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Industry News From GIA, Arkansas Jewelers Association, Jewelers For Children; More April 27, 2016 (0 comments)

GIA’s Scholarship Application Deadline Is April 30

Carlsbad, CA—The deadline for prospective GIA students to apply for more than 125 scholarships is Saturday, April 30. The scholarships, totaling more than $500,000, can be applied to gemology and jewelry manufacturing arts programs, courses and lab classes. Directions on how to apply online are available here.

Since 2013, GIA has awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships to nearly 1,000 students. Scholarships are funded by the GIA endowment fund and several private donors.  

Scholarships are available for distance education eLearning courses and for classes at the Institute’s campuses in Bangkok, Carlsbad, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Taiwan. Applicants will be considered for all available awards – ranging from $500 to $22,000 – for on-campus and eLearning courses, programs or lab classes.  

 

AJA Names Future Jewelry Designer Competition Winners

Little Rock, AR—The Arkansas Jewelers Association announces the winners of its 2016 AJA Future Jewelry Design Competition. They were: Brady L. Bremer, winner of Category 1, third through eighth grades (design shown top of page); and Ciara Cole, winner of Category 2, ninth through 12th grades. Winners in each category will have their design created into a piece of jewelry by a goldsmith from the Arkansas Jewelers Association. An award ceremony for the winners will be held at the AJA Convention in Little Rock, during the President's Dinner on August 6. The two winning designs and the jewelry pieces will travel in an exhibit around the state of Arkansas and upon the exhibit's completion, the winning designers will receive their pieces.

Ciara Cole was the winner of the ninth through 12th grade category of the Arkansas Jewelers' Association student design competition.

 

Jewelers for Children Announces Partnership with Lavish Jewelry Cleaner

New York, NY--Jewelers for Children has partnered with jewelry cleaner supplier Lavish to create a retailer-based fundraising program to benefit the charity. Lavish is donating a portion of proceeds from sales of the JFC-branded cleaner program directly to the charity. The JFC branded cleaning products are available with the retailer’s logo for free if they order 200 or more units, or a very affordable $0.20 per unit if the order is less than 200 units.  Every opening order will include a JFC branded point-of-purchase countertop display to showcase the product to your customers, and jewelers can opt for the brand's patented foaming cleaner or its traditional jewelry bath.

"Jewelers for Children is doing amazing work, and Lavish is excited to help them continue impacting the lives of children who need it the most. We feel privileged to team up with JFC to offer our industry leading jewelry care products as a way for retail jewelers and designers to participate and reach out beyond the jewelry community," said Larry Rodgers, founder and president of Lavish. "This program will allow jewelers to provide their customers a little extra sparkle for knowing that they're helping to make a difference in the lives of children in need."

For information, contact Jewelers for Children at info@jewelersforchildren.org, or visit the JFC website.

 

Polished Diamonds With IIDGR Grading Reports To Be Listed On Rapnet 

London, UK—Polished diamonds with grading reports from De Beers’ International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR) may now be listed on the RapNet polished diamond trading platform, allowing traders to list, filter, and search for polished diamonds with IIDGR grading reports the site. 

Jonathan Kendall, president of IIDGR, said, “We are pleased to have arrived at this agreement which reflects the growing demand for our innovative, technology-driven grading services.” He encouraged all IIDGR grading customers to begin uploading their polished diamond inventories to the site.

 

CIBJO Launches Course On Social Responsibility

Milan, Italy—WJCEF (World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation), the educational arm of CIBJO, has announced the launch of a six-lesson course on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for jewelry, diamond, colored gemstone, pearls, coral and precious metal professionals, in association with Branded Trust Education of Australia. 

The online course, called "CSR for the Jewellery Professional" was developed by a team of world-recognized experts specifically for the jewelry, gemstone and precious metals industries along their entire supply chains. Graduates who successfully complete its requirements will receive a Level 1 Certificate of Accreditation, issued by WJCEF. 

"Our goal in developing the course is to enable all members of the industry, at the mining, manufacturing, wholesale and retail levels, from management through to sales staff, to obtain a practical understanding of CSR and sustainability, as it applies to the jewelry business today," says Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO and WJCEF President. "To an ever-increasing degree, a jewelry company is expected to ensure that its staff is CSR-educated and proficient. This course is designed to make that possible." 

Students of the course will access each of the six lessons via a dedicated website, where subject matter experts will instruct them on a range of key topics. Every lesson includes a video lecture, downloadable readings that at the end of the course can be compiled into a book on CSR, and links to other relevant readings and websites. 

At the conclusion of each lesson a student will be given a test to gauge his or her understanding of key terms and concepts, and at the end of the course students will be required to submit an essay. A total assessment score of greater than 60% is required before a student will be awarded the WJCEF Certificate of Recognition.

The six lessons are:

• "Practical Definitions of CSR," presented by Professor Michael Segun, Director of CSR Studies at the University of Central Queensland, Australia.
• "Major CSR Issues Affecting the Jewellery Industry," presented by Professor Benedict Sheehy, Professor of Law at the University of Canberra, Australia, and a widely published expert in corporate governance and CSR.
• "The Business Case for CSR," presented by Marcel Kreis, former Chairman and Manager Director, Private Banking, Credit Suisse Asia-Pacific, current Chairman of the Myer Family Company and CEO and Managing Director of Branded Trust Assurance Systems.
• "Tools and Approaches for Implementing CSR," presented by Mr. Miguel Popopa Guerrero, nd environmental and sustainability engineer, recently with the Mexican Chamber of Industry and now with Branded Trust.
• "Making 'Green' Claims and Consumer Protection Law," by Dr. Donald Feaver, former law professor and now the Chief Technology Officer of Branded Trust Assurance Systems, who is an expert in international and transnational regulatory systems.
• "Professional CSR Accreditation," presented by Ms. Maria Stradlund, a sustainability consultant from Stockholm, Sweden.

Initially offered only in English, the cost per student is U.S. $300. For more information and to register, click here.