The trade is being advised to be on the lookout for “very rare” Oregon sunstone that was reported stolen following the recent Tucson gem shows.

Mahendra Singhji Daga, president of White Color Gems, received the Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association’s “Pioneer Award” at the organization’s recent event in Tucson.

The American Gem Trade Association will introduce its new Member Preferred Pricing Program at this year’s Tucson GemFair, which began Tuesday and runs through Feb. 5.

American Gemological Laboratories will be performing on-site testing of colored stones for identification, enhancement and origin at the upcoming AGTA GemFair.

The American Gem Trade Association has more than 30 educational seminars slated for its upcoming GemFair Tucson, scheduled for Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 in Arizona.

The GIA Alumni’s Manhattan Chapter will be presenting “Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family and a Way of Life,” a lecture featuring author Alicia Oltuski, the daughter of a diamond dealer.

The World Gem Society, a grass-roots organization for those involved in the colored gemstone industry, has released the lineup for its annual “tour” of Tucson during the 2012 gemstone shows there, the WGS announced recently.

Stuller, Inc. has joined with Royal Asscher to become the exclusive distributor of the patented Royal Asscher Cut sapphire.

Gemfields’ auction of predominantly lower-quality rough emeralds and beryl here realized a total of $11 million, with 73 percent of the lots sold by volume and 80 percent of the lots sold by value.

Initiatives in Art and Culture has announced “Red: Allure, Style and Significance,” a two-day conference here where a roster of speakers and panelists will explore the color in many facets, including in gemstones.

Gemfields has released its consolidated financial statements for the financial year ending June 30, showing increases across the board and outlining strategies for the company in the upcoming year.

Flooding in Thailand--the worst that country has seen in 50 years--is impacting jewelry businesses there as the floodwaters began to swamp more areas of the nation.

Winners have been named in the 28th annual American Gem Trade Association Spectrum Awards, honoring designers whose work utilizes natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls in finished fine jewelry.

Jerrold Green, principal and lapidary at Reginald Miller, LLC, will be featured in the GIA Alumni Manhattan Chapter’s lecture, “The gemstone trade viewed from a different angle--revealing lapidary.”

India’s “Emeralds for Elephants” exhibition drew to a close with an auction here, the collection raising a total of $750,000 with $150,000 going to the World Land Trust and Wildlife Trust of India’s conservation projects.

Amber tradeshow Ambermart drew nearly 3,000 visitors from 28 countries this year, with more than 133 Polish and international companies exhibiting their products.

The Gübelin Gem Lab will be offering off-premise gem testing service here from Oct. 25-Nov. 2.

Demand is strong for the corundum treatment workshops being offered by Gemworld International Inc., the gemstone pricing and market trend research organization that publishes the GemGuide.

India’s Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council is organizing its first Mines to Market conference focusing on colored gemstones, the GJEPC announced recently.

The Airport Authority has joined the GIA in opening the “GIA Celebrates Birthstones” exhibit at the San Diego International Airport, which contains more than 250 gems, minerals and jewelry from around the world.

Dr. Jeffrey Post, curator of the U.S. National Gem and Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., will serve as a keynote speaker at the 22nd annual Canadian Gemmological Association’s conference Nov. 18 – 20 here.

The American Gem Trade Association is adding the Palladium Prestige Awards to its 2012 Spectrum Awards jewelry design competition in order to recognize designers working with the metal, the organization announced recently.

The GIA Jewelry Career Fair and Open House, a recruiting event that includes panel discussions, career coaching, on-site recruiting and classroom workshops and exhibits, is slated to take place Oct. 21 in Carlsbad, Calif.

Gemfields, GIA India, World Land Trust and Jaguar Land Rover have collaborated with 10 of India’s top jewelry designers to create a pop-up collection of Zambian emerald jewelry that aims to create awareness and raise funds for the conservation initiatives of the Wildlife Trust of India and the World Land Trust for Asian elephants.

Gemfields’ July auction of higher-quality rough emeralds brought in record sales of $36.1 million, with 72 percent of the lots sold by volume and 91 percent sold by value.