Athens, Greece, hosted the first-ever Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference in June, and organizers say the event was so successful that a second conference is being planned for May 2016 in Valencia, Spain.
The Athens conference was organized by the Athens Independent Gemological Lab (IGL) and the CGL-GRS Swiss Canadian Gemlab.
Much of the Athens conference centered on the creation and identification of synthetic HPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) diamonds. Attendees even participated in a workshop in which they applied the detection skills they learned over the course of the conference to identifying 40 specimens.
Additional topics covered included the difference between rubies from various producer countries and a look into the unique characteristics of colored diamonds from the Rio Tinto Argyle mine in Australia.
Information about the conference, including registration for the next edition, is available at www.gemconference.com.
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