High in the Pamir Mountains of southern Tajikistan lie some of the world’s most storied sources of spinel and ruby. For centuries these remote deposits produced gems that traveled along the Silk Road and ultimately adorned royal treasuries and museum collections. Today, new production is limited, but the landscapes and histories remain extraordinary. This talk shares a visual journey to the historic mining region of Badakhshan. Through photographs and firsthand observations, the audience will see the dramatic geology of the Pamirs, the locations of the famous mines, and the immense physical challenges of extracting gems in such rugged terrain. For anyone fascinated by gems, geology, or the human stories behind them, this presentation offers the next best experience to standing there yourself.
Understanding the lost-wax casting process is critical for everyone in the jewelry ecosystem – even if they are not bench jewelers or in a casting shop. This session will illustrate the process from design concept to metal. We will touch on pattern creation, building a mold and spruing the jewelry, ceramic investments, kiln firing, and, finally, casting into the alloy of your choice.
Highlights for non-casters will include some key “laws of physics” when it comes to what is possible in casting precious metal alloys, how to design for casting success, recognizing the best manufacturing methods for a design, and spotting potential problems in finished jewelry.
Director of Manufacturing, TechForm Advanced Casting Technology, LLC
Joel Meltzer is the Director of Manufacturing at TechForm Advanced Casting Technology. Joel studied art in many different forms, from large-scale sculpture to printmaking, but fell in love with jewelry making while living in Tucson, Arizona. He received his BFA with a concentration... Read More →
As wealth transitions from baby boomers to the next generation, more estate jewelry is re-entering the market, often with rare gems unseen for decades. For jewelers and gem professionals, that creates both opportunity and risk.
This session combines practical gemology with real-world buying strategy, sharing field-tested techniques from high-volume colored stone acquisition. Attendees will learn how to assess value efficiently, spot subtle indicators others miss, and avoid costly mistakes in the estate space.
Using applied examples, unconventional tools, and observational methods, this session sharpens instincts for fast-moving buying environments and equips professionals to approach post-consumer jewelry with greater confidence, clarity, and commercial awareness.
While automated faceting promises a revolution in consistency and throughput, the transition from artisanal cutting to industrial-scale manufacturing is fraught with hurdles. This session is a deep dive for manufacturers, production managers, and large-scale wholesalers into the practicalities of a "lights-out" lapidary shop. We will analyze the opportunities—such as a projected 23.4% CAGR in the automatic segment and 15-30% labor cost reductions—against the challenges of high capital expenditure, skilled operator shortages, and the "yield vs. speed" dilemma when cutting high-value rough. Attendees will leave with a realistic framework for phased implementation, from pilot programs to full-scale robotic integration.
