Conclave 2026

9:00am EDT

AI Yourself Calm: Smarter Systems for the Business Behind Your Craft Colonial BMariel Diaz Diamond Minds: Who Shaped Our Understanding of Diamond? Olympic BElizabeth West Future-Proofing Your Jewelry Business: Lessons from the 20 Under 40 Congressional AAmanda Gizzi The Magic Is in the Details: What Jewelry Design Teaches You About Buying, Merchandising, and Building a Collection That Sells Itself Augusta AAndrea Lucille Pooler Introduction to Jewelry Forensics Royal Dublin AMike Magee • Al Gilbertson, CG The Microworld of Natural Diamonds Royal Dublin BNathan Renfro

10:30am EDT

AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Modern Watch Timing Equipment: Watch Timers and Their Use Walkway to OscolaJason Ziegenbein Creating Collectors the Crayola Way Augusta AShelly Sergent Selling to Gen Z in 2026: What Actually Works Now Congressional AJen Cullen Williams

2:30pm EDT

AI's Next Role in Jewelry Design Royal Melbourne AMike Magee Natural Diamonds Have Never Had a Better Story. Is Your Team Telling It? Augusta AGrant Mobley Our Changing Jewelry Industry Colonial AHarold Dupuy, FGA Secret Teachings of a Gem Buyer: Field-Tested Techniques for Unlocking Value in Estate Jewelry Olympic ABert Esterhuysen, CG Selling with Proof: How Digital Storytelling and Provenance Drive Diamond Sales Congressional AMoshe Klein • Mahiar Borhanjoo (Un)Natural Beauty: Treatments in Ruby & Sapphire Royal Dublin AAaron Palke, Ph.D.

4:00pm EDT

AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Cell Replacement, The Right Way Walkway to OscolaJason Champion From Owner to Legacy Builder: Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders Colonial AStephen Barnes Recent Advances in Laboratory-Grown Diamond Screening Technologies Olympic BGuy Borenstein Scaling the Sparkle: The Manufacturing Roadmap for Automated Faceting Olympic ALee Haynes

10:15am EDT

AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Modern Watch Timing Equipment: Watch Timers and Their Use Walkway to OscolaJason Ziegenbein Beyond Bridal: Elevating the Independent Jeweler Experience Congressional BRebecca Boyajian • Mark Klein • Grant Mobley • Niveet Nagpal Luminescence – A Hugely Underrated Physical Property in Gem Testing Olympic AThomas Hainschwang Pure Transparency Colonial BShreyans Dholakia Introduction to Jewelry Forensics Royal Dublin AMike Magee • Al Gilbertson, CG Making the Call - Check List of the Defining Features of the major US jewelry periods from 1850-1950: A Systematic approach Olympic BStarla Turner • Suzanne Martinez The Amazing Natural Diamond Story Royal Dublin BJames Shigley, Ph.D. • Brenda Harwick

11:45am EDT

Sculptures of Light: The Artistry of Contrast in Fancy-Shaped Diamonds Royal Melbourne AAmanda Hawkes, CG • Lisa Kennedy The Art and Science of Why We Buy Luxury Augusta BPeter Smith The Art of Intentional Merchandising: Turning Product Into Story, Structure, and Sell-Through Colonial BNan Lung Palmer The Leader You Imagined You'd Be and the One Your Business Actually Needs Colonial AAndrea Lucille Pooler

3:00pm EDT

Attracting the Sustainable Shopper with an Impact-Driven Business Model Congressional BSusan Wheeler AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Water Resistance: Wet and Dry Methods Walkway to OscolaJason Ziegenbein Colored Gem Grading and Pricing Workshop Olympic BRichard Drucker Edit to Grow: The Discipline Behind Profitable Jewelry Assortments from Concept to Retail Colonial BNan Lung Palmer The Future of Fine Jewelry: What’s Changing, What’s Enduring, and What Actually Matters Congressional AJodi Riesenberg • Lana Boutros • Alexis Padis • Nadine Tacorian • Paul Tacorian What Every Jeweler Should Know About Precious Metals Metallurgy Olympic AJoel Meltzer • Silas Morgan Speaking the Pearl Language Royal Dublin BTao Hsu, Ph.D. • Lisa Kennedy The Microworld of Natural Diamonds Royal Dublin ANathan Renfro

4:30pm EDT

AI's Next Role in Jewelry Design Royal Melbourne AMike Magee Colored Gem Grading and Pricing Workshop Olympic BRichard Drucker

10:30am EDT

(Un)Natural Beauty: Treatments in Ruby & Sapphire Royal Dublin AAaron Palke, Ph.D. Speaking the Pearl Language Royal Dublin BTao Hsu, Ph.D. • Lisa Kennedy

11:00am EDT

AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Cell Replacement, The Right Way Walkway to OscolaJason Champion Change is Inevitable. Growth is Optional. Colonial AAbe Sherman Credentials, Experience & AI: Appraising in Today’s World Olympic BMona Miller Fancy Clarity: For Exceptionally Rare and Desirable Inclusions Royal Melbourne AEvan Smith, Ph.D. • Jason Quick Old School Selling in a New School World Congressional BAdam Graham, RS The Edge User Group: Recent Enhancements, Real-World Use, and What’s Coming Next Colonial BLenny Prion

3:00pm EDT

AWCI Mobile Classroom: Workshop: Water Resistance: Wet and Dry Methods Walkway to OscolaJason Ziegenbein Communication in the Jewelry Appraisal Process: Soft Skills for Difficult Conversations Congressional AJoel Hassler, ACGA • Randall Lightfoot, CG, JEA • Andrea Venn, Ph.D., CGA, JEA • Mike West, ACGA Coordinating Your Store's Display and Sales Strategies to Make Your Staff More Effective Augusta BLarry Johnson Luminescence – A Hugely Underrated Physical Property in Gem Testing Olympic AThomas Hainschwang Metals Market Outlook – Trends, Turbulence & Opportunities Colonial BKevin Reilly Sculptures of Light: The Artistry of Contrast in Fancy-Shaped Diamonds Royal Melbourne AAmanda Hawkes, CG • Lisa Kennedy Women in Leadership: The Real Balancing Act Without Burnout Congressional BJen Cullen Williams

4:30pm EDT

Finish Well: How to Build a Jewelry Business Someone Actually Wants to Buy Colonial BMariel Diaz How to Boss 2.0 Congressional ASara Yood, Esq. • Lisa Bridge, CG • Monica Stephenson The Making of a Collector Olympic AShelly Sergent