It's that exciting time of year once more - the Gemporia 14th Birthday Celebration is here! We always mark our birthday with a huge party, and this year is no exception. Our huge 14-day-long event is filled with great guests, gorgeous gems and designer deals and runs all the way through to Sunday October 14th. It's our biggest birthday event ever - don't miss a moment with our guide to what's on.
As well as bringing exciting new gemstones and collections to your screens we'll also be joined by guests from across the gemstone and jewellery industry. These shows not only offer rare opportunities to get some scarce treasures into your collections but are also filled with fascinating stories from the people who have first-hand experience in their histories. At the very heart of the event is our actual birthday on Monday 8th October, so look out for something special at 4pm, the time we first went on-air in 2004. You can find full guest details here and see the full schedule here, but here's a brief overview of what to expect from this year's event.
WHO'S VISITING?
We're welcoming world-renowned gemstone experts to our studios to share their fascinating stories, experiences and techniques with us. Among the confirmed guests are:
• Ken Gurney and John Rylander: Topaz experts who'll be showcasing their Galileia, Batalha, Cruzeiro, Santa Maria and brand new Versailles varieties.
• Mariusz Gielo: Baltic Amber expert Mariusz will be here to showcase amazing new designs featuring this organic beauty.
• Glenn Lehrer: Glenn is here to showcase new designs featuring all his phenomenal cuts, from TorusRing and QuasarCut to Man in the Moon and Coalesce.
•Manuj Goyal: Gemstone cutting expert Manuj will be joining us via video link from India to talk about the phenomenal Lotus Cut.
•Charlie Barron: Charlie will be here with new designs featuring South Sea, Tahitian and Maruata Pearls and imparting his wisdom.
•Rudi Wobito: Rudi will be joining us to talk about the Wobito cut he developed with his brother Ralph while showcasing new designs.
PLUS: Steve Bennett will be unveiling some of his favourite stones, including Brazilian Chrysoberyl. Sarah Bennett is bringing amazing new designs to the screen from her own delightful collection. Jainey Bennett has exciting new Gem Auras Homewares items to unveil for the very first time. Jake Thompson and David Troth are on hand to share the stories of Csarite, Anthill Garnet, the Polaris Cut and, for the first time ever on Gemporia, Bixbite - sometimes known as Red Emerald. Gemologist Matt Bennett will be making a welcome return to our screens with stories from his days hunting for Ethiopian Opal and Anahi Ametrine. Our own hosts will be guesting on shows too. Rosie Wells will be showcasing her wonderful 'Rosie Loves' collection, Kate McCarthy will be launching her third collection 'Regal Elegance', Kati Elliott is on hand to introduce the latest additions to her charm collections and Vicki Carr will be showing us all the latest chains she's hand picked for the Gemporia Chain Store. There will also be a truly unmissable Australian Argyle Diamond showcase packed with sparkling new designs.
This year we've made a special video to showcase the birthday, and it's based around the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. You can watch the video below, which features our founder Steve Bennett hosting a party for our presenters. Look closely, and you'll see a little preview of some of the special jewellery pieces we'll be showcasing during the event, scattered across the table and being worn by our hosts. There was also cake and champagne - it was a very enjoyable day of filming!
You won't miss a moment if you sign up to our email notifications to be kept up to date with what's happening. All you have to do is sign in to Gemporia.com in the top right corner, click on your name and then click 'My Account'. On the next page, just make sure we have your current email address and that 'TV Updates' is ticked under 'Email Preferences', and we'll keep you informed on all the exciting shows. Click here to see what's on TV right now.
