Gold: Legacy, Leadership, and Luminescence

IAC’s 9th Precious Substances Conference
April 4 – 5, 2019

Bohemian National Hall, New York City

The more we travel in realms of gold, the more we are confronted by urgent challenges at all points along the continuum from extraction through design and fabrication to sale or investment. And the more we travel these realms, the more we realize that our solutions to these challenges have to be driven by respect for materials, craft, and authentic expression, and a commitment to ethical sourcing and responsible practice.

The 2019 International Gold + Diamond Conference brought together a Who’s Who in the gold community, including makers, miners, retailers, journalists, financiers, regulators, and environmentalists, in a tour d’horizon of this precious metal, focusing on specific, contemporary challenges along the golden continuum and how we could best meet them. Signet; Panjshir Valley Emeralds, a Trusted Gems company; The Goldsmiths’ Company, and The Goldsmiths’ Centre were Leadership Sponsors. Hoover & Strong and Riva Precision were sponsors at the Donor Level. Au Enterprises; Diamond Manufacturers & Importers of America (DMIA); and JCK Las Vegas were sponsors at the Supporter Level. Society of North American Goldsmiths was a media sponsor.

Program agenda

Thursday, April 4, 2019

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration and coffee  
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Opening remarks. Mark Hanna (Chief Marketing Officer, Richline Group, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company).  
9:15 – 9:25 a.m. Introduction. Lisa Koenigsberg (Founder and President, Initiatives in Art and Culture).
9:25 – 10:05 a.m. The De Facto Gold Standard. Jeffrey M. Christian (Managing Director, CPM Group).
10:10 – 11:00 a.m. Washington Update. Linus Drogs (Owner and President, Au Enterprises); Mark Hanna; Elizabeth Orlando (Economic Officer, Bureau of Economic Affairs, Office of Threat Finance and Countermeasures, US Department of State); Tiffany Stevens (President and CEO, JVC).
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Break and book signings  
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. GOLDSTRUCK. Stephen Webster (Founder and Creative Director, Stephen Webster).
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own) and book signings  
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Riva WorkSpace: A New Vision. Ted Doudak (Founder & CEO, Riva Precision Manufacturing Inc.).
2:05 – 3:05 p.m. The Goldsmiths’ Centre: An Inspiration and Model for Today, an Investment for Tomorrow. Chris Oliver (Head of Professional Training, The Goldsmiths’ Centre, London).
3:05 – 3:25 p.m. Break and book signings
  
3:25 – 4:25 p.m. Engraving as Craft and Art: A Conversation With Masters and Makers. Alan Craxford & Castro Smith (British master engravers and jewelers).
4:30 – 5:15 p.m. The Hidden Wisdom of Objects. Glenn Adamson (Author, Fewer Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects and Senior Scholar, Yale Center for British Art).

Friday, April 5, 2019

9:00 – 9:40 a.m. Finding Your Voice in a Saturated Landscape. Tracy Matthews (Chief Visionary Officer and Creative Director, Flourish and Thrive Academy).
9:45 – 10:45 a.m. Made and Makers in Brooklyn, and the Parallel Consumer and Creator Paradigm Shift. Alisha Blechman (Head, Studio Operations, Catbird); Beth Bugdaycay (Co-founder and Creative Director, Foundrae); Ted Doudak; Leigh Plessner (Co-creative Director, Catbird); Rony Vardi (Owner, Catbird; moderator: Elle Hill (CEO, Hill & Co. Fine Jewelry Launch and Growth Experts).
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. Break and book signings
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Building Blocks for Our Future: The Foundations of Ethical Sourcing, Transparency, and Responsible Practice. Brad Brooks-Rubin (Managing Director, The Sentry/Enough Project); Lara Crampe (Pure Earth Director, Community Outreach); Mark Hanna; Joanne Lebert (Executive Director, IMPACT); Elizabeth Orlando; Michael Peters (CEO, Trusted Gems & Founder, Panjshir Valley Emeralds; moderator: Rob Bates (Senior Editor, JCK).
12:15 – 1:45 p.m. Lunch (on your own) and book signings
1:45 – 2:30 p.m. Mining in Peru and Columbia. Stewart Grice (Vice President, Mill Products, Hoover & Strong).
2:35 – 3:35 p.m. The Power of the Moving Image. Stuart Harmon (Director, The Money Stone); Robert Lang (Director, The Shadow of Gold); moderator: Christina Miller (Owner,
Christina T. Miller Consulting; co-founder, Ethical Metalsmiths & Chair of its Advisory Council).
3:40 – 4:35 p.m. Succession as Leadership. Andrea Hill (Owner, Hill Management Group, LLC).