Gem Identification

Course Description

Practise identifying more than 60 species of gemstones, distinguishing natural from laboratory-grown gems and detecting gem treatments. You will carry out testing procedures and techniques on sets of practice stones. Additionally, the course covers how – and when – to use gemmological laboratory services and how to use gem identification skills to protect your business from costly mistakes. Includes the Gem Identification Lab Manual PDF and instructional videos.The final practical exam is open book and proctored; see the Education Catalogue for details.

To complete this course, you must have access to gem tweezers (non-locking), a daylight-equivalent light source (5500k - 6500k), a pinpoint incandescent light source, a gemmological binocular microscope minimum 10x and 30x (darkfield illumination), a gem cloth, a refractometer with removable magnification piece, white light source and polarising filter, refractive index (RI) liquid 1.81, an optic figure sphere, a dichroscope (calcite preferred), a polariscope, diffuser lens and a spectroscope.These instruments are not included with the course.Distance Education students can purchase the Gem Identification Student Package from the GIA Store.As an alternative, you can complete your assignments in a GIA Student Workroom, which is equipped with these professional tools; please refer to the Education Catalogue).

Rl liquid is used on this course.You may need to exercise special precautions if you are pregnant, if you have certain medical conditions, and/or if you have sensitivity or are allergic to this chemical.If you are unsure, contact your doctor for advice.Make sure you read the Student Notification of Classroom Chemical Usage.