Introduction to Gemology

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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.

etc etc etc

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

etc etc

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.

etc etc

Career Opportunities

As with any profession, it is all up to you what you will become and what your salary will be.

Think of a gemological diploma as if you have finished your first year in college and the payrate according to that when you start out.
You will be qualified to find jobs in gemological laboratories worldwide, be the key figure in the local jewelry store, manager of a tellsell company, start your own gemtrading business, shoveling municipal gardens etc. Anything you set your mind to.

Payrate is according to experience, but a starting wage of USD 20,000.00 sounds fair (depending on locality/age/experience ofcourse).
Best advise is to start networking from the start and seek a new employer every few years so you can gain as much know-how as you can.

etc etc