The Antwerp Guild of Diamonds and Precious Stones, together with the Association Marocaine de Gemmologie et de Bijouterie (AMGB), the Moroccan association of jewelers and gemologists, will conduct the first-ever Belgian-Moroccan gemology conference (AMGB) at the Kenzi Farah Hotel in Marrakesh on February 2, 2006. The event is being sponsored by the HRD Institute of Gemmology. The conference will be opened by the chairman of the Antwerp Guild of Diamonds and Precious Stones, H.R.H. Prince Jean of Luxembourg, and by the president of AMGB.

The conference will cater to the needs of jewelers, gemologists and merchants from the countries along the Mediterranean Basin. Lectures will be provided by experts from the HRD Institute of Gemmology and HRD Research, and various European countries. Among the speakers will be representatives of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC), Rio Tinto, the Antwerp Diamond Museum and the French Jeweler�s Association.

Presentations at the conference will include an update on the handling and identification of diamond and colored stones, an analysis of the evolution of the international diamond market, marketing and promotion, and overview of the jeweler�s profession, and a look at the diamond culture in the Mediterranean region.