Has anyone taken the GIA pearls course?

[pinkjewel]

I've been contemplating taking some GIA courses (mainly for fun and education) and with the growing popularity of pearls I thought this might be a good one to take. I find most jewelry sales associates know absolutely nothing about pearls. In some cases they don't know anything about gemstones either , but I find that pearl knowledge is gravely lacking. I think it's a virtual mine field out there with prices and quality all over the board!! So, has anybody taken the course, or thought about taking it, or know someone that's taken it, etc? If so, what kind of feedback on the course?

 

[bluebirrrd]

I'd love to and looked into it, but the cost was prohibitive. I know Pattye has taken it so hopefully she'll see this and reply.

 

[Pattye]

Hi Pinkjewel and Bluebirrrd,

I tried to answer earlier, but couldn't access this website.

You are so right about jewelry sales peeps knowing little about pearls. I truly enjoyed the course! Fortunately, my participation on the other pearl forum contributed greatly to my basic knowledge. Jeremy Shepherd helped rewrite the GIA course a few years back! It now includes much more information on freshwater pearls.

Jeremy recently posted about the course~"Much better than before! It is still lacking quite a bit. It was borderline magnificent before it went through the editing process, unfortunately. The Pearls Course writer retired before it was finished, so GIA did the editing and photo placement largely without him. He was the one and only pearl expert at GIA Carlsbad. GIA really is a diamonds and colored stones institute.

If you want to read what is likely the best course in the world, get Strack! "

(I refer to PEARLS by Elizabeth Strack all the time, and it's worth the price tag.)

There are 2 parts tp the Pearl Course, which don't have to be taken in any particular order. One is the pearl grading class, usually a 2 day, hands on class, which was given here in my city, fortunately. One earns a certificate for this.

The 2nd part is the online pearls course, which can be completed over a number of months. For this you also receive a certificate.

The Graduate Pearls Diploma is the result of successful completion of both classes. A payment plan was available at the time I took the online course, which I appreciated! There are also scholarships available; worth checking on.

If you feel the credential would help you in your career or future career or just give you satisfaction and credibility in your circle, why not?

 

[pinkjewel]

thanks bluebirrd and Patty- I appreciate the replies. I'm not sure what was going on with Pricescope as I couldn't access it earlier today either. Pattye- Jeremy was replying to me on the other forum- I really appreciated his taking the time to give me his opinion. I know he was less than enthusiastic about the GIA course in his post in 2007, so it's nice to see he's more enthusiastic about it now I'm looking into purchasing the Strack book which I saw that GIA has available on their website, but I still may take the GIA course,too (long distance) . I guess I enjoy taking courses.

 

[gemmyblond]

Hi pinkjewel -- I took the 'old' GIA Pearls course several years ago. Did it online, then did the 1-day Pearls Lab @ Carlsbad. I took it because I love pearls and wanted to learn more and because (like you), I found it frustrating in general to shop for them. I wanted to educate myself and my eyes about what to look for. I also just like learning and taking courses, and this fit my schedule at the time.

The online course (mind you, this was years ago) was fairly lightweight and not too deep -- sounds like they added a lot of content in the revised version, which is terrific. The hands-on Lab class was actually much better imho -- you could see tons of examples of varieties and really understand the key differences. Yet, the lab class repeated much of what the online class covered, so apart from the hands-on stuff, the lecture part of it was like deja vu. Not bad -- it was helpful to hear the content more than once, but just not what I expected. Not sure what it's like now.

The Lab class had about 20 or so of us in it and we each had our own workdesk in the classroom. The other students were a real mix - some in the trade, some looking to enter the trade, some longtime in the trade, and a couple others like me who just liked pearls and wanted to know more but had no intention of entering the trade. The content was geared for all levels but it was helpful to know some of the basics of pearls before taking it.

Anyway, that was my experience. I'm glad I did it...but if I had it to do over again, I think I'd do some of the online class (not all), then do the Lab class in-person, then finish up the online class. I found it incredibly helpful to see and play with all the pearls in person in terms of really bringing the online content alive.
Just my two cents. Hope you enjoy it if you end up taking one/both and let me know if I can answer any other Q's.
- gemmyb

 

[pinkjewel]

Hi pinkjewel -- I took the 'old' GIA Pearls course several years ago. Did it online, then did the 1-day Pearls Lab @ Carlsbad. I took it because I love pearls and wanted to learn more and because (like you), I found it frustrating in general to shop for them. I wanted to educate myself and my eyes about what to look for. I also just like learning and taking courses, and this fit my schedule at the time.

The online course (mind you, this was years ago) was fairly lightweight and not too deep -- sounds like they added a lot of content in the revised version, which is terrific. The hands-on Lab class was actually much better imho -- you could see tons of examples of varieties and really understand the key differences. Yet, the lab class repeated much of what the online class covered, so apart from the hands-on stuff, the lecture part of it was like deja vu. Not bad -- it was helpful to hear the content more than once, but just not what I expected. Not sure what it's like now.

The Lab class had about 20 or so of us in it and we each had our own workdesk in the classroom. The other students were a real mix - some in the trade, some looking to enter the trade, some longtime in the trade, and a couple others like me who just liked pearls and wanted to know more but had no intention of entering the trade. The content was geared for all levels but it was helpful to know some of the basics of pearls before taking it.

Anyway, that was my experience. I'm glad I did it...but if I had it to do over again, I think I'd do some of the online class (not all), then do the Lab class in-person, then finish up the online class. I found it incredibly helpful to see and play with all the pearls in person in terms of really bringing the online content alive.
Just my two cents. Hope you enjoy it if you end up taking one/both and let me know if I can answer any other Q's.
- gemmyb

Oh wow- thank you so much for your input. I had been under the impression that one had to finish the online course before taking the lab course, so that's good to know that I could do the lab in the middle. I agree that I think it would help me to touch and see them in person. I think I've decided that I'd enjoy the course- now to convince my hubby I need to take it- lol!

 

[Pattye]

One can apply for scholarships~this year's deadline is Oct 31st I believe.