In the final days.....

It’s hard to believe the end of this five month journey is in site. All twenty members of class #207 are preparing, imagining, fearing, sweating and feeling a sense of hope they will soon complete this rigorous yet empowering Graduate Gemologist course. In the first several weeks of the course our professor told us stories of well educated people who never completed the course. They were not prepared for how intense the course was, nor were they willing to do the amount of work in a lab setting to complete the requirements for the degree. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has their own level of resilience and desire. If we didn’t know prior to attending the GIA course, we definitely know now how resilient we truly are.

The 20 stone test seemed to be months away, then before I knew it the following Friday would my first attempt at taking the test. The school allows each student five attempts at taking the test because the diagnosis of all 20 stones needs to be 100% accurate in order to pass and receive one’s GG. I have to admit that my track record in getting a 100% on any test in school was rare. Okay, so if we were talking about art, fashion or what jewelry design house created the Macri Collection with hand engraving made in Italy and the most incredible craftsmanship going back to the early 1900’s, I could most certainly tell you it was Buccellati. But, 100% accuracy on determining 20 stones with zero errors… now that is a tall order!It’s not that I am not capable or that I can not apply myself in the way necessary to accomplish the grade. However, some of the information was so complex that I needed to break it down into small chunks so I could retain and review everything. Sometimes it took four times before I could actually retain it. The course moved so rapidly, that at times I felt I was falling behind. On weekends I would study 8 hours on both Saturday and Sunday, while other students were taking trips, playing or attending class bomb fires at the beach. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of playing on the weekends. I knew if I were going to pass the course and obtain the level of education I wanted, I needed to apply myself as I had never done before. I was ready and I did it. Occasionally, I broke away for an early morning hike. Enjoying the amazing area of California helped me focus and prepare for a long day of study.

I found it interesting the reasoning behind the high standard of testing is that GIA is known through out the world as having the best gemological educational facility, laboratory and research department of our time. Their reputation extends far and wide, and they want to protect both the student entering the trade as well as the general public. An error in evaluating a stone for a client or making a large purchase of Columbian emeralds, if not diagnosed correctly can be a costly mistake. The school is preparing their students to enter the trade with the necessary information they will need to succeed. I have come to respect and appreciate this high level of standard. I am very grateful I was able to accomplish it.

The past five months for me was both challenging and rewarding.  I have a better appreciation of the process now that I am on the other side. I passed the 20 stone test with 100% and was thrilled beyond measure. It felt so good to select one by one the small manila envelopes, remove the stone, test the properties and then make my calls. I had a natural ruby, that prior to my GIA education I would have called synthetic because the color was slightly pinkish with a very bright tone, but through my education and knowing what inclusions only appear in natural stones, I was able to call it correctly. Next, I had an opal triplet and at first it could have gone either way synthetic or natural. With my microscope I viewed the play of color and not seeing any snake skin effect or consistent pattern throughout the opal, I knew it had to be natural. I was delighted to get what I thought was an amber stone. Once I put it in the testing solution and it floated, I had confirmation it was a natural organic gem called amber. A beautiful blue sapphire showed up as one of my stones and because it had straight color zoning, I took the RI determining it was sapphire.  Now the call was synthetic or natural and the zoning determined the call being natural sapphire with no treatment call necessary. Another of my stones was a Jadeite and this stone through out the course had made me nervous because sometimes I could see the dye band in the spectroscope and sometimes not. Calling it Jadeite could be an incorrect call if it is dyed. I had done this several times on my practice 20 tests. In this case it showed me a dye band, and all I could think to myself was thank you, thank you, thank you! Calling it dyed Jadeite was the correct call! I felt confident as I finished the test and reviewed my calls and yet not second guessing myself or changing my call too often. Turning the test in I was hopeful yet not overly confident because one minor treatment miss, natural or synthetic, and the fun ones like Scapolite or Amethyst when the properties overlap and additional testing not easy to determine need to be done in order to call it can be the one stone that takes you down.

So, as you can see in reading my blog, gemology is no only a science but also a love of mine. I am elated because I have wanted to get my Graduate Gemologist degree for several years now.  It was a goal of mine. I feel accomplished having obtained the credentials I have always wanted. It feels good! Thank you all for your support as I walked this wonderful journey, yet I have the distinct feeling this is just the beginning of a new and tremendous journey for me. I have an appreciation for colored stones, diamonds and aggregates that is so much more in-depth than when I began the pursuit of my GG and for that I am grateful.

                                   

                                                   Diamond macle with perfectly formed Trigons  

Phenomena Gemstones

       Myself, Elizabeth Ellman, Nina Spano (GIA teacher), Julie Ewer, Sierra Petey Jones & Mengshuan Lin.