All three days of the event are packed full of fascinating presentations, seminars, and workshops. Whether you are interested in jewelry or timepieces, our varied program means there is something on offer for everyone–visitors and exhibitors alike. Why not take a look at our fantastic line-up and come along to one of our many impressive forums or workshops.

All events are free of charge. Simultaneous translation into Englisch or German.

INHORGENTA FORUM C2.536

Pearls

11:00–11:30
Pearl – the sustainable gem: Technology, Community and Environment
Lecture in: English
Dr. Joseph Taylor, Pearl Farming Expert, Indonesia & Australia, Pearl Farming Expert

11:30–12:00
Pearl millenials? Changes in the pearl trade and consumers in Europe
Lecture in: English
Adriano Genisi, Genisi Pearls, Italy

12:00–12:30
Current trends in pearl design and production
Lecture in: English
Phil Bouasse, Independent Pearl Designer, Paris & Hong Kong

12:45–13:30
Panel discussion:
Replaces online the jeweller?
Participants: Daniel Wechsler, CEO, Jaermann & Stübi; Frank-Michael Müller, CEO, Uhren-Monitor;
Werner Probst, CEO, Diadoro-Verbundgruppe; Ralf Häffner, CEO, Watch.de
Presenter: Alexander Meth, CEO, Meth Media

Gemstone Forum

14:00–14:30
Tsavorite garnet: mining, cutting and trading a unique gem from East Africa
Lecture in: English
Bruce Bridges, Bridges Tsavorite, Kenya & USA

14:30–15:00
Coloured gemstones, imitations, treatments – current issues from the DSEF lab
Lecture in: English
Dr. Claudio C. Milisenda, DSEF German Gem Lab, Idar-Oberstein

15:00–15:30
An overview of fair trade, traceability and sustainability in gemstones
Lecture in: English
Dr. Laurent E. Cartier, SSEF, Switzerland

15:30–16:00
Trends in coloured gemstones used in jewellery: colours and new materials
Lecture in: English
Benjamin Guttery, Third Coast Gems, USA

INHORGENTA FORUM C2.536

Diamonds

10:30–11:00
Developments in diamond grading
Lecture in: German
Paul van der Steen, Diamond consultant, Belgium

11:00–11:30
Synthetic diamonds: development, recognition, current market situation
Lecture in: German
Dr. Ulrich Henn, German Gemmological Association, Idar-Oberstein, Germany

11:30–12:00
How synthetic diamonds have catapulted the diamond industry into generic diamond promotion
Lecture in: English
Ya’akov Almor, Industry Expert, Israel

12:45–13:30
Panel discussion
markt intern, CONTROVERSIAL: “The gray market: salvation or ruin for the watch industry?
Frank-Michael Müller, General Manager, Responsio GmbH & author of the market study “Uhren-Monitor”;
Dr. Gregor Kuntze-Kaufhold, legal advisor, markt intern Verlag GmbH & specialist in distribution law;
Robert Balser, owner, Juwelier Balser, Giessen & concessionaire of several luxury watch brands.
Presenter: Ch. Eng. Monika Schlösser, editor-in-chief, markt intern, watches & jewelry issue

Watch Forum

14:00–14:30
Study on the development of the watch market
Lecture in: German
Beatrice Leonhardy, GfK Retail and Technology GmbH

15:00–15:30
Wearable technology & smartwatches in society today and in future
Lecture in: German
Nikolaus Röttger, editor-in-chief, Wired magazine Germany

15:30–16:00
Hybrid, high-tech or fashion: taking stock of the smartwatch market
Lecture in: German
Julia Maehner, Chip.de

18:00
Holy Mass
in Room A22

INHORGENTA FORUM C2.536*

Digital Forum

10:30–11:00
Digital now or never: selling jewelry in a new and different way
Lecture in: German
Petra-Anna Herhoffer, CEO, INLUX / KEYLENS Management Consultants
Julia Riedmeier, Consultant, INLUX / KEYLENS Management Consultants

11:00–11:30
From the screen to the shop window
Lecture in: German
Karin Hoffmann, goldsmith & designer, Germany

11:30–12:00
An online shop that ticks differently: individualized watches online
Lecture in: German
René Kantehm, CEO, Dürmeister manufactory

12:00–12:30
Why digitize when everything is still going OK–or is it?
Lecture in: German
Martin Dräger, CEO, Unruly Media

12:45–13:30
Panel discussion
Does the internet make the Store-based specialist trade expandable?
Participants: Marius Schafelner, Juwelier Vogl, juweliere.de;
Stephan Lindner, Juwelier Fridrich; Markus Müller, Albert Bauer Companies;
Presenter: Dr. Christian Jürgens, editor-in-chief, Goldschmiede Zeitung

Future Lab

14:00–15:00
Zeitgeist as opportunity: recognizing new market opportunities straight from the pulse of the times
Lecture in: German
Kirstine Fratz, CEO, Zeitgeist Handeln

15:00–16:00
Jewelry & watches 2025: where’s it all heading–an upward trend with signs of fatigue?
Lecture in: German
Ralf Jackels, IFH Institute for Trade Research, Cologne

16:00–16:30
The Future of 3D Design & Print
Lecture in: English
Jordan Askill, New York

The speakers we have lined up are all experts in their fields and internationally renowned.

Ya’akov Almor
Diamond Industry Consultant, Israel

Ya’akov Almor is a renowned strategic consultant, communications specialist and spokesman and writer with some 30 years of experience in the international diamond, gemstone and jewelry industry and trade. A trained gemmologist, Ya’akov is Editor-in-Chief of the World Diamond Magazine and was the founding editor of ICA’s magazine, InColor. A few years ago, he was instrumental in the revival of Gem-A’s Journal of Gemmology, and continues to work as a business development consultant to the journal.

Saturday, February 18, 2018, 11:30–12:00
Diamonds: How synthetic diamonds have catapulted the diamond industry into generic diamond promotion

Jordan Askill
Jewelry designer & artist

This Australian artist and jewelry designer studied at the Institute of Technology in Sydney. Before founding his own label, he worked at Ksubi and Christian Dior. Jordan Askill began his career as a designer at Ksubi. In recent years, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise, during which he has continually developed his polished, timeless aesthetic. After his designs had been honored with numerous important awards such as the 1st Prize of the Grand Marnier Design Award for Fashion Excellence, Askill went to Paris where he worked at Dior Homme for three years. He currently lives in New York.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 16:00–16:30
Future Lab: The Future of 3D Design & Print

Phil Bouasse
Independent Pearl Designer, Paris & Hong Kong

Phil Bouasse is a multi award-winning French jewellery designer. He was trained at Ecoles de la Rue du Louvre famed jewellery school in Paris. He is founder of Studio Devarieux (Paris, Hong Kong). He is also a writer, lecturer, teacher and intense traveler.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 12:00–12:30
Pearls: Current trends in pearl design and production

Bruce Bridges
Bridges Tsavorite, Kenya & USA

Bruce Bridges is a skilled coloured gemstone expert with extensive background in East African coloured gemstone prospecting, mining, grading, sorting and cutting, with an emphasis on Tsavorite and Tanzanite. Bruce has completed a lifetime of extensive field work in the Taita/Taveta region of Kenya. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Marketing and Finance (Dual Degree) from the University of Arizona. He is president and CEO of Bridges Tsavorite and Managing Director of Bridges Exploration Ltd. (Kenya). Bruce is a vice-president of AGTA, a member of the Kenya Chamber of Mines and an executive director of ICA.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 14:00–14:30
Gemstone Forum
Tsavorite garnet: mining, cutting and trading a unique gem from East Africa

Dr. Laurent E. Cartier
SSEF, Switzerland

Laurent works for the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF – a leading international gemmological laboratory – and is also a lecturer and researcher on gemstones at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). He holds a PhD from the University of Basel (Switzerland), where his research explored sustainability and traceability issues in pearl farming. In this context he co-founded the Sustainable Pearls project which obtained funding from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. He recently co-founded the Gemstones and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub based at the University of Delaware. He has been working for a number of years on sustainability and traceability of gemstone materials. Laurent has widely traveled to gemstone mines and pearl farms worldwide, having spent prolonged periods of time in Sierra Leone, Madagascar and the Pacific.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 15:00–15:30
Gemstone Forum: An overview of fair trade, traceability and sustainability in gemstones

Martin Dräger
CEO, Unruly Media

In 2002, Martin founded DSG (Dialog Solutions Group). Under his direction, the DSG team developed campaigns for clients including Philips, T-Online and Olympus. In 2010, he and the team launched social media platform ‘Shareifyoulike’.
In May 2013, ‘Shareifyoulike’ was acquired by Unruly. Martin is now Executive Director of Unruly Germany.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 12:00–12:30
Digital Forum: Why digitize when everything is still going OK—or is it?

Kirstine Fratz
CEO, Zeitgeist Handeln

Kirstine Fratz is a cultural scientist and zeitgeist expert. As CEO of ZEITGEIST HANDELN, she tracks down the spirit of the times. She advises companies on how to tap the pulse of the age in the product and marketing area; as lecturer, she describes the dynamism and power of the zeitgeist over our thoughts, actions and feelings. Kirstine Fratz’s clientele includes international brands and company groups in luxury and consumer goods as well as social institutions. Kirstine Fratz teaches the subject of zeitgeist research at various colleges as a visiting lecturer. She lives in Hamburg.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 14:00–15:00
Future Lab: Zeitgeist as opportunity: recognizing new market opportunities straight from the pulse of the times

Adriano Genisi
Genisi Pearls, Italy

Adriano has worked in the pearl sector for over twenty years representing some big international brands as a group purchaser for all types of cultured pearls. He was a general and product manager for one of the most successful Italian manufacturing brands in the jewellery industry. He has deep knowledge of the way in which pearls are produced and their marketing, from wholesale to retail. He started his business (Genisi Pearls) to offer his sourcing services to numerous jewellers across the globe, and is the first to have opened Italian an e-commerce site fully dedicated to pearl jewelry. His knowledge of the market and current trends enables him to identify the best sources and to keep his customers ahead in market competition.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 11:30–12:00
Pearls: Pearl millenials? Changes in the pearl trade and consumers in Europe

Benjamin Guttery
@ThirdCoastGems, USA

Benjamin Guttery, is known as “@ThirdCoastGems” across multiple social media platforms, a reference to his home state of Texas.

As a Brand Advocate, he spotlights emerging & established designers alike and the boutiques that partner with them, through his contagious passion for jewelry and colored jewels. With his knowledge from being a Gemological Institute of America Graduate Gemologist and Accredited Jewlery Professional, he also help consumers understand more about the trade, colored gemstones, and designer jewlery. JCK, INSTORE, and INDESIGN magazines have recognized and featured him on several occasions throughout his career.

He has also served on INSTORE magazine’s Style Council and as a Judge for their “America’s Coolest Stores” issue. Follow him on Instagram at @ThirdCoastGems to see his travels nationwide and beyond to seek out the best in fine designer jewelry and gemstones.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 15:30–16:00
Gemstone Forum: Trends in coloured gemstones used in jewellery: colours and new materials

Dr. Ulrich Henn
German Gemmological Association, Idar-Oberstein

Dr. Ulrich Henn studied Mineralogy and Gemmology at the Institute for Gemstone Research of the University of Mainz (Germany), where he also went on to complete his PhD. He is managing director of the German Gemmological Association, head of the German Gemmological Training Center and a member of the board of the German Foundation for Gemstone Research (DSEF German Gem Lab). Dr. Henn is a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA) and a delegate of the International Gemmological Conference (IGC). He was a chairman of the Federation of European Education in Gemmology (FEEG) from 2006 to 2011. He is the author of gemmological books and various articles in international gemmological and mineralogical journals as well as trade magazines.

Saturday, Februar 17, 2018, 11:00–11:30
Diamonds: Synthetic diamonds: development, recognition, current market situation

Petra-Anna Herhoffer
CEO, INLUX / KEYLENS Management Consultants

Petra-Anna Herhoffer is the initiator and organizer of the established specialized conference “LBD Luxury Business Day” and is publisher and editor-in-chief of the “LBR Luxury Business Reports”. For her, luxury is both an individual ideal concept and a business strategy.
In 2009, she founded INLUX as a consultancy firm and network platform. Since then, INLUX has given the luxury sector great impetus. In cooperation with KEYLENS Management Consultants, Petra-Anna Herhoffer advises companies e.g. in upgrading strategies.
In order to legitimize her subject area academically, she already implemented a luxury management program in 2009 as part of the Master of International Business degree at an international college—the first person to do so in Germany. 

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 10:30–11:00
Digital Forum: Digital now or never: selling jewelry in a new and different way

Ralf Jackels
IFH Cologne

Ralf Jackels is Junior Consultant at IFH Retail Consultants GmbH, subsidiary company of the IFH Institute for Trade Research.
Since January 2016, Ralf Jackels has been part of the team at IFH. He deals with various questions regarding the development of German trade and consumer behavior. He focuses on market research as well as analysis of market potential, distribution and competition. At the same time, he is involved in individual consultancy projects to do with the German retail trade. In his study of economic geography at RWTH Aachen University, the main emphases were on trade research and economic promotion as well as market and location analysis.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 15:00–16:00
Future Lab: Jewelry & watches 2025: where’s it all heading—an upward trend with signs of fatigue?

René Kantehm
CEO, Dürmeister manufactory

René Kantehm is an entrepreneur, college lecturer and author.

He founded his first company at the age of 21. After studying business management and taking his MBA, René Kantehm acquired eight years of experience in the area of investment banking, company financing and capital market communication.

In 2010, he entered an IT start-up company and subsequently became managing partner. After this was sold in 2015, René Kantehm founded Dürmeister Uhren GmbH. With business partner and master watchmaker Reinhold Flüthe, the company manufactures mechanical watches under the name DÜRMEISTER INDIVIDUAL; these can be designed online by the customer him- or herself.

Since 2013, René Kantehm has taught company development and finances at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the college FOM Fachhochschule für Oekonomie & Management.
His handbook “Der Start-up CFO. Die Herausforderungen eines kaufmännischen Leiters in Wachstumsunternehmen” (“The start-up CFO: challenges facing the commercial director in high-growth companies”) was published in 2013 by Going Public Verlag.

René Kantehm is married and lives with his wife and daughter in Anholt on the Lower Rhine.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 11:30–12:00
Digital Forum: An online shop that ticks differently: individualized watches online

Beatrice Leonhardy
GfK Retail and Technology GmbH

Beatrice Leonhardy has now worked at GfK for sixteen years. As Senior Marketing Consultant and aside from other fashion projects, she has been observing the development of the watch market in Germany since 2013. In so doing, Beatrice Leonhardy concentrates on looking after the specialist watch dealers and jewelers while her colleague Tobias Nowak (Head of Fashion & Lifestyle) takes care of the watch manufacturers.
Beatrice Leonhardy first of all studied law in Munich and Erlangen but then changed to business management in Nuremberg in order to take over the family business in the paintbrush industry. During her studies, Beatrice Leonhardy discovered a special liking for statistics and then preferred to make a start at GfK—firstly in the photo trade contact area, where she looked after the development of the electronic article catalog Encodex (Etilize). Beatrice Leonhardy later took over the areas of sanitary goods, luggage and luxury goods.

Saturday, February 17, 2018, 14:00–14:30
Watch Forum: Study on the development of the watch market

Julia Maehner
journalist

Julia Maehner was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA. At the age of five, her family moved to Bavaria, where she remained until she took her high-school diploma. Following this, she studied online journalism in Berlin. During this time, she wrote for sueddeutsche.de, Rolling Stone magazine and the newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine. In September 2012, she moved to New York City where she worked in digital marketing for the music agency Girlie Action Media. After two-and-a-half years, she returned to Munich where she looked after the subjects of audio, smartwatches and wearables as editor for the specialist portal chip.de. Today, Julia Maehner works as a freelance journalist and author (CHIP magazine, Intro, Bayerischer Rundfunk) and she supports the software firms in content marketing. 

Saturday, February 17, 2018, 15:30–16:00
Watch Forum: Hybrid, high-tech or fashion: taking stock of the smartwatch market

Dr. Claudio C. Milisenda
Managing Director of the DSEF German Gem Lab in Idar Oberstein

Dr. Milisenda studied mineralogy at the Johannes-Gutenberg University in Mainz and completed his PhD at its Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry. He has been with the German Gemmological Association and with the DSEF laboratory since 1993. In 1996 he became managing director of the DSEF. DSEF’s main areas of expertise include identification of gemstones, treatment detection and origin determination of coloured gemstones.
Dr. Milisenda has published numerous scientific articles in the field of gemmology and is widely known as a speaker at national and international conferences. He is a delegate of the International Gemmological Conference (IGC) and is vice-president of the World Jewellery Confederation’s Gemmological Commission. He is active in gemmological education and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the German Gemmological Association. His scientific research has led him to a wide range of European countries, southern Africa and Southeast Asia.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 14:30–15:00
Gemstone Forum: Coloured gemstones, imitations, treatments – current issues from the DSEF lab

Julia Riedmeier

Julia Riedmeier (M.A.) studied International Business in Berlin, Munich and Shanghai with the emphasis on luxury management and marketing. After holding positions at Hermès in communications and retail, she enhanced her profile through independent projects in the beauty and online area. She shares her expertise and passion for luxury: together with Petra-Anna Herhoffer at INLUX, she organizes Germany’s only specialized conference in this area—“LBD Luxury Business Day”. 
As a marketing and luxury expert, she is also a consultant at INLUX as well as KEYLENS Management Consultants and is an author and speaker on the subjects of social media and luxury management. Thus, for instance, she runs the “Distribution & Communication of Luxury” module at accadis University of Applied Sciences in Bad Homburg. 

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 10:30–11:00
Digital Forum: Digital now or never: selling jewelry in a new and different way

Nikolaus Röttger
Editor-in-chief of WIRED GERMANY, Berlin

WIRED GERMANY is based in Berlin, the epicenter of the German digital and start-up scene. Nikolaus Röttger reports on one of the greatest adventures of our age: the invention of the future. Röttger was previously editor-in-chief of the online magazine Gründerszene.de and as a managing editor, he developed the financial magazine Business Punk. He worked at Gruner + Jahr for eight years in various positions.

Saturday, February 17, 2018, 15:00–15:30
Watch Forum: Wearable technology & smartwatches in society today and in future

Dr. Joseph Taylor
Pearl Farming Expert, Australia & Indonesia

Joseph has been involved in pearl farming operations for over 20 years, much of which devoted to commercial production and research of South Sea pearls in Indonesia. He holds a PhD in Marine Biology and Aquaculture and has authored numerous international scientific publications. His research has led to Pinctada maxima (South Sea pearl oyster) having the most detailed genetic map of any shellfish species, opening up tremendous opportunties for improved pearl farming practices. Joseph has worked with Atlas Pearls and Perfumes since 1996, from 2001 to 2009 he served as CEO/Managing Director and was until recently President Director of the Indonesian based pearling venture. Joseph speaks Indonesian fluently and is recognized as having strong cultural ties with communities across the archipelago. His pearl farming philosophy is centered on cultural and environmental recognition and custodianship of the natural resources.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 11:00–11:30
Pearls: Pearl – the sustainable gem: Technology, Community and Environment

Paul van der Steen
Diamantexperte, Belgien

Paul Van Der Steen, 62, is an independent technology expert and consultant to the Belgian diamond industry. He holds a master‘s degree in chemical engineering of the University of Antwerp. He started his career in 1975 as technical manager of the Diamond Grading Department of the Hoge Raad voor Diamant, HRD. In 1987, he was a founding partner in Diamcad, a pioneer in precision polishing of high quality/high value diamonds. Ten years later, he consequently founded Diamscan, a developer of optimization algorithms for diamond manufacturing and in 2006 established Matrix Diamond Technology, a high-end manufacturing technology developer.

Currently Van Der Steen owns and heads two operations: Van der Steen Diamond Technology, a firm that consults to producers, sightholders as well as HRD Antwerp NV, and Tensor Diamond Technology, a sister company that runs a choice of R & D projects. Among others, Van Der Steen is Chairman of the board of WTOCD, (Wetenschappelijk en Technisch Onderzoekscentrum voor Diamant), the Scientific and Technical Research center for Diamond. He was and is involved in countless research and diamond technology development and has authored a variety of training courses, books and manuals books for diamond manufacturing and gemological training.

Van Der Steen is married and has four children.

Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10:30–11:00
Developments in diamond grading