Celebrating 50 years of SSEF

To mark the 50th anniversary of SSEF in 2022, the Swiss Gemmological Institute organised a unique symposium in Basel (Switzerland) on September 1-2 2022. This symposium featured key international speakers providing broad trade expertise and deep insights into mining, cutting, pearling, auctions, jewellery design and other important themes.

Videos of the conversations and talks can be found below, along with photos of this memorable event.

1972 – 2022

Talks & conversations

Conversation with Max Fawcett (Christie’s): Auctioneering, the role of digital sales and provenance premiums

Lucia Corredor Amado (The Muzo Companies): Impacts of technology in the emerald value chain (extraction to transformation), combining the ancestral knowledge with process automation and social responsibility

Feriel Zerouki (De Beers): The evolution of the diamond trade: delivering impact, innovation and provenance

Conversation with Jörg Gellner (Gellner Pearls): Pearl cultivation, pearl sourcing and the state of the cultured pearl industry

Musical Interlude (Trio Komkrei): Allegro moderato (aus dem Trio Nr. 1 in Es Dur D. 471 ) by Franz Schubert and Nachklänge aus der Stille by Frederic Sánchez (2020)

Welcome Address by Kaspar Sutter, member of the Government of the Canton Basel-Stadt

Joanna Hardy: Gem Power: An exploration of the complex meanings attributed to gemstones – from magic powers to good fortune and protection – and their changing identities over the centuries (video not available)