On July 13th, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will host their annual Jewelry Career Fair that provides information for anyone who is interested in learning the tricks of the trade and pursuing a career in the gem and jewelry industry.
Established in 1931, GIA is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. They garnered this title by inventing the famous 4Cs of diamond quality – Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight – and the International Diamond Grading System, in the 1950’s, that is used by majority of jewelers today. With its headquarters in Carlsbad, California — and with a campus here in NYC — the school has earned its reputation of high standards over the years through extensive research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development.
Innovation in the jewelry industry with The Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Intitute of America is now looking towards the future with their innovative computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) courses that will teach prospective jewelers to digitally build pieces that can live up to their client’s wildest imaginations. And for many in the industry, having a peek inside of the customer’s head can open up a world of possibilities.
“That’s always been the challenge in the past,” explains Elizabeth Brehmer, Jewelry Manufacturing Arts technical advisor at GIA. “Before it was just a rough counter sketch to try and grab a concept and then somebody would go to the back and carve a wax to then show to the customer. You would go through three or five iterations to kind of tweak it. Now with visual technology that we teach like visual sketching where you can sketch on a screen or make a 3D model in a short period of time — and actually print a prototype that they can try on — it really connects the customer’s idea with the designer. I think it streamlines the process and allows for higher satisfaction rate with the customers and a better dialogue with the designer.”
The fair will run from 10 am to 2:30 pm with special events for attendees, such as one-on-one career coaching, a panel on “Job Success in Today’s Market”, and recruitment opportunities with nearly 50 companies. As Brehmer sees it — it is an exciting time to enter the jewelry business.
“I’ve been in the industry a long time and I’ve seen a lot of changes,” she says, “but I think that the opportunity for someone to take the tools that are available and much more user-friendly than they used to be — from a design perspective — and to employ those to make a living and to provide jewelry to clients is exciting.”
For more information about the Gemological Institute of America Career Fair, visit gia.edu/career-fair.
