'Encounters on a Precious Stone') is a Croatian scientific conference founded in 1968 in commemoration of Mijo Mirković or Mate Balota.
In 1990 it started to be held every other year, and it was decided that the location would be changed for every meeting, which has been held in Pula, Labin, Umag, Motovun, Buzet, Rovinj, Brijuni, Rakalj, Mali Lošinj.
[1] The gatherings were once focused on the "versatility of Mirković as a writer" and the topics development of Istria, Matija Vlačić-Franković (Flacius), industry and tourism, etc.
The focus then shifted on the problems dealt with and observed by Mirković in Istria, Croatia and then-Yugoslavia, treating such themes as "agriculture, domestic and foreign trade, maritime economy, small businesses, industrialization and environmental protection, tourism."
[1] The committee is presided by professors and academicians, and a paper of the proceedings of the meeting Zborniku radova znanstvenoga skupa Susreti na dragom kamenu ("Proceedings of the scientific conference Encounters on a Precious Stone") is released out of the meeting.