✦ Foundations Track — Course 1
Diamond & Gemstone Fluency for the Sales Floor
Scientific authority and practical counter skills for selling fine jewelry. Master the 4Cs, GIA/AGS report reading, colored gems, precious metals, and mandatory disclosure.
Curriculum Note: Built from the Fine Jewelry Retail Career, Operations, and Competency Framework and GIA/AGS public research standards. Every module focuses on what the client actually sees and connects technical gemology directly to closing rates and client trust.
Terminal Learning Outcomes
- Explain the 4Cs in plain, compelling language and connect each C to visible differences in the showcase.
- Read a GIA or AGS report line-by-line with a client without causing anxiety or confusion.
- Confidently disclose treatments, lab-grown diamonds, and simulants per legal and ethical guidelines.
- Correctly identify the top ten colored gemstones and explain their durability, origin, and care needs.
- Explain precious metal marks, alloys, gold karatage, and platinum hallmarks.
- Answer the fifteen most common high-ticket product questions without having to call a manager.
Course Curriculum (10 Comprehensive Modules)
| # | Module Title | Key Competency | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carat, Cut, Color, Clarity: What the Client Actually Sees | Two-Stone Demonstration | ✅ Published |
| 2 | Reading a GIA Report With a Client (and What Not to Say) | Report Translation | ✅ Published |
| 3 | AGS 0-10 vs. GIA Nomenclature: Translating Between Scales | Scale Translation | ✅ Published |
| 4 | Lab-Grown, Natural, Simulant: The Disclosure Conversation | Origin & Disclosure | ✅ Published |
| 5 | Fluorescence, Inclusions and “Is This a Flaw?” | Objection Reframing | ✅ Published |
| 6 | The Colored Stone Top 10: Sapphire to Tanzanite | Colored Gem Selling | ✅ Published |
| 7 | Pearls: Types, Grading Vocabulary and Care | Pearl Fluency | ✅ Published |
| 8 | Metals, Marks and Alloys: Karats, Purity & Bench Care | Precious Metals | ✅ Published |
| 9 | Treatment and Origin Questions: What You Must Disclose | FTC & Legal Compliance | ✅ Published |
| 10 | Product-Knowledge Drills: A 30-Day Self-Test Capstone | Comprehensive Mastery | ✅ Published |
Who Should Take This Course
New and developing fine jewelry associates, luxury bridal sales specialists, and retail professionals seeking rock-solid gemological authority on the sales floor.