Introduction to Gemology
Contents
General information on Gemology
What is Gemology
Gemology is the study of gemstones.
What is a Gemologist
A gemologist is someone who studies gemstones.
What are gemstones
Gemstones are minerals, either organic or inorganic in nature. What seperates them from minerals in general is that they are used in jewelry. That is a very thin line of seperation, but usually we take 4 factors in account:
And ofcourse the 5th factor:
All the factors above are very subjective, for instance Amber has very poor durabilty, isn't very rare and in general not highly priced. Yet it is considered to be a gem. On the counterpart most Sapphire has good durability but is very unattractive and cheap. Only a small portion of all Sapphires mined have good color/beauty.
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Becoming a Gemologist
Becoming a gemologist in general means hard work and commitment. A wise teacher once said "You are only permitted to read books related to our trade and a religious book of your choice from now on .. for the rest of your life".
Education
Gem-A
Better known as The Gemmological Association and Gem Testing Laboritory of Great-Britain.
This school is London based with departments worldwide. It offers distance tutoring aswell as through teaching centers.
The primary focus is on indepth theory and the exams are the hardest to take in the industry. A fellowship of Gem-A means esteme.
Estimated cost USD 4,000.00
GIA
Blah blah
Estimated cost USD 20,000.00
AIGS
blah blah
DgemG
blah blah
Estimated cost Euro 5,800.00
FGAA
blah blah
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The Real World
After gaining your gemological diploma the real fun starts. You will know the basics and more importantly you will know how to read the many articles published in various publications.
If you keep up to date and involved, you will be a good gemologist one day.
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