By Starla Turner

Starla Turner, G.G., GIA Alumni Executive Council Chair.

I'll attend my third International Gemological Symposium this year. Joining me will be more than a thousand gemologists, appraisers, pearl and colored stone dealers, diamantaires, retailers, mining officials and GIA alumni from all over the world.

Going to Symposium is something of a milestone in your career and education. The breadth of firsthand knowledge you're exposed to is nothing less than astounding.

You've heard me say it before: as alumni, we're often the face of GIA to the public. As such, we have a responsibility to stay informed about changes in the industry and keep our education up-to-date.

Imagine if a customer came into your store and asked about the latest gem treatments, and you could say, "I just came back from a worldwide gemological symposium and heard the very latest on that treatment from the people researching it." Your credibility will increase tenfold, and a solid knowledge of that issue will allow you to explain it to your customers in a passionate and logical way.

Symposium may also be the best vehicle I know of for networking. There are so many opportunities to reunite with old friends and make new ones – I've run into countless alumni from my own days at GIA and have met colleagues in lectures and in line for sushi. Forging relationships at Symposium can open phone lines and doors that were never before accessible – an invaluable benefit for you and your business.

If you weren't planning to attend Symposium, I urge you to register today.* Remember there is something very special about being there – as opposed to reading about it afterward – that can never be replicated.

It will probably become one of your most cherished memories, too.

Starla Turner, G.G.
We Are The Alumni!