CIBJO plans a mini gemological conference called ‘Ruby Day’

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation has decided to introduce a gemmological mini conference beginning at its 2010 congress, and will make it an integral part of each of its subsequent future congresses. The theme for the gemological mini conference this year is "Ruby Day." The conference will include presentations and discussions on the research findings of ruby, the red gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. The event will take place on February 19th, at the International Congress Centre, at the Messe Muenchen. The Ruby Day conference is the initiative of Dr. Margherita Superchi, a renowned Italian gemmologist and president of the CIBJO Gemmological Commission. She believed the event will be an opportunity for gemmologists, jewellers and other industry professionals to discuss recent gemstone research and offer gemmological updates at CIBJO congresses, as many of the subjects that concern CIBJO and its commissions are closely related to gemmology.

The Ruby Day conference will feature speakers including - Wolfgang Hofmeister - Dean of the Faculty for Chemistry, Pharmacy and Geosciences of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. Topic: Mineralogy of ruby deposits connecting North-Vietnam and South-China; Pornsawat Wathanakul - Academic Adviser of the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT); Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand, will speak on Topic:Low temperature treatment of Mong Hsu ruby; Kenneth Scarratt - Managing Director, South East Asia & Director, GIA Laboratory, Bangkok, Thailand will speak on Topic:Rubies from Mozambique, before and after treatment; Adolf Peretti - Director of the GRSLaboratories, Geneva, Switzerland will present the topic on Occurrence and identification of rubies from Winza, Tanzania; Claudio Milisenda - Director of the Deutsche Stiftung fur Edelstein Forschung (DSEF) -- the German Gem Lab, Idar Oberstein, Germany, will speak on Recent observations on synthetic rubies; Michael S. Krzemnicki - Director of the Schweizerische Stiftung für Edelstein-Forschung (SSEF) - Swiss Gemmological Institute, Basel, Switzerland will present Heating and diffusion processes on rubies: characteristics, detection and declaration; and Elena Gambini - Head of Gem Materials Department, Centro Informazione e Servizi Gemmologici (CISGEM) - Center for Information and Services on Gemmology, Milan, Italy will talk on Glass in rubies: various cases, their detection and declaration.