer of The Bell Group, parent company to Rio Grande.

“Last year was such a great experience that we came back completely motivated to put on an even better conference in 2007,” Hill said. “We’ve lined up some incredible presenters and we can’t wait to share Clasp with everyone again.”

The conference will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner opportunities to meet with the experts, more bench demonstrations, and one-on-one opportunities to discuss business, Web, and marketing strategies with some of Clasp 2007’s business speakers.

The foundation of the Clasp experience is its environment for networking, allowing independent jewelry-makers to interact with one another and share ideas. The casual, non-competitive setting enables attendees to step outside their daily routines and to invest in personal development and interpersonal connections.

Registration for Clasp 2007 is still open; conference cost is $715 per attendee ($775 after August 11, 2007).

Clasp is produced by Rio Grande and its advisory partners Bench Media, Ganoksin (parent to the Orchid Forums), Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, and the Society of North American Goldsmiths. 

For conference details and more information, visit www.claspconvergence.com.

JCK