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Southwest Chapter
Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Telephone: 972-660-3831
Fax: 972-647-1800
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthwestWJA
Interim President: Jeanie Hord-Bellows
First Vice President: Lisa Young
Secretary: Davena Liepman, G.G.
Treasurer: Sherrie Betham
Immediate Past President: Pam Welborn
Chair of Event Planning: Jeanie Hord-Bellows
Chair of Fundraising: Jeanie Hord-Bellows
Chair of Scholarship & Grants: Davena Liepman, G.G.
Past Presidents
Janisue Rigel, A.J.P.
Mary Weber
Pat Henneberry
Pam Welborn
The Southwest WJA is pleased to announce that Jeanie Hord-Bellows will be replacing Janisue Rigel as the interim President of Southwest WJA. Jeanie will assume this position June 1, 2007. Lisa Young with Chippenhook will remain as Vice President. Davena Liepman with Southwest Fine Jewelry Show will assume the responsibility of Secretary and Sherri Betham from Chippenhook will remain as Treasurer.
Pictured below are Jeanie Hord Bellows, the new Southwest WJA President and Davena Liepman, the new Southwest WJA Secretary.
 
Upcoming Chapter Events
Please continue to check this page for information about Upcoming Chapter Events.
Recent Chapter Events
March 24, 2007 – Networking Event
Networking and seminar as guests of the jewelers leadership conference. The fee for this event will be $125. Details will be posted as they become available. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
February 2007 – Dinner
Dinner during the Tucson gem & mineral show. Details will be posted as they become available. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
February 17-18, 2007 -
Members of the Southwest Women's Jewelry Association joined the Lone Star GIAAA for their meeting on February 17th, which included a hands-on gemology lecture! The world-renowned Scottish gemmologist, Alan Hodgkinson shared the Scottish perspective on some of the more elusive and neglected areas such as optic character and optic sign, as well as the mystical ordinary ray and extraordinary ray. Alan's explanations helped to not only demystify the subject, but also actually make sense of these gemological entities.
Later that afternoon Alan introduced his Hodgkinson Method of gem ID, a.k.a. Visual Optics. The technique, discovered by Hodgkinson, is one of identifying gemstones with a source of light as simple as that of a single candle flame and the naked eye! Seriously, if you have never tried the technique of putting the table of a gem up close to the cornea of your eye and viewing a distant point of light, well, you just would never believe how much you can learn about the stone with such a simple technique.
For those who elected to pay a modest fee, the next day provided even more revelations. The 2nd day was devoted to the spectroscope, another one of those seldom discussed and mysterious devices pretty much ignored by American gemologists. Hodgkinson spent the day showing the class just how helpful the little instrument could be. Hodgkinson has authored a book entitled, "Visual Optics", which describes the Hodgkinson Method of identifying gems without instruments other than the naked eye. There is a new book in the works and all Hodgkinson fans are anxiously awaiting its release projected to be in early '08.
Through both days, Hodgkinson was assisted by his lovely wife, Charlotte.
"I learned so much from Alan Hodgkinson. As I approach my 20-stone test, I want to be as prepared as I possibly can for it. I learned so much from Alan's simple techniques. Not only does Alan know what he's doing....he knows how to teach it to others. Those that missed the event, missed a great opportunity. And one of the great things about the event was attending it with my Dad." Jeanie Hord-Bellows (SWJA Member)
"To say unbelievable is an understatement. I had no idea exactly what I could see without an instrument to identify stones. Alan showed us everything, including the double facets in a Peridot. We learned to use the lenses from polaroid sunglasses to see color changes in stones. Our group of 9 was perfect. We were each given individual teaching. Did I mention Alan gave us a test? If we missed we had to tuck our tail between our legs when we left.....no one had to do this. Alan is an excellent teacher. The lunch was excellent and meeting Alan & Charlotte Hodgkinson was a joy. Oh thank goodness I passed. Alan is an excellent teacher. The lunch was excellent and meeting Alan & Charlotte Hodgkinson was a joy. The cost was minimal for the education received." Janisue Rigel (SWJA Member)
“What a treat, learning about gems from Alan Hodgkinson. Before I realized it, the day was over. Time flew because everything Alan teaches makes sense and is easy to grasp.Alan brings his classroom with him and it is nonstop fun. We looked at diamond, CZ and moissanite without tools and from the patterns of light could determine the identity of each stone. Visual Optics is such a good and valuable step in trusting one's own judgment - so important in this business. The second day, Sunday, we studied spectrography and Alan made it easy. He showed us we are under-using this tool. It can really help and we should not be afraid of it. Alan makes certain that each person learns. His classroom is "individual" teaching. The 2-day seminar was quite in-expensive. We were fortunate that Alan could come to Houston before returning home to Scotland the end of February." Davena Liepman, A.J.P., G.G (SWJA Member)
January 2007 – Pearl Stringing Class
This event will be held in Houston, Texas. Details will be posted as they become available. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
Date TBD – Holiday Party
Details will be posted as they become available. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
October 11, 2006 – Rough to Riches
Hands on seminar on cutting rough diamonds, repairing damaged diamonds, and cutting old cut diamonds. Given by Ashley van Creneld & Michael Nathan of Southwest Diamond Cutters in Dallas, Texas. The event will be held at 5:30 PM on October 11, 2006 at Neiman Marcus Northpark. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
September 10, 2006 – Identity Theft
Short seminar given by Janisue Rigel on identity theft, followed by luncheon and networking. This event was held from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM on September 10, 2006 at the Gaylord Convention Center and Resort in Grapevine, Texas. For more information please contact tanzanite@hughes.net.
September 8, 2006:
SW WJA will join with the Lone Star GIA Associates and Alumni in a full day seminar. The hot issue facing the jewelry industry today is Diamond Cut Grade. Seminar topic will be Diamond Cut Grate: Comparisons and Pricing in the Jewelry Industry. With the release of GIA’s new Cut Grade in early 2006, and the position of the American Gem Society has taken with their Cut Grade, and their potential release of Cut Grade on Princess Cut Diamonds this year, this seminar will appeal to retailers, wholesalers, and appraisers.
The world renowned and distinguished speakers will include:
- Dr. James Shigley, Director of Research at GIA
- Mr. Al Gilbertson, GIA Research Associate
- Mr. Peter Yantzer, Executive Director of the American Gem Society Lab
- Mr. Richard Drucker, Editor and Publisher of The Guide, a major gemstone pricing guide
The seminar will be an all-day event.
Lunch will be served. Cost: $125 – contact Jeanie Hord-Bellows (tanzanite@hughes.net).
Other Recent Chapter Events:
After our retreat in New Orleans in January, our members met in Tucson, Arizona, in February for a membership drive. It was held at the beautiful Arizona Inn.
On April 17, our chapter met for lunch at the Rio Rio Restaurant on the River Walk, San Antonio, Texas. Our September 12-13 retreat was held at the Gaylord Convention Properties in Grapevine, Texas. This event coincided with the Grapefest festival held there each year, one of the most popular events in Texas.
Laura Stanley and Sissy Jones were nominated for the WJA Awards for Excellence in Retail, and we’re proud of both. When Sissy, owner of Sissy’s Log Cabin in Arkansas, won, the Southwest WJA chapter held a special celebration for her in New York at the Westin Hotel. Twelve members plus Sissy’s husband, Murphy, congratulated her on her achievement.
Maleka Vanbenthuysen, Southwest’s newest WJA member, has recently moved from Hurst, Texas to Cleburn, Texas where she has plenty of land for her three boys and husband. She said it is great to live in the country where they actually have calf roping across the road every Friday night. What a great place, not a lot of cars, and you’ll never believe her neighbor sells her hen’s eggs for $1.00 a dozen every morning to the neighbors.
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