AGTA NewsFlash 

January 2008

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AGTA to Add New Member Benefit - Bank of
America Credit Card Processing Solutions
American Gem Trade Association has teamed up with Bank of America Merchant Services to provide you with easy Credit and Debit Card Processing solutions that can streamline your operation, help your business grow and save you money.

By using the collective buying power of the AGTA relationship, Bank of America Merchant Services can offer a special reduced rate with customized options to meet your specific needs.

No Contract No Application Fee No Set-up Fee
No Batch Fee No Monthly Minimum  


To view AGTA Member rate with Bank of America, click here.

To download an enrollment form, click here.

For further information, contact Jeffrey S. Clary, Vice President at Bank of America Merchant Services at 817-390-6888 or jeff.clary@bankofamerica.com

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AGTA GemFair™ Tucson
Join us for the 2008 AGTA GemFair™ Tucson! We understand you are looking for fresh, innovative strategies to create opportunities for profit and growth in your business. Come and experience the premier destination for colored gemstones, cultured pearls and jewelry.

Plan now to join us at AGTA GemFair™ Tucson February 6-11, 2008!

Interested in exhibiting?
There‘s still time! Send your request now to Mary Lou Keen, Trade Show Manager, at
marylou@agta.org or fax a request to 214-742-7334.

Already exhibiting?
For the first time, the 2008 GemFair Exhibitor Manual was printed in a CD format and mailed along with your 2008 Marketing Kit.  If you have not received this in the mail, visit the Exhibitor Forms Page for important Exhibitor information.

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Sponsorship Opportunities – Get Noticed at GemFair!
Sponsorship opportunities help exhibitors enhance their exposure at the show and drive traffic to their booth! The AGTA offers a wide variety of sponsorships for all budget types. Sponsorships are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sponsors receive
• Acknowledgement on show signage at AGTA GemFair™ Tucson.
• Acknowledgement on www.agta.org.

Badge Lanyards
Create walking billboards to be worn by all attending buyers, exhibitors and press at GemFair. Place your company name, logo and booth number on the badge lanyards. The AGTA will distribute the badge lanyards during registration. (Sponsor will be responsible for producing and shipping 10,000 badge lanyards to Tucson for distribution at the show.)

Badge Lanyards $7,500


AGTA Members Lounge
The AGTA Members lounge is open to all AGTA members. This lounge is specifically created to give members a place to relax, enjoy a complimentary beverage or snack, network, check email or even hold a meeting. This sponsorship will give you the opportunity to hang a banner and distribute your literature, allowing the members to be exposed to your product time and time again. (Sponsor must provide banner artwork and all literature.) Become the sponsor of the Beverage Station in the Members Lounge and be revered as to the one who made this break possible. (Sponsor must provide beverage station artwork.)

Members Lounge $5,000
Beverage Service $2,500


Wi-Fi Internet Access
Exhibitors have been asking for it, and you could be the sponsor helping to deliver it to them. Your company will receive exposure with a splash-page promoting your company each time a user logs on to internet, banner signage, shopping tote inserts and the ability to pass out flyers to booth exhibitors. (Sponsor to provide banner artwork, shopping bag inserts and flyers.)

Wi-Fi Internet Access $7,500


Carpet Decals
An inexpensive option to make a lasting impression. Leave your tracks to help buyers find you at GemFair. Sponsor an oversized carpet decal featuring your logo and booth number and be a step ahead of your competition! Decals will be placed throughout the show grounds in randomly selected locations. (Sponsor to provide logo in an electronic format.)

Carpet Decals $500 (40 available)


Dinner Dance – Wine Sponsorship Still Available
The AGTA Dinner Dance and Awards Gala is host to hundreds of influential members of the jewelry industry. Your name would appear with Jeweler’s Mutual, Inc. and Diamond Council of America as wine sponsor of this highly-anticipated event. Live entertainment will excite the crowd as bottles of wine with your logo are distributed to each table. Sign up now to have your name included on signage all over GemFair!

Wine Sponsor $5,000


Golf Tournament Sponsorships Benefiting the Special Olympics
Each year, the AGTA Coyote Classic charity golf tournament kicks off the AGTA GemFair™. The AGTA has put together an outstanding day of networking, competition and fun to benefit the Special Olympics. This much-anticipated tournament is packed with buyers and exhibitors, as well as local and national celebrities. Join us as a major sponsor and help this deserving organization. (Sponsor must supply banner artwork.)

Beer Sponsor $1,000
19th Hole Celebration $1,000
Golf Holes $400/each (only a few left!)


Make a Charitable Donation
In-kind gifts will be used for golf and raffle prizes. Items sought include golf equipment and apparel, merchandise, dining certificates or any other item you wish to donate.

For further information about Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Joyann Cooke at
joyann@agta.org.

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AGTA GTC Mobile Laboratory
The AGTA GTC Mobile Laboratory will be onsite at AGTA GemFair™ Tucson from February 5-11 in the Onyx Suite. Have your important gemstones tested at the show on February 5 (one day before the show opens) and give buyers another tool for their sales presentations to their customers.

NEW this year is the creation of the Tanzanite Grading Report. This gemstone has grown in consumer popularity and is a perfect specimen on which to provide a report to grade color, clarity and cut. Based on the Tanzanite Foundation's Tanzanite Quality Scale™, the GTC is prepared to test tanzanite onsite at GemFair. SHOW SPECIAL! Request three Tanzanite Grading Reports at the show and receive a fourth report FREE! It’s that simple!


In a class all their own – Gemstones worthy of special praise deserve special treatment. The AGTA GTC is proud to announce the JewelFolio™! This hard-bound book contains a wealth of information and is a perfect companion to the perfect gemstone. Where a gemstone report ends, this well-written, beautiful work of art begins. The factual information of the examined gemstone is illustrated through graphs, inclusion photos and data, but this unique tool also takes the process a step further and features origin information, a pictorial and romantic lore enriching the sale of these important gemstones. Be sure to request your JewelFolio at the Onyx Suite at GemFair.

Consider sending your gemstones to the GTC's office in New York by January 30 and pick them up during the show. For more information, please contact the AGTA GTC at 212-752-1717.

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Seminars You Won't Want to Miss
AGTA GemFair™ Tucson offers important educational seminars designed to help industry professionals looking for new and innovative strategies create opportunities for profit and growth in their businesses. Our exciting line-up of FREE seminars offers education at every level from basic to advanced.

Thursday, February 7
Own the Color Brand in Your Marketplace
(Maricopa Room, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Douglas K. Hucker, AGTA. Intermediate-Advanced. Owning the color brand in your marketplace means owning one of the most potentially profitable segments of the industry. As your clients experience the pleasure of owning and wearing colored gemstones, they’ll look to you for in-depth color offerings to satisfy their wish for a variety of hues and tones, for expanding their jewelry wardrobe both for classic and timeliness looks and for fashions of the moment, perhaps even for building their own gemstone collection.

Friday, February 8
Tanzanite Foundation and AGTA present the Tanzanite Quality Scale™
(Mohave Room, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Dr. Lore Kiefert, AGTA GTC; Gabriella Endlin, Hayley Henning, Tanzanite Foundation. Basic-Advanced. Since its discovery in 1967, tanzanite has become one of the world's most cherished and sought-after gemstones. GTC and the Tanzanite Foundation announce their partnership on the first tanzanite specific grading system - The Tanzanite Quality Scale™. The Tanzanite Quality Scale™ was established for quality comparability, price and quality consistency and ensuring consumer confidence. In this session, you’ll learn the benchmarks of the scale and how the AGTA GTC applies the scale in laboratory reports which you can use with your customers.

Gems of East Africa
(Mohave Room, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Richard Hughes, AGTA Gemological Testing Center. Basic-Advanced. 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.

Saturday, February 9
News from the AGTA GTC
(Greenlee Room, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Dr. Lore Kiefert, AGTA Gemological Testing Center. Intermediate. The AGTA GTC encounters many materials and many treatments before they hit the market. The AGTA GTC is on the forefront of these new developments. Knowing about these new developments on the gemstone market as well as having an idea what to look for will help you build confidence and make the right decisions in your buying and selling of gemstones.

Sunday, February 10
Gems of the Ural Mountains
(Mohave Room, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Dr. Lore Kiefert, AGTA Gemological Testing Center. Intermediate. In 2007, Dr. Lore Kiefert spent ten days in Russia visiting the emerald mine in Malysheva and the demantoid deposit near Ekaterinburg. In addition, she worked on alexandrite and emerald from the Malysheva mine. This scientist's first-hand travelogue and discussion provides new insight into the Gems of the Ural Mountains.

Seating in all free sessions is limited by room capacity, and, in a few cases, by the availability of samples. Plan to arrive early to ensure seating. Speakers are subject to change without notice. Classes last one hour unless otherwise noted.

To see a full list of all the seminars click here.
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JA New York Winter Show Opportunity
Give your company an important address March 9-11, 2008, by exhibiting with fellow AGTA Members in the JA New York Winter Show. The JA New York Winter Show is sponsored by the largest retail association, Jewelers of America. The show's location is home to the majority of US based jewelry industry manufactures, retailers and diamond dealers.
Colored gemstones are an important segment of the market which attendees are looking to source at the JA New York Summer Show.


The show booth package includes a hard wall booth shell, carpeting and company sign for a secure and professional look. The investment starts at

3mx3m non-corner booth: $4,650.00
3mx3m corner booth: $4,900.00


Contact the AGTA office now and ask for Mary Lou or Patti at 800-972-1162.

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Jewelry Runway
For the upcoming season, there was no denying that designers have embraced a more accessorized look for their runway shows. "I wanted glamorous jewelry to accentuate my pieces," explained Venexiana designer and founder Kati Stern. "I love jewelry and wear some kind of jewelry everyday. I think most women do. That is the way we live our lives, so I like to represent that on the runway."

Stern adorned her evening/party dresses in jewels by Hammerman New York, one of many courtier-jeweler collaborations on the spring runways. Although major white diamond pieces played an important role, Hammerman also accessorized Stern's fashions in some amazing colored stone jewelry, including designs showcasing sapphire, aquamarine, kunzite and rubellite. "Kati was inspired by the 1920s and wanted lots of dangle and drop designs with Art Deco style," tells Darcy Hammerman, principle in the company.


Dressing Diane Von Furstenburg’s show was her cohort jeweler H. Stern. DVF designed a jewelry collection for H. Stern a couple of years ago, and each season since she selects designs to accent her latest fashions on the runway. For spring '08, she favors heavier yellow gold pieces, especially long cabochon gem-set necklaces, crystal drop earrings and bold rings and bracelets. Her jewelry was the perfect complement to her tropical vibe. "We went to Bali and Maui and all of the inspiration was either nature or tribal," says the veteran designer. "It was about freedom, living the fantasy of escaping and going to wild shores."

Maintaining strong Brazilian ties, the brand Rosa Chá brought Brazilian jewelry design to New York via Juliana Scarpa of Sao Paulo, who favors the gems of her native country. Among her many jewels on the catwalk were hammered 18k pink gold bracelets, 18k gold single hoop earring with coral branch pendant, rectangular quartz crystal rings, silver bracelets in raw crystal, hammered 18k white gold and diamond earring and 18k gold and fluorite rings.
For Carolina Herrera, New York’s Faraone Mennella adorned her gowns with earrings and brooches featuring diamonds, tourmalines and rubies-all in cabochons. N.Y. jewelry designer Kara Ross adorned J. Mendel fashions in cuff of half yellow gold, half gunmetal with lapis, hematite and green and white jade to match the colors of the clothing. And, Twinkle designer Wenlan Chia used her own bold, chunky bracelets in jewel tones of topaz crystals intermixed with silver spheres or in sea blue crystals with black patent leather.

When putting your look together next spring, consider these key jewelry trends:
• Organic gems like pearls and coral, natural crystal formations as in rutilated quartz, or colorful landscape designs as found in agate
• Chain link necklaces and bracelets, especially with charms and gems interspersed
• Art necklaces in interesting free forms shapes, structural patterns, or designs reminiscent of Grecian and Egyptian times
• Pop art in bright colors, bold shapes and primary graphic designs

Visit www.addmorecolortoyourlife.com for the hautest tips.