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Jewelry Organizations Offer Resources For Both COVID-19 And Continuing Education April 01, 2020 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY—Industry organizations ranging from the Jewelers Vigilance Committee to De Beers are offering a wide-ranging list of resources to help their businesses in multiple ways during the coronavirus pandemic.
For help:
JVC has compiled a robust list of resources for jewelers to use in addressing key business concerns, ranging from human resources issues and unemployment to asking for rent abatement on your lease to insurance questions, scams and fraud, and much more. The page is not intended to serve as individual legal advice, but rather as a guide to find further resources, says Karen Kovach, JVC director of marketing, partnerships, and development. Click here to access it.
Jewelers of America also has a robust resource page here. Click on the links below to see information from:
Free education:
GIA, De Beers and AIGS suggest it’s a good time to pursue continuing education or catch up on reading while your business is on pause.
De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds is providing free access to its online-only Diamond Foundation Course in response to Covid-19. The four-month beginner’s course, normally $250, is being offered free to all employees of key partners and members of trade associations, to allow retailers, designer-makers, sales professionals and business owners to enhance their knowledge and stay focused during these challenging times, says De Beers.
It is delivered via a bespoke digital platform and is designed to provide an interactive and flexible learning experience. No additional resources or reading materials are required, making this a self-contained course that can be completed to suit each participant’s schedule.
The course offers an overview of the entire diamond pipeline, from diamond exploration and rough diamond sorting to jewellery retail and contemporary laboratory-grown diamond detection. It's usually priced at $250 but will be made available It is hoped this will allow
Interested companies should get in touch here: education@debeersgroupinstitute.com
GIA (Gemological Institute of America), meanwhile, has made following digital resources that are freely available to all on GIA.edu:
Start or continue an education in gems and jewelry with an online course https://www.gia.edu/gem-education/distance
Learn about the latest gemological research and new discoveries in Gems & Gemology – GIA’s quarterly journal – including the most recent issue on colored stone origin and every issue, back to 1934 https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology
Read some of the most important books on gemology, minerology, gems and jewelry in the digital collection of rare and historic books from GIA’s Cartier Rare Book Repository and Archives https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/rare-books-project-puts-gem-jewelry-history-reach
Get a young child excited about the study of gemstones with GIA’s GemKids website https://gemkids.gia.edu
Explore GIA’s online Gem Encyclopedia https://www.gia.edu/gem-encyclopedia and check out the new Gems & Gemology Facebook group.
Finally, the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) isorganizing free webinars to entertain and educate gemstone aficionados during the coronavirus lockdown.
Kennedy Ho, AIGS chairman, said, “We are now offering our collective expertise in this webinar programme through a network of recognized gemologists and influencers, to help fight the boredom at home due to COVID-19.”
A series of weekly one-hour webinars will take place during April and beyond while the lockdown continues. The first is an overview of the history of emeralds, and the challenges of determining origins, presented by Lisbon-based gemologist Rui Galopim de Carvalho, a well-known gemologist who has spoken at trade events around the world, such as Vicenzaoro and a number of gemological conferences. He has already given popular “home gemology” webinars during the lockdown, covering topics such as the history of Brazilian diamonds, precious corals and amethyst.
The first webinar will take place April 2, starting at 7 pm Bangkok time (8:00 a.m. Eastern US time), on Thursday April 2. Contact David Brough, davidbrough2@btinternet.com for information about accessing an archived version, or click on this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hej-rm0KTAGNKhEV5SR-uw
