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By Emily Stegman
GIA Education has updated its Accredited Jewelry Professional Diploma Program (A.J.P.) and made it more affordable. The three-course program – composed of Jewelry Essentials, Diamond Essentials and Colored Stone Essentials – is offered for $395. Taken individually, Jewelry Essentials is priced at $125, Diamond Essentials at $130 and Colored Stone Essentials at $140.
The A.J.P. program, designed to give students confidence in their product knowledge and sales approach, includes updates that will help graduates sell diamonds, colored stones and jewelry more effectively.
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Get Inside GIA Education with iTunes
1. If you haven't already, download and install iTunes 7.0 on your home computer. It's free from Apple's Web site: www.apple.com/itunes.
2. Select "Music Store," then "Podcasts."
3. Type "Inside GIA" in the search bar and click the GIA logo that appears below.
4. Click "Subscribe" and you'll have access to all of GIA's educational podcasts on jewelry trends and industry news.
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One crucial update, according to Director of Education Operations Bill Herberts, is the addition of a supplement on GIA's Diamond Cut Grading System to the Diamond Essentials coursework. Understanding the key components of a diamond's cut – brightness, fire, scintillation, weight ratio, durability and finish – can help jewelry professionals serve customers with better knowledge and clear terminology, he said.
"Learning about each individual component of a diamond's cut gives graduates the ability to explain how all of those features work together to create an appealing diamond. They can talk about the benefits of a well-cut stone in a retail environment more concretely – and in a way that makes sense to the customer," Herberts said.
"It's practical knowledge that every professional can use, and practical knowledge is what the A.J.P. courses are all about."
An updated Jewelry Essentials will debut in Spring 2007. The course material will feature the most revisions, including an additional section on watches and the introduction of podcasts about jewelry trends.
"These podcasts are not required, but they're a great way to supplement the material students are learning in this course," said Patrick Ball, director of Education Training. "Anyone can download these segments and benefit from their content because it applies to the entire industry and isn't limited to the Jewelry Essentials coursework."
GIA podcasts – in this case, three to five minute audio segments – can be downloaded by visiting iTunes Music Store online (see installation guide, right). Ball said future podcasts will come in a variety of formats, including videos, slideshows and presentations similar to PowerPoint lessons.
Vice President of Education Brook Ellis said these revisions are in line with the Institute's efforts to keep coursework current and relevant to the latest developments in the trade.
"It's our policy to make continual improvements to all of our coursework with each reprint. I think we've taken it a step further with the addition of podcasts, which give the coursework an interactive component and help students stay even more connected to what's happening in the industry," Ellis said.
Ellis said he hopes the reduced prices, together with more flexible payment plans, will allow a greater number of future industry professionals to attend GIA and benefit from its formalized education and training.
"We want these programs to be available to anyone who has the interest and the commitment," he said. "We also want students to receive quality education when they study at GIA, which is why we will continue to update our course materials and offer any assistance we can."
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