C17: The GIA Colored Stones Deep Dive
About Course
Course Overview
Equip yourself with the scientific and market authority required to present five- and six-figure colored gemstones with poise and commercial fluency. This 16-module masterclass bridges rigorous GIA gemology with luxury sales floor execution, covering the Big Three (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald), capstone heritage gems (Pearls and Jade), advanced treatment detection, and geographic origin valuation.
Curriculum Modules
- Module 1: Before the Grader — A Short History of Colored Stones and How to Use GIA’s Research Library
- Module 2: How Colored Stones Form — Geologic Environments: Igneous, Pegmatite, Hydrothermal, Metamorphic, Sedimentary
- Module 3: Finding Them — Mining, Recovery, Traceability, and Field Gemology
- Module 4: Physical Properties — Hardness, Toughness, Cleavage, and Durability on the Counter
- Module 5: Color and Light — How Gems Get Their Color: Transition Metals, Luminescence & Pleochroism
- Module 6: Inclusions & The Micro-World — Reading the Microscopic Fingerprint (Silk, Two/Three-Phase Inclusions)
- Module 7: Cut — Orienting Color, Weight Retention, and Proportions
- Module 8: Synthetics & Simulants — Verneuil, Flux, Hydrothermal, CVD/HPHT, and Assembled Composite Stones
- Module 9: Treatments & Disclosure — Thermal Enhancement, Lattice Diffusion, Resin/Oil, and FTC Compliance
- Module 10: The Colored Stone Market — Global Hubs (Bangkok, Chanthaburi, Jaipur), Auction Pricing, and Margins
- Module 11: Ruby Deep Dive — Pigeon’s Blood, Marble vs. Basalt, and Lead-Glass Filling Disclosure
- Module 12: Blue Sapphire Deep Dive — Velvet, Cornflower, Kashmir, Ceylon, Madagascar, and Basalt Iron Quenching
- Module 13: Fancy Sapphire & Phenomenal Corundum — Padparadscha Standards, Asterism (Stars), and Color Change
- Module 14: Emerald Deep Dive — Black Shale (Muzo/Chivor) vs. Schist (Kagem), Jardin, and the F1/F2/F3 Oil Tier
- Module 15: Pearls Capstone — Nacre, Seven Value Factors, and Cultured Pearl Care
- Module 16: Jade Capstone — Jadeite vs. Nephrite, Type A/B/C Testing, and the Chinese Cultural Market
Course Content
Module 1: Before the Grader — History & Research Skills
-
Module 1: Before the Grader — History & Research Skills — Field Masterclass