The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) said that from 2020 it will begin offering direct access to some of its educational courses to aspiring gem and jewellery professionals in Shenzhen, China through the Peking University Resource College.

Courses on offer at the college will include GIA’s Jewelry Design, Graduate Diamonds and Blended Graduate Diamonds courses, and lab classes for Diamond Grading, Colored Stone Grading, Gem Identification and Pearl Grading, as well as access to GIA student workrooms.

“As part of our mission to ensure the public trust in gems and jewellery, we are working to make GIA education more accessible to prospective students,” said Duncan Pay, GIA vice president and chief academic officer. “This cooperative program with Peking University Resource College provides students with hands-on experience in one of China’s largest gem and jewellery centres.”

“GIA is a world-renowned institute of gemmology and jewellery. We are very pleased to cooperate with GIA to make contributions to the further integration of China's jewellery education with the world,” said Liu Xiong, Dean of Peking University Resource College Cultural Relic School.