the Scottish Gemmological association CONFERENCE, 2026

WORKSHOPS and talks

Sunday afternoon

Our Sunday afternoon workshops and talks are always popular and places are limited for some of them, so we always recommend that you choose and book your options as soon as possible.  

When you complete the Workshop Booking Form (which will come with your Invoice), please indicate at least a first and second choice. Only if it is not possible to fit in your first or second choices, will we get in touch.

Sia Akerlund - Nordic Hallmarking 

This workshop offers an in-depth examination of Nordic hallmarking systems with a specific focus on their application in valuation and appraisal practice. It explores national and regional hallmarks, fineness standards, date letters, assay marks, and maker’s marks used across the Nordic countries, placing them within their historical, legal, and cultural contexts. 

Participants will gain a structured understanding of how hallmarking systems developed in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, and how similarities and differences between these systems affect identification and attribution.

The workshop emphasizes practical skills essential for valuers, including how to read and interpret hallmarks accurately, assess authenticity, and identify later alterations, replacements, or non-conforming marks. 

Common challenges encountered in valuation—such as worn, partial, or ambiguous marks—will be discussed, along with strategies for cross-referencing and verification. Attention will also be given to cross-border trade, import and export marks, and changes in legislation that influence valuation outcomes.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a deeper understanding of how Nordic hallmarking contributes to determining metal quality, provenance, dating, and ultimately market value, supporting confident and well-informed valuations

Roland Schluessel - Understanding Trade Terminologies and deciphering Gemmological Reports 

​This session will be a round table discussion 

The disclosure and interpretation of the main trade terminologies vary greatly within the trade. The lack of standards  for the main terminologies such as “pigeon blood red”, “royal blue”, “cornflower blue”, “cobalt spinel”, “type A Jade”  and others, leads to discrepancies within the supply chain, generating significant value discrepancies at wholesale and  retail levels.​ Confusing terms applied to clarity enhancements, quality grades, and origin  identification are also used to inflate prices of gemstones.​

How to decipher gemmological reports, reading between the lines, protect yourself and your clients from potential misleading use of trade terminologies in the marketplace, online, and in appraisals is debated during the round table discussion.​

Roland will lead the discussion and explain the reasons why terminology discrepancies  will persist in our industry; participants are welcome to integrate examples and personal experience.

Shelly Sergent - Gems with a Story to Tell - Somewhere in the Rainbow Collection

Share the colorful journey with Shelly in this workshop as she recollects her first meeting with Alan Hodgkinson during the AGTA Gem Fair of 2012 and the relationship that initial meeting formed over the years.  
 
From the riches of Kashmir Sapphires, to the Wah-Wah MountaIns of Utah, Alan and Somewhere In The Rainbow shared treasures which are now permanently housed in the Rainbow Collection. Shelly invites delegates to this hands-on workshop, where you will share in Gems with a Story to Tell. 

Robert Weldon - Taking Better Gem and Jewelry Pictures With Your Mobile Phone

Very often, the very best camera is the one that you have in your back pocket – your mobile phone. They have become increasingly sophisticated photography devices, offering close-up capabilities and editing options.

This workshop will provide you with simple solutions for taking better gem and jewellery pictures with your mobile phone that, at the very least, you can successfully use to email potential customers. Some of your images may even be suitable for publication when combined with professional photography editing tools.

John Bradshaw - The Science, Art and Business of Faceting

Most people within the jewellery trade understand the importance of "cut" when it comes to diamonds but ignore or at least do not consider what is involved in the cutting for coloured gems. Historically, colour was king in determining the value of a gem but cutting has become an increasingly important factor.

Beautiful gems do not happen by accident. The physical and optical properties of a gemstone must be understood. This "science" part involves taking into consideration refractive index, color, clarity, cleavage, hardness, optic axis, critical angle and dispersion. The "art" of faceting is the cutters vision to manipulate the physical and optical properties of the gem material to it's highest and best use. The "business" portion is understanding the market where the stone will be sold as well as knowing if the color, clarity, yield, size and cost of the finished gem would yield a profit in that market.

John will have a few examples for hands on examination and discussion.

Beatriz Chadour-Sampson - The Alice and Louis Koch Collection of Rings in the Swiss National Museum, Zurich 

Louis Koch (1862–1930) was a successful Court jeweller from Frankfurt am Main, described as the ‘Cartier or Fabergé of Germany’. Their clientele included European aristocracy and the rich from commerce and industry.

Over one hundred years ago he and his wife Alice Koch (1866–1937) laid the foundation stone of a truly unique ring collection. By 1909 they  had acquired 1722 important finger rings ranging from Classical Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Baroque up to around 1900.  
 
Three successive generations have expanded the collection with rings from the 20th and 21st century representing jewellery designers from Europe, America and Asia. Today it is one of the most comprehensive finger ring collections in the world and is on display in the Swiss National Museum, Zurich. 
 
The descendants of Alice and Louis Koch had entrusted Beatriz Chadour-Sampson as curator of the collection for over thirty-five years and today she continues to advise the Swiss National Museum, Zurich.   

Miranda Wells TBC

A N Other TBC

Pat Daly - Gem-A Workshop

2026 Excursions

MONDAY, 4th MAY

With regards to our field trips, our intention is to run two options on Conference Monday.  These can be booked together with your Sunday afternoon workshop options when you are paying your Conference invoices which will start to be sent out in late February.

The Monday options are as follows:

Firstly, a trip into Fife (to the north of Edinburgh!) visiting the private collection, predominately of Scottish gems and minerals, belonging to an SGA Member and to be combined with a Scottish beach visit. Exact timimgs are yet to be finalised but, as thess sites are some distance from the Westerwood, we do not anticipate returning to the hotel until around 3.30 - 4.00pm.

However, if requested, there could be the option, around 3.00pm. of dropping travellers off at a location convenient for transport by bus to Edinburgh Airport (from North Queensferry) or by train (from Kinghorn) to Edinburgh train stations. Return transport will be organised once we have the participants names and any requests, however, for Edinburgh departures you should expect to be arriving at the airport or Waverley railway station before 4.00pm. Earlier timing could be arranged if requested.

Transport costs will be advised when attendees are finalised.

The Second Option we are looking at is a visit to a nearby whisky distillery, or possibly two, if that was requested. The two options are Rosebank Distillery and / or Deanston Distillery. The actual organisation of this trip will depend on numbers, however, as a guideline we would be leaving the hotel around 10.00am. and returning around 2.00pm / 3.30pm.

Transport and any lunch arrangements will be organised once we have the participants names.

As an alternative for anyone flying from Glasgow Airport early to mid afternoon, we could recommend a visit to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow's Pollok Park - not very gemmological, but interesting!  Entry to the Collection is free and it is a wonderful, rather eclectic collection, in a striking building with a good cafe attached.  The Park is very pleasant for a wander and there is a free shuttle bus service around it connecting the main entrance, the Burrell Collection and the nearby Pollok House.  A bit further afield is also The House for an Art Lover. Links as below. The Reception Desk at the Burrell will look after luggage if asked.

We will (probably) leave it to any delegates interested to make their own way but please advise if you want help to organise travel. A taxi from the Hotel to the Collection will take about 30 minutes and a taxi from the Collection to Glasgow Airport will take about 20 minutes, given reasonable road conditions.

For travel links into Glasgow:   https://burrellcollection.com/visit/plan-your-visit/

https://burrellcollection.com/collection-highlights/

https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house

https://www.houseforanartlover.co.uk/about/what-is-house-for-an-art-lover