Business Wire IndiaRevered and desired throughout history, rubies have long since been shrouded in mystery. Gemfields is pleased to announce the launch of the new Gemfields Masterclass, Ruby Edition. A ground-breaking new education experience set to de-mystify and build understanding of these extraordinary gemstones.
As leading suppliers of responsibly sourced gemstones Gemfields is uniquely placed to host this, most comprehensive learning experience, developed in conjunction with leading industry experts*.
Accessible to consumers, trade, retailers, in fact anyone with an interest in these remarkable gemstones, the Gemfields Masterclass was launched today at the Hong Kong Gem and Jewellery Fair. To suit every level of understanding, the Masterclass is available in 3 different iterations ; Basic, Fundamental and Advanced.
Covering the geology, geographic origin, history, qualities and classification and offering hands-on experiential skills, the masterclass will be the most comprehensive learning experience available, and be accompanied by the most comprehensive master set of rubies compiled to date.
Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle states ; “As leaders in the industry and pioneers of innovation, we are thrilled to present the Gemfields Masterclass, Ruby Edition. We believe that the experience is the most comprehensive and in-depth available, offering unrivalled education to all attendees, from our expert trade partners, through to consumers with a recreational interest in these incredible stones.”
The Masterclass will be available globally from autumn.
Notes to Editors:
About Gemfields
Gemfields plc is a leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones and is quoted on the AIM division of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GEM) where it is a constituent of the AIM50 index.
Gemfields is the operator and 75% owner of both the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia (believed to be the world's single largest producing emerald mine) and the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique (one of the most significant recently discovered ruby deposits in the world). In addition, Gemfields also holds a 50% interest in the Kariba amethyst mine in Zambia, as well as controlling interests in various other gemstone mining and prospecting licenses in Zambia, Mozambique, Colombia, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.
Gemfield's outright ownership of Fabergé an iconic and prestigious brand of exceptional heritage enables Gemfields to optimise positioning, perception and consumer awareness of coloured gemstones, advancing the wider group's "mine and market" vision.
Gemfields has developed a proprietary grading system and a pioneering auction and trading platform to provide a consistent supply of quality coloured gemstones to the global downstream markets. This is a key component of the Company's business model which the Directors believe has played an important role in the appropriate distribution and associated resurgence of the global coloured gemstone sector.
www.gemfields.co.uk
*Dr. Laurent Massi is a well-established gemmologist, having completed his PhD studies on “Atomic-scale Defects in Brown and Hydrogen-rich Diamonds” at Nantes University’s Department of Physics in France. During his studies in Nantes he also taught gemmology in Paris at the French National Gemological Institute (ING). Dr. Massi has subsequently taught gemmology around the world. During his career he has also published a variety of scientific and educational articles. Dr. Massi was the Director of the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) Gem Laboratory in Bangkok. He subsequently completed his Graduate Gemologist (GG) studies at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) headquarters in Carlsbad, USA. He then became the Director of the new GIA Thailand Campus located in Bangkok. Dr. Massi is now a gemological consultant at Laurent Massi Consulting (LMC).
Philippe Ressigeac is a gem merchant and a gemmological consultant based in Bangkok, Thailand. He completed his graduated gemological studies (GG) at the Gemological Institute of America in Bangkok, Thailand. After spending one year learning cutting and gemstones mining between Burma and Vietnam, Philippe started his career as a gem trader in Ilakaka, Madagascar, which is widely known as the world largest secondary deposit of Sapphires. In addition to his trading activity, Philippe extensively collaborated with Vincent Pardieu from the GIA and discovered numerous colorstones mining sites in Luc Yen, Vietnam and Dadhing, Nepal. He joined Montepuez Ruby Mining, a Gemfields owned company, in 2013 where he co-developed the Gemfields proprietary grading system for rough ruby which has become the industry reference in terms of ruby grading.
Photo Caption : Gemfields Ruby Masterclass Magic sizes 1 3 5 10 15 and 20 ct
