London: The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has announced that the American jewellery TV giant, Jewelry Television (JTV) will be the Platinum Sponsor for its upcoming Conference 2015 incorporating the Federation for European Education in Gemmology’s (FEEG) 18th International Symposium of Gemmology, held at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in Marylebone, London from 21–22 November 2015.
Welcoming speakers from around the globe, the Gem-A Conference has a reputation for tackling the most innovative and contemporary gem-related topics, whilst bringing together some of the leaders in the field for a weekend of networking and special events. The Conference 2015 hopes to build on the success of last year’s event at the Business Design Centre in Islington by providing an exciting new line-up of speakers and seminars in one of London’s top conference venues, and the home of Great British engineering, design and architecture.
JTV will sponsor the Gem-A Conference as part of an on-going relationship between Gem-A and the Knoxville based jewellery and gemstone retailer, and as a confirmation of its continued support for the Association’s work in gemmology education in both the UK and in their home territory.
Over the past five years Gem-A has seen a period of immense growth and expansion — moving into new territories, connecting with new audiences and creating exciting opportunities for students across the globe as a direct result of the support from JTV.
Alongside sponsoring the Gem-A Conference for the past 3 years, JTV have vastly contributed to the expansion and increased recognition of the Gem-A brand worldwide. This began with training of JTV staff, TV appearances for both former CEO’s, Jack Ogden and James Riley, and grew into the GemBasics course — marketed and distributed to an enormous stateside audience, solely by JTV.
Since then, Gem-A has benefited from free use of JTV’s facilities labs in the U.S., and funding for the re-establishment of a UK-based educational research lab at Gem-A, with the purchase of a costly EDXRF — which has enabled the Association to formalise plans to host the world’s first Gemmology Degree in association with Birmingham City University.
Commenting on the continuation of this relationship, Gem-A North American Manager, Eric Fritz FGA DGA said: “Working with JTV has made my job a pleasure by opening resources to our ODL students with state of the art Classrooms for teaching. The hospitality extended is on the same level as being a part of one big family. We look forward to expanding education to new levels especially in the United States through a continued partnership with JTV.”
On behalf of the entire JTV family, President and CEO Tim Matthews GG FGA DGA, proudly announced sponsorship of the Gem-A Conference, saying: “It is an honour to support such a prestigious gemmological institution, one that shares JTV’s vision of building a community of responsible, informed, and dedicated industry leaders, educators, and consumers through a commitment to excellence and a shared passion for nature’s sparkling creations.”
Over the coming weeks Gem-A will be announcing the events taking place throughout the Conference weekend as well as releasing a full list of international speakers.
