Aug 3, 20213 min read

REVIEW: Diamond Types: Explained – Short online course by The Gem Academy

From the basics to the in-depth advanced information on Diamond Types, Julia Griffith FGA DGA EG from The Gem Academy has covered even the questions I could not find in my GIA Diamonds & Diamond Grading course I completed recently.

Being in the jewellery trade, in recent years, we’ve heard a few times about a large Type lla D colour Diamond that has been discovered, and you might wonder, “Why is it called a Type lla Diamond?”

One of the most recent Diamonds was the 102.39 carat Maiko Star Diamond. A Canadian, Type IIa, D Colour, Flawless Oval Diamond was sold at Sotheby’s on 5 October 2020 for the impressive $15.69million. The diamond was sold to a Japanese private collector named the gem ‘Maiko Star’ after his second daughter.

Did you know? – The Cullinan Diamond is a Type IIa, super-deep diamond. The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and presented to King Edward VII in 1907.

What is a super-deep Diamond, you might ask? – Thanks to this course, I now know that it is a Type ll Diamond that forms in or around the Transition zone. Approximately 360-750 kilometres below the surface.

Screenshot from Diamond Types Explained - The Gem Academy

The Gem Academy has broken down the course into six short, informative, and straight-to-the-point bite-sized chunks. Starting with the Basics and then going to more advanced information, all the way to the importance of testing diamond types for detecting synthetic (laboratory-grown) diamonds.

Screenshot from Diamond Types Explained - The Gem Academy

You will find over 20 minutes of videos, a Printable student workbook, mini-quizzes throughout, comment section under each lesson, and to top it all off, you will get a printable certificate to hang up proudly on your wall.

Who can enrol?

Well, anybody with an interest in Diamonds, even if you are just starting your gemmology journey and have no experience in the jewellery industry, It is also particularly good for current gemmology students/those that always found this topic difficult.

Course Duration?

This mini course will take 1-2 hours to complete, but if you are more like me and want to take you time to really soak in all the information 1 week is perfect. I have a very busy schedule with fitting full time work at jewellers, running Gemmology Obsession, painting and networking I managed to finish it in a few weeks. Its really up to you how long you take and that's what I love about this course and The Gem Academy.

Students have lifetime access to The Gem Academy courses so you can come and redo the lessons at any time

What is the best part? It’s only £39.00 + VAT

You also get 30-day money back guarantee for your piece of mind

Opinions?

Where to start? This is the greatest short course I've had the pleasure of studying. Julia has put so much work into it and all the graphics, videos and even the smallest of details are done to perfection. The volume of research done on this niche topic is outstanding and the way The Gem Academy passes the knowledge to it's students is second to none. When someone is passionate about Gemmology it really shows.

I'm really looking forward to what more the Gem Academy will bring on the next niche topic. (Are you interested in learning more about Lab-grown Diamonds and how to tell them apart? check out the link below)