Scottish Branch 
of the Gemmological Association
2009
Tuesday 17th February 2009 Marcus McCallum: The
Life of a Travelling Gem Dealer
Marcus
McCallum, a well known and respected gem dealer based in
Remember to bring your loupe as there will be some unusual examples to examine.
The
above talk will take place at The British Geological Survey, Murchison House,
West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9.
The talks will start at 7.30 pm. Doors open from 7.00 pm.
Wednesday 25th March 2009 Cairncross
of
Pearl fishing once provided hundreds of jobs in Scotland and was carried
out for centuries, but over-exploitation, especially by amateurs who killed
mussels indiscriminately, meant the freshwater pearl mussel was almost wiped
out. In 1998 the freshwater pearl mussel
was given full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Anyone
taking, disturbing or harming freshwater pearls is now liable to prosecution
and it is also illegal to sell freshwater pearls without a licence from the
Scottish Executive.
Cairncross of Perth, founded in 1869, are one of
only two Scottish jewellers licensed to sell freshwater pearls and they can
only trade in pearls collected before the ban in 1998. The drilling and setting
of pearls is an increasingly rare skill which has been passed down through the
generations.
We are privileged to be invited to visit Cairncross to be shown their remaining
unique collection of Scottish pearls.
At 7.00 pm at Cairncross of
Perth, 18 St John Street, Perth, PH1 5SR
To
reserve a place, contact webmaster@scotgem.demon.co.uk
NO ADMISSION
WITHOUT PRIOR RESERVATION
Friday 1st to
Monday 4th May 2009 Scottish Conference
Contact webmaster@scotgem.demon.co.uk