‘Jade Lady’ Mimi Ou Yang To Receive JNA Lifetime Achievement Award

Mimi Ou Yang

Jewellery News Asia has announced that Professor Mimi Ou Yang—affectionately known as “The Jade Lady”—will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the fourth annual JNA Awards. Ou Yang is an internationally renowned gemologist, mineralogist and jade expert who founded the Hong Kong Gems Laboratory and H.K. Institute of Gemmology.

“With her inquisitive mind, dedication and hard work, she has made the jadeite trade more transparent, promoted high ethical standards among industry practitioners, inspired consumer confidence, and contributed to cementing the jadeite sector’s status in the international market,” said Letitia Chow, chair of the JNA Awards Judging Panel. “Professor Ou Yang exemplifies the true values of what JNA Awards promotes.”

Since 1978, Ou Yang has devoted herself to the academic research of Fei Cui Jade. For years, she travelled to Myanmar’s mining areas, collecting and studying jade samples. In 1983, she was the first to discover a terrestrial source of Ureyite while doing her research on Burmese jadeite jade. This stood out as her proudest accomplishment. Her unprecedented discovery sent shockwaves through the field of mineralogy and firmly established her academic standing as a mineralogist.

In addition to her contributions to academic research, Ou Yang played a significant role in the development of the jadeite jade market. In the early 1980s, the emergence of artificially treated and dyed jadeite jade led Ou Yang to pioneer the classification system of Fei Cui Jade treatment (“A type,” “B type,” “C type” and “B+C type”) and introduce the earliest use of Infrared Spectroscopy for B Type jadeite jade identification. In addition, she proposed a systematic approach—4C2T1V principle—for quality evaluation of Fei Cui Jade, which is now commonly used by jewelry companies and auction houses.

Ou Yang has dedicated her life to spreading jade knowledge and promoting the status and recognition of Fei Cui Jade as a precious gemstone in the international market. Her accomplishments included creating the term “Fei Cui Jade,” which significantly improved the understanding of Fei Cui Jade and the trade’s reputation among consumers.

Ou Yang also is an educator who trained and nurtured countless numbers of jewelry talents through the development of a Fei Cui Jade program and her publications.

“It is my deepest honour to be the recipient of JNA’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” Ou Yang said. “The path to becoming a Fei Cui Jade scholar was not an easy one. I am thrilled to finally receive recognition from the industry following years of hard work and perseverance. This award, while giving me tremendous pleasure, also serves as an inspiration to all the other scholars to continually serve the industry with their professional knowledge and expertise.”

Ou Yang will receive the award during the the JNA Awards 2015 Ceremony and Gala Dinner, which will be held September 20, at the Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong.

JNA Awards 2015 is led by Rio Tinto Diamonds and Chow Tai Fook as Headline Partners, with Diarough Group, Gübelin Group, Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, Shanghai Diamond Exchange, and Guangdong Land Holdings Limited as Honoured Partners. 

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Steve Forbes, Rick Harrison, Red Envelope Founder to Speak at GIA Symposium

The Gemological Institute of America Symposium 2011 will include keynotes and lectures from those in business, the jewelry trade and of course, scientists and gemologists, as it tries to tackle the most pressing issues that impact the global gem and jewelry industry.

The trade only international conference of gem industry business leaders and research scientists, being held May 29-30 at GIA’s world headquarters in Carlsbad, will include Steve Forbes, Rick Harrison and Scott Galloway.

Steve Forbes

Forbes, chairman of Forbes Media and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, will deliver the keynote address for Symposium 2011: “Advancing the Science and Business of Gems.”

Forbes has launched a variety of new publications and businesses, including: ForbesLife, the dedicated luxury lifestyle and culture magazine; ForbesWoman, providing Forbes’ community of executive women with luxury lifestyle content; Forbes Asia; and Forbes licensee editions published in China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey. The company also publishes a number of investment newsletters. Another division of the company is Forbes Investors Advisory Institute. Forbes.com attracts 18 million unique visitors a month and has become the leading destination site for senior business decision-makers and investors.

A widely respected economic prognosticator, Forbes is the only writer to have won the highly prestigious Crystal Owl Award for accurate economic forecasting four times. In addition, he has authored multiple books on leadership, economics and capitalism.

Forbes campaigned for the American presidency in 1996 and 2000. President Ronald Reagan named him chairman of the bi-partisan Board for International Broadcasting, where Forbes served from 1985 until 1993.

GIA Symposium’s Business Track Sessions are divided into two categories: “Advancing the Business of Gems” and “Advances in Gemological Research.”

Rick Harrison

Harrison of History’s reality television series Pawn Stars, will participate on the “Everything Old is New Again – The Appeal of Auctions, Estate & Vintage Markets” panel.

Pawn Stars chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop located on the Las Vegas strip, a third-generation family business operated by Harrison, and his father and son. Harrison, trained in the pawn business from the age of 13, has showed signs of being a hustler from birth and is known as the “The Spotter” on the show because he easily picks out fake or stolen pieces—especially big-ticket items. Interesting items featured on the show included a 15th-century samurai sword, a Super Bowl ring, a Picasso painting, and a 17th-century stay of execution.

The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop was awarded the “Pawnbroker of the Year” award by the National Pawnbroker’s Association for bringing the industry greater recognition and a better image through the TV show.

Other panel and lecture topics include consumer behavior, luxury marketing, design trends, social media, advances in gemstone treatments and technology, new gem localities and the social, political and ethical issues of the production and distribution of gems and jewelry.

Scott Galloway

Galloway, founder of Red Envelope, the online gift giving company, and clinical associate professor for New York University’s Stern School of Business, will present, “The New Rules of Engagement – Finding and Keeping Customers in the Digital Age.” Other speakers include:

* Dilip Mehta, CEO of the Rosy Blue Group,
* Douglas Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association,
* Wallace Chan, world-renowned jewelry designer,
* Stuart Robertson, a leading gemstone research and pricing expert,
* Ken Royal, senior client service manager of Gallup,
* Gary Schuler, senior vice president for Sotheby’s and head of the company’s Jewelry Department since 2002.

“Symposium 2011 brings together an impressive and inspiring combination of thought leaders from the world of business,” said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA vice president and chief marketing officer, who is co-chair of the business track for Symposium. “These experts will explore important topics from a wide range of perspectives, providing attendees with a unique opportunity to gain insight into the most important business advancements shaping the gem and jewelry industry.”

GIA Symposium 2011 will commemorate the 80th anniversary of GIA with events that celebrate the Institute’s commitment to serving the public and trade through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development.

For more information or to register, visit the Symposium website or e-mail symposium2011@gia.edu.