Keynote Speaker for the National Association of Jewellers UK
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I’m proud to be a keynote speaker at the National Association of Jewellers UK June 2022 conference. I will be presenting my research on the topic of “The Social Significance of Sentimental Symbolism in British Jewellery History” and running a workshop focused on historical mourning jewellers and their businesses.
Please read the press release below:
Main Presentation Speakers Named for Valuers’ Conference at the NAJ Summit 2022
The Institute of Registered Valuers (IRV) has named the speakers who will deliver keynote talks at this year’s Valuers’ Conference at the NAJ Summit in June 2022.
Press Release: May 2022
The National Association of Jewellers’ Institute of Registered Valuers (IRV) has announced the keynote speakers who will deliver the ‘Main Presentations’ at this year’s Valuers’ Conference, due to take place at the NAJ Summit from June 10-12, 2022.
Download the NAJ Summit Event Guide
The Valuers’ Conference includes a packed roster of presentations, masterclasses and workshops designed for the entire jewellery trade, including practicing jewellery valuers, retailers, sales professionals, students, and designers who wish to learn more and expand their professional horizons. The six ‘Main Presentations’ are delivered as lecture-style talks to Conference attendees who book in advance or are lucky enough to secure a seat on the day.
Starting on the afternoon of Friday, June 10, David Callaghan will present his 21st presentation since the Valuers’ Conference was founded some 33 years ago. He will discuss the unusual and memorable pieces of jewellery he has bought and sold during his long career in the West End trade. Callaghan has lectured widely both in the USA and UK, is a former president of both the NAJ and Gem-A, and a past president of the Society of Jewellery Historians. He is a current vice-president of the NAJ.
On the first full day of the Conference – Saturday, June 11 – jewellery historian, author and curator, Rachel Church, will kick-off with a Main Presentation titled, “Secrets, Sentiments and Skulls: The Mystery of the Locket”. Church worked as a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) for over 20 years and was part of the team that redeveloped the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery in 2008 and 2018.
She will be followed by Hayden Peters, Founder of the Art of Mourning – a teaching platform to share knowledge about mourning and sentimental jewellery from the years 1517-1920. His talk, “The Social Significance of Sentimental Symbolism in British Jewellery History,” will delve into
the fashion for memorial jewels across the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. Closing Saturday’s Main Presentations will be Bonhams’ UK Jewellery Director, Emily Barber, and Bonhams’ Senior Specialist, Kate Flitcroft, who will share the stage to offer a behind-the-scenes look at an active auction house, while also spotlighting recent pieces of significance.
On the final day of the Valuers’ Conference, historian Dr. Jack Ogden will give a presentation titled “A Whiter Shade of Pale: A History of Platinum in Jewellery”. Platinum jewellery is usually considered to be a 20th century phenomenon, with companies such as Cartier bringing it to the forefront. In truth, however, this intriguing metal has a long history in jewellery, ranging from ancient Egypt and Pre-Columbian Ecuador through to the rapid advances in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Lastly, on Sunday, June 12, the Valuers’ Conference will welcome Hanne Faurby, Project Curator of the Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Her talk will delve deeper into the exhibition, its historical context and the story of Fabergé in London in the early 20th century.
IRV administrator, Sandra Page, says: “Whether you have just joined the jewellery trade or been in it for longer than you care to mention, the 33rd Valuers’ Conference is the event for you. Anyone who has attended before will know that planning is required to truly make the most of the Conference and the many opportunities for learning that are available. Assessing the speaker schedule and securing your place in certain talks and hands-on workshops ahead of time is vital. I am thrilled to see such a varied and illustrious line-up of Main Presentation speakers for this year’s event, and I am sure all our attendees will find them informative and inspiring.”
Elsewhere, the Valuers’ Conference 2022 will welcome 39 guest speakers across 35 workshops and masterclasses. The event is accompanied by a welcome BBQ on the evening of Friday, June 10, and the three-course Conference Dinner on the evening of Saturday, June 11. After dinner, the David Wilkins Trophy will be presented to this year’s winner as part of an informal Presentation of Awards Ceremony. The ceremony will also recognise new Members of the Institute, those that have achieved Fellow status, and recent CAT graduates in attendance.
Friday-to-Sunday tickets for NAJ Members are priced at £375 + VAT and £235 + VAT for the Retail Jewellers’ Congress on Monday, June 13. Further savings are available for Institute of Registered Valuers Members/Fellows (IRV) and JET Business Network Group Members. Attendees are also encouraged to secure accommodation on site as soon as possible by calling 01327 220676 and quoting the code NATI090622 to receive the agreed discounted rate (£93 per night).
Attendance at the Gala Dinner on Sunday, June 12, is offered on a first-come-first-served basis, with tickets at £65 + VAT per person and tables (for 10) at £585 + VAT. Gala Dinner ticket can be combined with attendance to the Valuers Conference and/or Retail Jewellers Congress. Further information is available online. Pre-registration is critical to secure seats at popular workshops and seminars.
Register interest in the NAJ Summit 2022
Further information can be found here: naj.co.uk/summit-2022
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