With 20 grading laboratories in North America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia and the Center East, the 45-year previous, Antwerp, Belgium-based International Gemology Institute (IGI) grades extra gems and completed jewellery in additional cities than another group of its sort. As a nexus of gemological analysis, gemstone grading; issuing of grading reviews and training, IGI serves purchasers starting from international jewellery manufacturers to particular person jewellery house owners, whereas its 14 gemological institutes prepare and certify graduate gemologists in numerous locales. Now, burnishing its 45-year repute as a frontrunner in its discipline, IGI is debuting a brand new interactive on-line collection of IGI eLearning programs.
These characteristic classes designed to coach people who find themselves promoting positive diamond jewellery, together with those that need to be taught extra in regards to the nature, types and substances of naturally mined asm effectively as lab-grown diamonds. Particularly, IGI is providing a brand new free, on-line ‘How To Purchase A Diamond’ course for customers, plus six new on-line pure and lab-grown diamond-related programs priced at $50.00 every.
These courses are titled: Carat Weight, Color, Clarity, Cut, Lab Grown Diamonds and The Natural Diamond Story. (Folks may additionally select to enroll in all six without delay for the lowered fee of $250.00). It’s price noting right here that it’s comparatively uncommon for a lot precious gemological training to be so simply and broadly accessible. With a digital gadget, an Web connection, funds for the six courses, plus the desire to finish the six paid or the one free diamond course, jewellery information upgrades are readily throughout the attain of hundreds of thousands.
In response to Avi Levy, President of IGI’s North American division, IGI’s free on-line “How To Purchase A Diamond” course was created to coach and empower these customers who could also be searching for positive diamond jewellery for the primary time. “Many individuals who need to purchase diamond jewels are at an obstacle as a result of they’re unaware of the important info and nuances that may account for a diamond’s perceived magnificence, gemological high quality and market worth,” Levy notes. “Though many individuals take the time to analysis diamonds earlier than shopping for, their makes an attempt could be hindered by on-line misinformation, unqualified or ill-informed salespeople or inaccurate advertising claims.”
To assist customers elude such potential eventualities, “We designed IGI’s ‘ Purchase A Diamond’ on-line course to demystify diamonds and empower the general public by way of audio-visual studying,” says John Pollard, IGI’s Senior Director For Training. “Shifting photographs and video are accompanied by narration bolstered with textual content bullet factors,” Pollard continues. “The course’s mushy, rhythmic musical soundtrack retains issues shifting whereas the colour scheme is conducive to studying.”
Designed for a highschool studying degree, the free course takes lower than 45 minutes to finish and each part ends with an interactive query. If the person solutions incorrectly, they’re directed again to the beginning of that part, so that they get one other likelihood to reply. There’s a 12-question quiz on the finish which is handed with a rating of 80% or greater. Pollard asserts, “Those that cross the quiz come away with diamond info and clear motion plans that may assist them store for diamond jewellery with confidence and newfound experience.”
Along with designing eLearning programs, tutorials, seminars, and webinars for IGI purchasers in all sectors, together with main luxurious manufacturers, Pollard has been a marketing consultant for diamond producers, grading laboratories and sellers in North America, Europe and Asia. Having offered seminars at JCK Las Vegas, the American Gem Society Conclave and commerce conferences in Beijing and Shanghai, China, Pollard is frequently working with IGI’s Levy and others to incorporate essentially the most well timed and related info and figures in IGI’s instructional choices. (For manufacturers and jewelers with a number of employees members, IGI additionally designs brand-specific companion programs for firms which might be dedicated to educating their gross sales and advertising groups with most factual depth, storytelling breadth and consumer-friendly information they’ll use.)
Some extent of pleasure for Pollard and Levy is IGI’s penchant for making main diamond information which it could possibly then use so as to add worth and curiosity to its course supplies. For instance, in June 2022, IGI earned a spot within the narrative of bijou historical past by analyzing and grading a 30.18 carat emerald reduce lab-grown diamond, the world’s largest to this point. Produced by Mumbai-based Ethereal Green Diamond, this extraordinary stone, named “Satisfaction of India”, is the world’s first polished lab-grown diamond to exceed 30 carats.
Created by the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) course of, the “Satisfaction of India” was graded by IGI as embodying H colour, VS2 readability. The kind IIa tough crystal from which it derived took roughly 4 weeks to develop. Ethereal Inexperienced Diamond, headquartered in Mumbai, India, has a longtime repute for producing giant, high-quality lab grown diamonds. In response to Hirav Anil Virani, Ethereal’s Managing Director, “IGI is the biggest group of its variety, having laboratories worldwide, with an impeccable buyer pushed workforce and ameliorating applied sciences and gear. This provides us the belief and confidence to certify our diamonds at IGI.”
Relating to the six diamond programs that value $50.00 every or the six course package deal that totals $250.00, Pollard feedback, “Whether or not you’re a first-time purchaser or long-time jewellery lover, these brief interactive programs cowl these subjects that diamond consumers deem most vital when making excessive worth choices. As lab grown diamonds develop into extra prevalent in jewellery designs, brick and mortar shops and luxurious web sites,” Pollard ventures, “evidence-based, impartial training reminiscent of IGI affords has by no means been extra well timed. Customers and people who work in jewellery, trend and luxurious industries are searching for essentially the most dependable, up-to-date info on the character and relative values of assorted kinds of lab-grown diamonds.” The manufacturing and international prevalence of lab-grown diamonds appears to be growing exponentially with every passing 12 months. Throughout JCK Las Vegas, the world’s largest jewellery present, held in in June 20222, over 17,000 attendees from 130 nations encountered over 80 exhibitors within the lab grown diamond part.
As veteran jewellery journalist Jennifer Heebner notes, “The lab-grown diamond division at JCK has mushroomed prior to now few years. Nearly each retailer I spoke to at JCK this 12 months was lab-grown diamonds to inventory of their retailer. I nonetheless don’t see them used that a lot in completed strains, however retailers are positively them for the bridal class as heart stones.” Observations reminiscent of these appear to recommend that IGI will likely be delivering lab-grown diamond training for the foreseeable future. Within the meantime, provided that persevering with COVID surges are occurring all around the world, IGI’s different eLearning programs are ideally suited, and ideally timed, for a worldwide viewers of individuals trying to purchase first-rate, skilled on-line gemological training.