Connect with GIA in Las Vegas

CARLSBAD, Calif. – May 26, 2009 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is offering a wide array of specials during the JCK Show in Las Vegas. Attendees can learn about the Institute’s eLearning program, register with the international GIA Alumni Association network, get career advice from industry leaders at the Institute’s Mini Jewelry Career Fair, and take advantage of great JCK show specials in Education, Gems & Gemology and Instruments. There is something for everyone.

Visit the GIA booths at the Couture Show May 28 to June 2 (Booth 115-A, Lafite Ballroom, Wynn Las Vegas Hotel) and the JCK Show May 30 to June 2 (Booth 12027, Sands Expo Convention Center) to find out more.

GIA “Mini” Jewelry Career Fair
The GIA Mini Jewelry Career Fair, sponsored by JCK Events, will be held on Sunday, May 31. The event takes place at the Venetian Conference Center in Zeno Room 4702. The event is free and open to all with no advance registration or show badge required.

The Opening Session takes place from 10-11 a.m., followed by coaching sessions through 1:15 p.m. The doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for Career Coaching sign-ups.

Industry notables from Lux Bond & Green, John Hardy International, Honora, Mercury Ring Corporation and GIA will offer tips in a special “Job Success in Today's Market” panel discussion. Business leaders will also be on hand to provide one-on-one career coaching sessions.

For more details, visit www.gia.edu/careerfair/.

Free GIA Retailer Support Kit
Confidently educate your customers about the Four Cs and the GIA International Diamond Grading SystemTM with the free GIA Retailer Support Kit. The kit includes handy and effective in-store displays and other materials designed to help you tell the Four Cs story and let your customers know you carry diamonds graded by GIA. Stop by the GIA booth to view the standard Retailer Support Kit ($97 value), as well as the new Mini Retailer Support Kit ($60 value). Shipping and handling is extra.

GIA Alumni Association
Add your name to the rapidly growing, international GIA Alumni Association. You’ll receive a membership card, window decal and business card holder for your counter. You can also take advantage of GIA’s continuing education programs and other member-only benefits such as receiving the alum.connect and GIA Insider e-publications. Best of all, you’ll gain access to a dynamic community through GIA’s online alumni portal, where you can post your profile in the online directory. Membership is free, and you can register right at the GIA booth.

GIA’s New eLearning Program
Now more than ever, a solid foundation of knowledge and skills is increasingly valuable. And there’s no better place to become trained and educated across every aspect of the jewelry industry than with the world’s foremost authority in gemology.

You can complete the GIA Diamonds & Diamond Grading course or earn your GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional diploma entirely online through eLearning. Designed by top gem and jewelry professionals, our eLearning videos, animation, podcasts and slideshows offer a real breakthrough in the way you learn about gems and jewelry. Come by the GIA booth for a free demo.

Enroll with a Friend and Save up to $200 per Lab Class
Friends who learn together save together. Enroll in select Diamond Grading, Colored Stone Grading or Gem Identification Lab classes at a GIA regional center in Chicago or Dallas and we’ll take $200 off – for each of you.

You must enroll before June 30 for classes scheduled through Aug. 31. You can enroll at the GIA booth. Visit www.gia.edu for complete details.

“My Laboratory” Brings the GIA Lab to You – Wherever You Are
You and your staff can manage your GIA Laboratory account from anywhere in the world, without waiting in line or on the phone, using GIA’s secure My Laboratory portal. You can check the status of an order, request PDFs of your GIA reports and much more – anywhere you have an Internet connection. If you still need to phone, your Gemological Services Representative will be available to answer your questions.

Stop by the GIA booth to see a demo of My Laboratory. Sign up for My Laboratory at the JCK show and you’ll get a free USB optical mini-mouse with the GIA logo. It plugs right into your laptop – the perfect tool for navigating My Laboratory.

To learn more about GIA reports and services, call (800) 421-7250. Outside the U.S., call (760) 603-4500.

Subscribe to G&G and Get a Free Issue
Gems & Gemology, GIA's award-winning quarterly journal, has been the most trusted source for the latest information on diamonds and colored stones for 75 years. Visit the GIA booth and subscribe to Gems & Gemology (or renew your subscription) and we'll give you a free copy of the Spring 2009 issue. Gems & Gemology is now available in electronic (PDF) format, so be sure to ask one of our staff about our new online subscriptions. You can also order the complete Gems & Gemology in Review collection: Synthetic Diamonds, Colored Diamonds and Treated Diamonds – for only $150 (plus shipping). That's a $20 savings when you order all three.

Save on GIA Instruments
Find great deals on microscopes and accessories available only at the GIA booth.

See a demonstration of the easy-to-use GIA FacetScanTM optical scanner. FacetScan measures diamonds, accesses the GIA Facetware® Cut Estimator Database for an estimated GIA Cut Grade for round brilliants, and much more – the perfect selling tool for the savvy retailer. You can save $995 with the show special price of $7,295.

Find out more about GIA’s “Student Instruments Package.” Developed with our Distance Education students in mind, this package includes the instruments you need for gem identification and ongoing technical skills development – the perfect tools for starting a new business. At the special price of $2,112, you’ll save $289.

GIA’s DLScope Trinocular and color video camera package will revolutionize your sales presentations with digital video images. The GIA DLScope Trinocular helps you easily make compelling digital sales presentations. The Video Camera Adaptor – a must-have for this video package – retails for $195. The CCD Color Digital Video Camera, compact and lightweight, retails for $1,595. The show special for the complete package is $5,895, a savings of $890.