By Emily Stegman

Speakers and sponsors for GIA's 4th International Gemological Symposium and Gemological Research Conference gathered as honored guests for a luncheon between sessions on Aug. 28.

Linda Ellis Harmeling, GIA's vice president and chief Advancement officer, thanked the sponsors for their "extraordinary contributions" and commitment, and for being the "foundation" of Symposium.

"I also want to thank our speakers. You are the rich fiber that has been woven into the tapestry that is Symposium," Ellis Harmeling said. "This is the most impressive group of speakers we have yet assembled for an event of this kind."

The highlight of the luncheon was a talk by Sir Ken Robinson, a writer, consultant and inspirational speaker known for his provocative and witty messages. He previously served as professor of education at Warwick University in the United Kingdom and was awarded a knighthood for his contributions to the arts in 2003.

Robinson, author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, has become an internationally recognized expert in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources, and encouraged audience members to use these skills to their advantage in today's marketplace.

Promoting creativity should be a priority from the beginning, which is difficult to do in an education system that emphasizes standardized testing and promotes a hierarchy of subjects, he said.

"This hierarchy seems to promote education from the neck upwards and, the way I see it, is designed to produce more university professors, who are a very particular form of life," Robinson joked. "These are typically people who live in their heads and see their bodies as merely a form of transportation for their head."

"I think we squander too many talents of our youth, and I'm not OK with it," he said.

Robinson insisted that adults, who unlike children are often uncomfortable with their imaginative side, need to access their creativity as the business marketplace continues to be affected by technology and demography. These factors are driving change and making the world "intensely unpredictable," he said.

"We are engulfed in an economic and cultural revolution that we're not ready for; our needs are constantly changing," he said.

This is why fostering creativity and innovation can be the key to a business' success, Robinson said. Starbucks, for example, did not pioneer the cup of coffee; its success came from the culture and atmosphere the company created to go with it. He stressed that developing an organization that promotes radical thinking is critical to the total transformation of a business.

"Creativity is a function of intelligence and, in fact, the highest form of intelligence is creativity," Robinson said.

He illustrated how many people do not connect the two when he asked the crowd to rate their creativity on a scale of one to 10; then he asked them to rate their intelligence on the same scale. More than 70 percent gave different answers to each question.

"You all underestimate yourselves," Robinson said, and asserted that the answers to those questions should coincide.

Robinson concluded with an anecdote about his friend Gillian Lynne, who had trouble concentrating in school as a child and was consequently labeled a "bad" student. She was unable to thrive until placed in a dance school, where she found her life's passion. Lynne's long dance career includes performances with the Royal Ballet and choreography for several highly acclaimed Broadway productions, such as "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera."

"We are all Gillians; it's true that we don't find our creative capacity until we find our medium, and we can't truly become who we are until we find it," he said.

Robinson's final advice to the room was to "celebrate diversity," because that is what will bring the best out in people.