Gail Brett Levine Recognized As International Leader

Gail Brett Levine, GIA Alumni Receives the International Leadership Award

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) held their annual GIA Alumni Association dinner, auction and dance party on Feb. 3rd, during the Tucson Gem Show.  Gail Brett Levine, GG, was the recipient of the 2012 International Leadership Award for all she does to support the Gem & Jewelry Industries.

The GIA Global Alumni Awards recognize members who exhibit leadership, demonstrate service to the gem and jewelry industry, and actively support the association’s growth through continuing education and innovative programs.

Levine, an independent personal property appraiser, has been in the jewelry trade for 40 years and an officer in the Manhattan Chapter since the inception of the GIA Alumni Association in 1982. 

“I am proud that the Manhattan Chapter is one of the gemstones in the GIA ‘Tiara of Chapters,’” she said. “I want to express my gratitude to my fellow officers and everyone I’ve worked with to make it a success.”

In 1994, Ms. Levine started a subscription based publication Auction Market Resource for Gems and Jewelry which is an in-depth report by qualified appraiser/gemologists of sales results of jewelry at auction which previews gem material that was published semi-annually.  Auction Market Resource is now solely a website.  It is currently recommended by most appraisal organizations. 

On March 2004, Ms. Levine became the Executive Director of The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers - the largest membership association specializing exclusively in gem and jewelry appraising and related appraisal issues.    

 “The Institute commends Gail for her continued dedication to the GIA Alumni Association,” said Kate Donovan, GIA alumni relations manager. “The awards program was created to foster and inspire the alumni network, which includes 60 chapters worldwide. We thank these individuals for their enthusiasm and support of the organization.” 

MJSA Expo West Returns to AGTA GemFair Tucson

MJSA and the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) announced that MJSA's EXPO West will be returning to the AGTA GemFair Tucson, Feb. 2-7, 2010. The EXPO West Pavilion will be housed in the Ballroom on the Galleria level, along with the Spectrum of Design Pavilion. Exhibitors will feature manufacturing equipment, tools, supplies, contract services, and the latest in new technologies. The pavilion will also include MJSA's At the Bench Live, a series of bench demonstrations showing the latest techniques for bench jewelers. "Many of our GemFair attendees are manufacturing jewelers," said Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of AGTA. "So, it is important to ensure that they have products and services available at the show and live demonstrations to help them work more efficiently." "We are delighted to have EXPO West return to the AGTA GemFair Tucson," said David Cochran, President and CEO of MJSA. "It's an important venue for our members in that region, and we look forward to further developing it and expanding the rich blend of tools, technology and information available for manufacturing jewelers there."

What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show

The results are in. What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 is the best WHIT ever!!

With orders streaming in every day, we're getting some outstanding feedback from viewers of the latest What's Hot In Tucson.

Here's what one customer said:

"Bryan, as I am typing this I am watching WHIT '09. It just gets better every year. The photography and sound quality are superb....I can see where every year you are raising the bar. This year with the labels on each mineral shown is another milestone."

What he's referring to is a new feature we added to the 2009 program - on-screen labels to just about every mineral specimen we review. That's HUNDREDS of labels showing the proper spelling of each specimen as well as information on its locale - all cross-checked with information on the mindat.org online database.

Creating these labels was a monumental task but once we started looking at the results, we knew we had to have this feature on this, and future, What's Hot In Tucson programs. Now What's Hot In Tucson can be a fantastic reference guide AND it can also help teach new collectors about the huge variety of minerals. Huge thanks to all our Featured Dealers and Collectors who showed endless patience helping out.

Also added to the 2009 program is our new segment where Dave Wilber creates a mineral collection of specimens costing $99 or less!!! We created this to help illustrate that, despite the rising cost of minerals, there are still great deals to be found if you invest the time and energy to find those hidden deals.



And returning from last year is Jeff Scovil's mini segment - Scovil's Top Ten Tucson Photos - updated to reflect Scovil's favorite photos from the 2009 show. Not only do you have close-up pans and scans direct from Scovil's digital files, you also have Scovil narrating the entire program explaining exactly what he likes about each photo.



This year's interview with the Westward Mineral Show's Featured Collectors is with Jim & Gail Spann who had their mouth-watering collection on display in the lobby of the Westward Look Resort. Listen to Jim and Gail share their thoughts on the hobby of mineral collecting as your eyes feast on close-up shots of each one of their specimens on display.

And just when you finally get through all of this mind-blowing content, keep your eyes peeled for even more segments as we bring back What's Hot In Tucson: ONLINE. This is where we take the segments that couldn't fit on the DVDs and post them online for everyone to watch for FREE!

So start your mineral fix right here with What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 - the best What's Hot In Tucson yet. Still two DVDs, still only $29.99.

Click here to place your order today!!

Thank you for your time and I hope you continue to enjoy BlueCap Productions' products. Sincerely, Bryan Swoboda BlueCap Productions

All DVDs will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail. This allows us to track the package and provide a free replacement if you do not receive your DVD.