The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) will host a Corundum Conference at the 2003 AGTA GemFair Tucson. The show is scheduled for February 5-10, 2003, at the Tucson (Ariz.) Convention Center.

There will be several free seminars and panel discussions devoted to the condition of the corundum market. These include Ruby mining in Pakistan and Afghanistan, issues surrounding the origin of corundum, practices on the disclosure of enhancements and treatments, and special emphasis on the scientific research that has been done on new treatments that have recently entered the marketplace.

Corundum Conference seminars and panel discussions during the 2003 AGTA GemFair Tucson include:

* AGTA Gemological Testing Center Update
Kenneth Scarratt, AGTA Gemological Testing Center, New York

* Clearing the Air on Disclosure-From Beryllium to Tanzanite
Douglas K. Hucker, American Gem Trade Association, Dallas

* Beryllium Diffusion Coloration of Sapphire. A Summary of Research
Panel discussion. Kenneth Scarratt-AGTA GTC, Terry Coldham-Sapphex, John Emmett-Crystal Chemistry, Richard Hughes-Pala International, Thomas Moses-GIA GTL, Dr. Pornsawat Wathanakul-Kasetsart University/GIT and Junko Shida-Gemmological Institute of All Japan.

* Corundum and Questions of Origin
Christopher P. Smith, Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory, Lucerne, Switzerland

* Buyers and Sellers Discuss Corundum Diffusion Disclosure
Panel Discussion. For further information, visit the AGTA Web site at www.agta.org or call (800) 879-6259 for times and locations of each Corundum Conference event.

JCK