The Association Française de Gemmologie (the French Association of Gemmology) is putting the final touches to the 18th Paris Gemmological Rendez Vous. The prestigious annual gems symposium will take place on September 9, 2019, at: l’ASIEM, 6 rue Albert de Lapparent, Paris, France.

The moderator of the symposium is Didier Giard, President of the French Association of Gemmology and a member of the French Academy of Overseas Sciences. "This edition of the Paris Gemmological Symposium is taking place at a time when the whole diamond world is questioning itself about its future, and in that sense it is really a strategic symposium," said Giard. "As a geo-politician myself, I would suggest that the importance of the evolution in the diamond business is similar to that for international relations and global trade!

"We have no adversaries in the diamond industry, and everyone is totally free to trade with their products and in the ways they choose. We are the successors of a long tradition of professionals with know-how and ethics. This year, half of our speakers are from the mining sector, and this will enable us to go to the core of the issue. Diamonds come from deep in the Earth, are extremely difficult to extract and at great cost and these are the factors which make them exceptional and give them high qualities of rarity. The main added value is their origin in Mother Earth.

"For the past 21 years, the Paris Gemmolgical Rendez Vous has developed an atmosphere of friendly exchanges, an opportunity for every position to be heard, and sufficient time to let speakers express their views in full. The audience is comprised of miners, cutters, manufacturers, dealers, a very large participation on the part of major brands, research people and lab scientists, institutions, sometimes political leaders, students, media and many lovers of gems. On top of all that, we provide hospitality and a wonderful atmosphere for our guests. This makes a unique cocktail that we want to share.

"In these times of uncertainty, it certainly helps all the actors involved in the diamond trade to better understand the challenges with which we have to cope, and this is the reason why demand for participation in this edition is even higher than in previous years."

The speakers are: