Classes & Courses

JSA PLANS SEMINAR FOR TRAVELING SALESPEOPLE

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance will hold a full-day security training seminar for traveling jewelry salespeople and gem dealers from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 19. The site is the St. Moritz Hotel on Central Park South, New York City.

JSA President John Kennedy calls this the most comprehensive training session his group has ever offered for salespeople. Participants will be taught the methods used by the criminal gangs that target jewelry salespeople and will learn effective strategies for avoiding losses. Detailed discussion and actual crime videos will cover what to do in the most dangerous locations and situations to avoid theft, robbery and violence.

“Fear among salespersons and gem dealers regarding crime and violence is sky high,” says Kennedy. “This class will give them the best advice on how to conduct themselves on the road in order to avoid losses and injury.”

Seminar cost is $175 for JSA members and $195 for non-members. The fee includes a copy of the newly-issued JSA Manual of Jewelry Security, as well as breakfast and lunch.

Jewelers’ Security Alliance, 6 E. 45 St., New York, NY 10017; (212) 687-0328 or (800) 537-0067; e-mail JSA@polygon.net.

GIA STARTS MOVE TO NEW CAMPUS

The Gemological Institute of America is starting to move into its new headquarters and campus in Carlsbad, Cal., a coastal community about 100 miles south of its current location in Santa Monica.

The first phase of the move begins this summer. It involves GIA GEM Instruments, GIA Advanced Retail Management Systems, the West Coast division of the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory, and the institute’s research, shipping/receiving and printing departments. The administrative and education departments will follow; the first GIA classes should be held there in January 1997. Facilities Director Gary Hill says that staff will be relocating through the summer of 1997.

The new, larger facility is expected to meet growth requirements through the year 2000. Future phases will include an auditorium, museum, additional office space and cafeteria facilities, which would allow growth of GIA to well over four times its current size.

The site now is 18 acres, with an option for 12 additional acres which GIA plans to acquire in 2002. This, says Hill, “will give us sufficient ground on which to build a total of some 550,000 sq. ft. over our projected 20-year expansion.”

ITALIAN SCHOOL OFFERS JEWELRY & GEM COURSES

Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School in Florence, Italy, offers a variety of industry courses. There are one-week courses on gemology and intensive one-, two- and three-month summer courses in jewelry making, design and stone setting. There are short summer courses on precision casting, engraving, wax modeling, design, stone setting and other topics. There are six-month, one-year and/or two-year courses on jewelry making, design and stone setting. And there are two- and three-year personalized academic courses.

The laboratory-school is located in the center of Florence and is run by an association (unnamed) whose aim is “to propagate the culture of jewels, promote contemporary jewelry and collaborate with schools and training centers in other European countries.”

Le Arti Orafe, Via De Serragli, 124 — 50124 Firenze, Italy; 055/2280163, fax 055/2280131.

AWI OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NEW TRAINING PROGRAM

The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute‘s new 45-week watchmakers training program will debut July 15. AWI is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of horology.

AWI notes that there is a critical shortage of skilled watchmakers in the U.S. and around the world. In response, the institute is offering four full-tuition scholarships for the program. (Tuition is $6,250 plus hand tools.)

Prospective students should be mechanically inclined with good hand-eye coordination. They will learn the skills needed to succeed in the art of modern and antique watchmaking.

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

OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY ADDS GEMOLOGY PROGRAM

The Small Business Occupations Department at Oklahoma State University is launching what it believes is the first Oklahoma gemology program. The course series currently available includes Fundamentals of Gemology, Diamonds and Diamond Grading, Colored Stone Identification, Jewelry Appraisal and Trade Practices and Jewelry Technology.

The program is supported by an advisory committee of small business owners and suppliers, with a national advisory committee slated to form sometime this fall. Chatham Created Gems has donated $40,000 worth of Chatham created emeralds, rubies and sapphires, along with an array of laboratory crystals to show students the process of manufacturing gem materials.

Jerry Wilson, head of the department, says students will receive a certificate of completion, membership in a planned Oklahoma State University’s Fellow of Gemological Science Alumni Association, and the title Fellow of Gemological Science. Plans also are on the table for the university’s first Associate of Applied Science degree in Gemology.

Courses are offered in the spring, summer and fall. OSU-Okmulgee has a residential campus and student financial aid is available.

OSU-Okmulgee, 1801 E. Fourth, Okmulgee, OK 74447-3901; (800) 722-4471 or (918) 756-6211, ext, 271.

SEMINAR COVERS HEALTH & SAFETY ON THE INTERNET

Blymyer Engineers Inc., an environmental consulting and engineering firm, is offering a series of one-day seminars for environmental, health and safety professionals on using the Internet to obtain regulatory and technical information. The seminar helps the uninitiated and experienced alike to quickly and efficiently access environmental, health and safety databases. Information will range from the basics of getting connected to the technical details of finding Internet sites.

The schedule: Washington, D.C., July 8; New York, N.Y., July 10; Chicago, Ill., July 12; Los Angeles, Cal., July 16; Dallas, Tex., July 24; New Orleans, La., July 25; San Francisco, Cal., July 28; and San Jose, Cal., July 29.

Blymyer Engineers, 1829 Clement Ave., Alameda, CA 94501-1395; (510) 521-3773, e-mail mkatz@blymyer. com.

JA ANNOUNCES CSA EXAM SCHEDULE

Jewelers of America will administer the Certified Store Manager exam during the 1996 JA International Trade Show at the Javits Center in New York City. The exam will be given July 21, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with a review class at 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. To register, fill out a registration form and include a per-person fee of $25 (plus $5 if you will attend the review class). Payment will be accepted only through the mail; it must be received by July 15 and is not refundable. For a form or information, contact Sheila Cooper-Hannah, Jewelers’ Certification Council, c/o Jewelers of America, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10036; (800) 223-0673 or (212) 768-8777.

The exam also is scheduled at the following locations:

Pennsylvania Jewelers Association Annual Convention, Hershey, Pa., Aug. 3 and 4. Call (800) 523-1106.

Florida Jewelers Association Convention, Saddle Brook Resort, Tampa, Fla., Sept. 6. Call (800) 872-7461.

Maryland/Delaware/District of Columbia Jewelers Association Convention, Turf Valley Hotel and Country Club, Ellicott City, Md., Aug. 8. Call (410) 269-1440.

West Coast Regional Educational Conference, Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, Cal., Aug. 24, 25 or 26. Call (213) 623-5722.

Virginia State Jewelers Association Convention, Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Roanoke, Va., Oct. 6. Call (800) 852-1022.

Hawaii Jewelers Association Convention, Hawaiian Regent Hotel, Honolulu, Hi., Oct. 27. Call (808) 988-3443.

The test appraises key spheres of store management expertise. Those who pass the exam and have one year of experience as store manager, assistant store manager or owner/manager within the past five years receive the title of Certified Store Manager.

SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED

A scholarship towards a degree in gemology has been established in the name of Jeremy S. Kragness, son of David K. Kragness, vice president of Gemological Products Corp., Santa Monica, Cal. Jeremy, who loved minerals, died in January at the age of 18. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to GIA, Jeremy Scott Kragness Memorial Scholarship, 1660 Stewart St., Santa Monica, CA 90407.

AMA CATALOG AVAILABLE

A 128-page catalog describing courses on topics ranging from Accounting and Controls to Treasury Management is available from the American Management Association. The catalog covers courses being offered from April to December 1996, in a number of cities around the country.

American Management Association, 135 W. 50 St., New York, NY 10020-1201; (800) 262-9699.

NAJA ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR FLORIDA CONFERENCE

The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers will hold its fifth annual East Coast Educational Conference Aug. 18-22 in Orlando, Fla. A highlight of the conference will be a three-day focus on opals.

The opal portion of the conference (Aug. 19-21) will cover the following topics: “Overview of Opal Characteristics,” “Determining Types of Opal,” “Natural, Dyed and Synthetic Opal and Simulants,” “Determining Base Color, Clarity and Brightness of Fire,” “Identifying Patterns, Cracks, Inclusions and Cut,” “Estimating Value of Solid Opals,” “Boulder Opal” and “Mexican Opal and Opal from Other Locations.”

The first day of the conference will focus on how to write insurance replacement appraisals. Topics will include “General Value Theory,” “Writing Insurance Replacement Appraisals,” “Writing Fair Market Value Appraisals” and “Appraisal Writing Clinic & Workshop.” The final day will focus on how to establish, maintain and grow an appraisal business.

Instructors will be David Atlas, associate director of NAJA and a principal in D. Atlas & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; James Jolliff, executive director of NAJA and owner of JEI Gemological Laboratory, Annapolis, Md.; Joseph Tenhagen, associate director of NAJA and president of J.W. Tenhagen Gemstones Inc., Miami, Fla.; and Paul Downing, owner of Majestics West and Majestic Press Inc., Tallahassee, Fla.

For more information or to register, contact NAJA, P.O. Box 6558, Annapolis, MD 21401-0558; (301) 261-8270.

This will be NAJA’s second conference this year. The West Coast Conference, held Jan. 30-31 in Tucson, Ariz., focused on emeralds and emerald treatment. Members brought emeralds to the conference and put them through the different stages of treatment processes. They discussed various types of treatments and considered the following warning signs:

  • Flash or heat-wave effects, brush marks, the look of freshly poured and raked concrete, swirling, the look of a dried up river bed or a generally thick texture.

  • All emeralds are treated with oil, but there are different types of oil. Balsam and cedar wood oil beads onto the surface when a thermal reaction tester is applied to the stone. Cedar wood and kerosene-based oils also have a distinct odor.

  • Stones with epoxy resin feel like plastic.

  • Resin mixed with hardener and injected into a stone leaves white areas that can darken with time.

  • Opticon-filled fractures sometimes fluoresce chalky white to white blue under longwave ultraviolet light.

  • Epoxy and balsam oil will sometimes fluoresce yellow under longwave ultraviolet light.

  • Glass-filled stones can display a lacy film effect.

Also at the conference, Stuart Bassin, senior trial attorney with the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, discussed the role of an expert witness and the requirements for developing a fair market value appraisal. He also discussed a current court case involving establishing a basis for income tax deduction. While the latter was still undergoing settlement, he said it could serve as a guideline with several lessons, including:

  • Don’t accept tax-evasion cases.

  • Break-up value cases are hard to define.

  • Appraisers should be able to reconcile the original cost with time that has passed to permit dollar increases over the original cost if warranted.

Also at the conference, Joseph Tenhagen discussed “Beryl and Its Variety Emerald” and “The Hexagonal Crystal System,” Gloria Leiberman gave a presentation on Judaic jewelry, Howard Rubin discussed his GemDialogue System of color grading, Tom Tashey discussed his new color grading system and Ann Johnson, manager of the USAA Insurance Co.’s Claims Replacement Service, discussed the impact of faulty appraisals and insurers’ expectations for appraisals.

FAMILY FIRM INSTITUTE SCHEDULES CONFERENCE

The Family Firm Institute will hold its annual conference Oct. 16-19 in the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, Pa. The theme is “Power Up the Family Business.”

Sherry Turkle, professor of the sociology of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will deliver the keynote address. Turkle is a license clinical psychologist and author of The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit.

Preconference workshops on Oct. 16 will include “Building the Family Office: The Pitcairn Family Experience: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” and “The Use of Self in Consulting.” Participants also can visit the Franklin Institute Science Museum to view the latest in technological developments, interactive computer programs and hands-on learning opportunities.

Seminars will be offered in six tracks: education, family relationships, multiethnic/multiracial businesses, practice management, wealth management and research. Also planned are a “Spirit at Work” Town Meeting — which will feature a panel discussion on philanthropy, spirituality and motivation in the workplace — and “Family-Owned Corporations in Emerging Economies: Stories of Adaptation.”

Family Firm Institute, 12 Harris St., Brookline, MA 02146; (617) 738-1591, fax (617) 738-4883.