Conclave 2026

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.

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.

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.