66th ACE©it Mid Year Virtual Education Conference

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Noon:
Celine Rose David, FGA, Presenting:
Garnet Through the Ages: The Story of an Underrated Gemstone

Garnet has spanned many historical periods. Far from being just a common, somewhat dark red stone from Bohemia, its history takes us on a journey through trade across continents, from the earliest times to the most recent discoveries. It comes in a wide range of colors, and prices can reach astronomical heights, even though in the popular imagination it is: Meh, it’s just garnet! 

1 PM:
Caitlin St. John, GIA GG, Presenting:
Understanding Art Jewelry

An introductory look at Art Jewelry, including value factors, valuation considerations, and assessment troubleshooting, using real-world examples.  We will also survey important artists and their work.

2 PM:
Trang Pham, GIA GG, Presenting:
AI for Jewelry Appraisers: How It Works, How to Use It, and Knowing the Limits

A practical introduction to AI for jewelry appraisers, covering how AI works, effective prompting, real-world applications, and its limitations. Attendees will gain practical techniques to improve efficiency while maintaining professional standards.

3 PM:
Duncan Parker, FGA, Presenting:
250 years of American Jewels since American Independence

The Unites States has an enormous depth of jewelry history, including millennia of indigenous creativity. 250 years ago, with the Declaration of Independence, the benches of jewelers in the United States changed forever. We will briefly explore the past 250 years of creativity and invention. Who has brought us to the heights of jewelry today, and what are the distinct elements of American design and style?

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Noon:
Kerry Gregory, FGA, Presenting:
Don’t forget to look … You might miss a composite in the wild!

We’re often so busy trying to check for complex synthetics, diffusion treatment, the newest scam on the market, that sometimes we forget the simple old stuff. I have seen a trend recently of people completely missing composite gemstones, because they simply aren’t looking, they’ve gone straight in to testing or worse assumption! Now, I am hoping this is not you…but either way I am going to spend an hour reviewing traditional composite gemstones such as Garnet Topped Doublets and Soudés, especially how to spot them. But also looking at a few of the newer things we’ve seen in the market, masquerading in jewelry.

1 PM:
Eileen Eichhorn, GIA GG, Presenting:
Oh, What a Find!

Who is Franes Benjamin Johnston? What does 1898 have to do with President McKinley? The importance of J. Dreicer & Son, the jeweler of the Gilded Age. Extreme research, plus! Connections are everything – donation appraisal complete!

2 PM:
Nicholle Mogavero, GIA GG Presenting:
Dissent as Patriotism: Jewelry as a Quiet Act of Resistance in the United States

Throughout American history, jewelry has often been treated as decorative, personal, or sentimental but it has also carried political meaning. From symbols worn quietly in periods of conflict to objects that expressed identity, solidarity, protest, or survival, jewelry has served as a portable language of dissent. This presentation explores how adornment in the United States has functioned not only as ornament, but also as a subtle yet powerful form of resistance.

By tracing acts of resistance, resilience, and dissent through U.S. jewelry history, we can see how small objects have reflected larger struggles over freedom, belonging, citizenship, and national identity. The focus is not only on what jewelry looked like, but on what it allowed people to say especially when direct speech, public protest, or political participation was limited, dangerous, or denied.

As we move through these examples, I invite you to think about jewelry as more than an accessory: as evidence, as memory, and as a quiet declaration of values. In this sense, dissent becomes a form of patriotism not a rejection of the nation, but an insistence that its promises be expanded, questioned, and made real. I also invite you to think about the intent of items and ask if and when intent starts to influence value.

3 PM:
Scott Papper, GIA GG, Presenting:
Post-Loss Jewelry Appraisals – A forensic approach to valuing jewelry that no longer exists

How do you appraise jewelry that no longer exists? This presentation explores the specialized discipline of post-loss jewelry appraisals, where opinions of value must be developed without the benefit of examining the subject property.  Attendees will learn practical forensic techniques for analyzing documentary evidence to develop well-support value conclusions