At this year’s GIA GemFest Asia, experts from the GIA Laboratory will provide the latest information on pearl research and the most recent modifications to the GIA Pearl Report.

GemFest Asia, set for Sept. 21, is a free, GIA-hosted educational event held in conjunction with the 2006 Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair. The GemFest Asia event will take place at 9 a.m. in Room 201B of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Tom Moses, senior vice president of the GIA Laboratory and Research, and Ken Scarratt, GIA Thailand’s director of research, will discuss the natural and cultured pearls available and their effect on the market.

Moses and Scarratt will also introduce the audience to changes in GIA’s Pearl Report, which include a modified report format, with new sections that disclose any pearl treatments.

Visit http://www.gia.edu/events/33962/gemfest_asia_2006.cfm for more information. GIA alumni who attend GemFest Asia will receive six Carat Points. Space is limited and seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP by Sept. 13 by e-mailing giahk@netvigator.com or by calling GIA Hong Kong at +852-2303-0075.

JCK