The California Golden-Gate Chapter welcomed Tom Chatham, who gave an update on synthetic diamond and his operations in October. 

“A very interesting part of Tom’s production strategy is that they are creating fancy colored diamonds – pinks, blues and yellows,” said Chapter Co-President Starla Turner, G.G. “There is an increasing demand for those colors, so they command a higher price. Tom has always been so generous with his time by speaking to Alumni groups and giving the GIA Lab the opportunity to study his material so it can spread the news on
identifying characteristics.”

Peter Schemonsky, a noted jewelry historian from Bohnams and Butterfields Auction House in San Francisco, presented a lecture on “Jewelry from the Back Side” in November. He demonstrated how to determine the quality of workmanship on vintage pieces, and also what clues to look for to establish if a piece is from a designer or a modern-day replica.

Contact: Chapter Co-President Starla Turner, G.G., at (650) 348-4983 or e-mail: teefam@ix.netcom.com

The Washington D.C. Chapter invited John Nels Hatleberg, a conceptual gem artist, to speak Oct. 25, and fellow chapter member Fred Ward shared a digital projection show of his vast career as a photographer Nov. 15.

The chapter also held its annual Holiday Dinner/Auction at Clydes Steak House of Tysons Dec. 5.
“The food was great and the festivities were even greater,” said Chapter President Toby Fitzkee, G.G. “Our chapter had another successful auction and the proceeds will be used to bring interesting speakers in for another great year.”

John Loring, design director for Tiffany & Co., spoke to chapter members about the history of the company Jan. 12. It also held its annual Tucson Panel Feb. 24 where members who weren’t able to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral shows were updated on the latest trends. 

“Our chapter holds this event every February after the shows since we are fortunate to have so many members attend the Tucson events,” Fitzkee said. “We try to have panel members speak about different subjects. This is always a very interesting meeting.”

Contact: Chapter Treasurer Michele Zabel at (301) 365-0712 or e-mail: RomaineAnn@aol.com

Members of the Ohio Chapter met at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Oct. 3 for a luncheon set up by the members of the Gem Society of the Natural History Museum. The 14 GIA Ohio Alumni members who attended were escorted through the museum’s gem and mineral halls by the department curator, David Saja, Ph.D. They also received a tour of Saja’s laboratory. 

Contact: President Kiran Khaitan, G.G., at (330) 630-1103 or e-mail: Kiran@gemologists.org

California Inland Empire Chapter
Contact: President Rosemarie Evans, G.J.G., (909) 864-2607 or trigonrose@msn.com
Nov. 7: GIA Instructor Adam Kelley presented “Counter Sketching.”
Jan. 18: Alumni member Ron Base, G.G., presented “Mining for Beryl and Topaz.”

California Los Angeles Chapter
Contact: Vice President Veronika Riedel at (818) 354-6170
Jan. 12: More than 30 new members attended the chapter’s initial meeting at GIA Los Angeles.

Georgia Chapter
Contact: President Kathryn Kinev, G.G., (404) 634-8355 or kkinev@jewelcreations.com
Nov. 18: The chapter toured the Greek and Roman Art Gallery at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.

New York-Manhattan Chapter
Contact: President Merle S. Koblenz, G.G., (860) 927-0179 or merle@koblenzestatejewelry.com
Oct. 12: Kevin Zavian, of Cluster Jewelers and an Antiques Roadshow participant, presented a “Workshop on Wristwatches.”
Nov. 9: Howard Rubin, G.G., of GemDialogue Color Systems, presented a “Workshop on GemDialogue Color Description for Gemstones and Fancy Color Diamonds.”
Dec. 7: Charles A. Meyer, vice president of Lazare Kaplan International, Inc., and Bryant Linares, president of Apollo Diamond, presented “Opportunities on the Edge – Non-Mainstream Diamond Market.”