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Previous Lectures
April 29, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand GIA Thailand: Jade: Stone of Heaven
March 9, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand GIT Conference: Downtown: Hunting gems in Southern Tanzania
July 9, 2008, Bangkok, Thailand GIA Thailand: People & Places – New Directions in East African Gemology
People & Places: New Directions in East African Gemology While the traditional mines of Burma and Sri Lanka continue to produce, much of the action in today's ruby and sapphire market is taking place in East Africa. The AGTA GTC's Richard Hughes has just completed a survey of corundum mines in Tanzania and will detail that country's mines and markets in this unique multimedia presentation. Those who have seen Richard’s recent programs know that his blend of imagery and sound is not to be missed. Multimedia presentation.
Sponsor: American Gem Trade Association When: February 8, 2008 Where: Tucson, AZ Cost: Free
Santa Ana , CA, Saturday, June 23, 2007, Bowers Museum People & Places: by Richard W. Hughes Which instrument comprehends feeling? What tool measures emotion? No device can see with our eyes nor read our minds. Yet we surrender our senses to the machine. Guilty as charged. We break the butterfly upon the wheel. Gemology cannot become simply science. People are drawn to precious stones because of passions, not just properties. The purchase of a precious stone is an emotional contract that connects the new owner with people and places across the planet. If we wish to fathom desire, we must begin understanding this visceral link. And if answers are not easily measured, if they involve emotion and art, not just science, they are no less real and no less important to gemology. Richard Hughes will delve into these issues via a dramatic multimedia presentation that covers ground all the way from Manhattan, through Russia's emerald mines, to Madagascar and Tajikistan's remote ruby, sapphire and spinel deposits. It will provide inspiration, a new direction into the neglected, nether regions of gemology. Don't miss it.
Sponsor: The Bowers Museum When: Saturday, June 23, 2007, 1:30 PM Where: The Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92706, Tel: 714-567-3600 Cost: Members $8; General $10
Saturday, April 21, 2007, Carlsbad, CA, Sinkankas Jade SymposiumJade: Stone of Heaven by Richard W. Hughes
Burma's center of jade mining is the small town of Hpakan. Fortune-seekers from all over Asia are drawn to the mines and the heady atmosphere is one of the gold rush days of the old American West. Famous in Burma as "Little Hong Kong," Hpakan offers Hennessy cognac, Rolex watches, French perfume and much more. This is all the more amazing considering it is located amidst some of the most impenetrable jungle on the planet. In 1996, Richard Hughes was a member of the first foreign gemological party allowed into these mines in over 30 years and will regale participants with a first-hand account of the mining and trading of this fascinating gemstone.
Sponsor: Gemological Institute of America When: Saturday, April 1, 2007, all day Where: 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008; Tel: 760-603-4000 Cost: Not yet announced
Monday, April 9, 2007, Washington, DCPeople & Places: by Richard W. Hughes
Alexander Pope Gemology is tired. Weary. Stumbling. Gemologists are privileged to work with some of the most stunning and romantic objects on the planet – singular marvels of extraordinary beauty and wonder. And yet all we do is analyze. Break it down. Torture beauty until the extraordinary is reduced to an entirely ordinary set of chemicals, numbers and digits, abstractions with no relation to the reasons why people purchase precious stones. At this point, we have broken the butterfly upon the wheel. Attention! We are told if a Paraíba tourmaline is really a "Paraíba tourmaline," we must analyze it. And yet no one has ever gazed upon a fine Paraíba tourmaline and declared: "Oh sweet jesus, look at that copper content!" No instrument can see with our eyes, none can detect our emotions, and yet we surrender our senses to these abstractions simply because they possess the faint whiff of "science." Which instrument feels feeling? What tool measures emotion? Precisely what implement can detect the response one gets when viewing a fine Burma ruby and a lesser stone from Thailand? Few are willing to ask these questions because the answer falls outside the realm of scientific gemology. And yet the answers are crucial to our field. Gemology is not simply science. Much of it involves plunging into a pool where depth cannot be fathomed, where one floats not upon intellect, but raw emotion. People acquire precious stones because of passions, not properties. If we wish to understand desire, we must look to art, not science, we must make a connection with the people and places these gems come from. Richard Hughes will delve into these issues via a dramatic multimedia presentation that covers ground all the way from Manhattan to Russia's emerald mines, Madagascar's sapphire and Tajikistan's remote ruby and spinel deposits. It will provide inspiration, a new direction into the neglected, nether regions of gemology. The butterfly is broken, but it can fly again if we are willing to patch those gilded wings.
Sponsor: Washington, DC Chapter, GIA Alumni Association When: Monday, April 9, 2007, 7:00 PM Where: Holiday Inn Rosslyn, 1900 Ft. Meyers Drive, Arlington, VA 22209, at the Virginia end of Key Bridge, tel: 703-807-2000 Cost: Free to members; others $10; tel: 202-342-3943
Saturday, March 31, 2007, Pasadena, CA
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New Directions in Ruby & Sapphire:
From Madagascar to Tajikistan
by Richard W. Hughes
The earliest ruby and sapphire mines of yore, Sri Lanka and Burma, continue to be significant producers, but other major deposits have been recently discovered. Most important of these is Madagascar, where huge new fields of blue sapphire, pink sapphire and ruby are now being worked. And in an obscure corner of Central Asia, yet another ruby deposit is beginning to make an impact. Richard Hughes has visited both Madagascar and Tajikistan in the past two years and will take attendees on a journey from the steaming jungles of Moramanga to the high-altitude deserts of Murghab. A highlight will also be a visit to Badakhshan's long-lost balas ruby (spinel) mines and a side trip to the Russian emerald mines.
Sponsor: AGTA GemFair Tucson
When: Thursday, February 1, 2007, 1:00–2:00 PM
Where: Tucson Convention Center, Mohave Room
Cost: Free of charge
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Sorcerers and Sapphires: A visit to Madagascar
by Richard W. Hughes
Sponsor: American Gem Society
When: Saturday, April 29, 2006, 3:30–5:00 PM
Where: Orlando, FL
Cost: Entry restricted to AGS Conclave participants
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Tales of Adventure in Colored Gemstone Locales: Madagascar and Burma
by Richard W. Hughes & Vincent Pardieu
Sponsor: AGTA GemFair Tucson
When: Thursday, February 2, 2006, 1:00–2:00 PM
Where: Tucson Convention Center, Graham Room
Cost: Free of charge
Enhanced Emeralds: The Thee Door Puzzle
Sorcerers
and Sapphires: A visit to Madagascar
by Richard W. Hughes
Sponsor: GIA Alumni Association, Golden Gate Chapter
Where: San Francisco, CA
Sinbad's Restaurant (at Market & Embarcadero)
Cost: With dinner: $40, Members; $45, Not-Yet-Members;
$15, Lecture/Presentation Only
Tel: Suzanne Martinez-Buyer at 415-982-2213 for reservations
Enhanced Emeralds: The Thee Door Puzzle
Sorcerers and Sapphires: A visit to Madagascar
by Richard W. Hughes
Sponsor: Hawaii Jewelers Group
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
Enhanced Emeralds: The Thee Door Puzzle
Sorcerers and Sapphires: A visit to Madagascar
by Richard W. Hughes
Sponsor: 13th Annual Conference on Radiation Effects in Insulators (REI-2005)
Where: Santa Fe, New Mexico
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