Starting my Gemmology Diploma in 2 weeks.....

[Bron357]

I’ve taken the “plunge” and enrolled in a 2 year Dipolma course. I’m very excited to finally follow a childhood dream. I still have the gem books I asked for as birthday presents when I was 7 years old, 50 years ago!!!
True, I have decades of experience and knowledge (and a ton of gems in jewellery ha ha) from my own research and interest but this will be “formal”.
Very exciting. I’ve got to get a new laptop and I am desperate to buy a microscope. My passion and fascination is the natural inclusions in natural gems. I will be “extra fun” around the dinner table / social events as I will soon babble with “new found authority”. I’ve even landed myself a casual part time job (I’m retired now from my boring finance career) with a small auction house. I’ve helped them out in the past as they have no “jewellery or gemstone” person on staff (staff is like 3 people - Mr, Mrs and a man who can carry heavy stuff!).
Woo hoo.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

This sounds great! Congrats! Please keeo posting about this, I'm interested to hear details of the course!

 

[pwsg07]

I am looking for a cheap microscope.

 

[stracci2000]

I am so jealous!
Bron, you sound just like me! I've been obsessed with jewelry since the age of 7.
I did a school project on birthstones in the 6th grade.
I would love to take a course, too, but I am still many years from retirement.
If I am seated next to you at dinner, we could babble together about gems!
Yay for you!!!!

 

[Missy]

Good for you! Yay and enjoy and all the best!!!

• 

 

[marymm]

How exciting! And, please please continue to post about this new endeavor - I know I'm fascinated! Gemmology is also something I'd love to study.

 

[Sunstorm]

Congrats but I have to warn you that this is very dangerous, even worse than just being on PS if that is not enough. All the time you will be tempted to buy and I do. If I was selling anything else, when I was college for example I got sick of shopping, well, not when it comes to diamonds. I only see more and fall in love with more.

My being in the trade started as a childhood passion too and taking GIA courses while I was attending Uni then working for two years in a jewelry store. Later in my thirties I got so sick of law that I took the plunge, quit my job and took a couple more years of training in the field. Well, the rest is history and now I am a "freak", a serious addict spending a lot of my time reading PS, louping inclusions and of course other fun stuff with clients, diamonds and designing.

Strangely most my friends still think I am pretty normal, they just eventually all get bitten by the bug. Be careful, it is a serious virus.

 

[junebug17]

Wow this is very exciting Bron! I'm sure you are going to really enjoy this adventure, given your life-long love of gemstones - how great you are pursuing something you are so passionate about. And such a great way to stay active and engaged during retirement, I've been reading that's a really healthy thing to do!

 

[tyty333]

Good luck!!! Have fun with it!

 

[cflutist]

Good luck and have fun.
From 1986 through 1989 I completed the GIA Gemologist program via their Distance Education department simply because I wanted to learn more about gems. I figure that if I read Consumer Reports to research and buy a washing machine that it would be beneficial to learn more about gems.
The program then consisted of courses in Diamonds, Diamond Grading where they mailed you actual stones to practice on, Colored Stones, Colored Stones Grading, and Gem Identification again where they mailed stones to practice on. The Gem ID final was a 20 stone challenge, misidentify one and you fail (I passed on the first try). Then there was a comprehensive final covering all 5 courses to earn your Gemologist (GIA) Diploma. To earn my GG (Graduate Gemologist) Diploma I would have to go back and take 3 lab courses. Never did that and never worked in the trade, retired 7 years ago as VP Software Engineering instead.

Now there is a wealth of information on the Internet on sites such as PS.

 

[LJsapphire]

This is exciting, is it a full time or part time course? Or distance learning?

You can probably pick up a used microscope, ex school or college. Depending on how powerful you need it to be.

 

[redwood66]

Very exciting indeed! Our minds should always be active and doing something you have a passion for when you have the time to enjoy is extra special.

 

[mrs-b]

Awesome.

Is this course external, or do you need to attend classes? I am SO jealous and just started a thread on something similar!

Good luck, Bron - and pls report back with progress updates!

 

[bright ice]

Congrats, that sounds like fun!

 

[Queenie60]

Good for you - pursue your passion.

 

[Bron357]

It’s a 3 hour practical class weekly plus the theory you do in your own time (about another 5 hours or so).

 

[dkata]

You are so lucky! A few years ago I have thought about to make the 2 year gemologist diploma, but unfortunately in my country they only have day courses from 8-14 o’clock every day two years long. It wasn’t an option for me with runnning 2 companies with my husband together and having a toddler. I really hope, that someday we have also a similar class, what I can attend.