GIA Education Campus Opens in Tokyo

Speaking in Tokyo on Sept. 19 to leading figures of the Japanese gem and jewelry industry, many of them GIA alumni, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) President and CEO Susan Jacques announced the opening of GIA’s Tokyo campus.

“We are thrilled to see the many years of GIA’s commitment and involvement in Japan culminate in the return of GIA education courses in Japanese to this important center of the luxury industry,” said Jacques. “The expansion of our activities with updated educational offerings will help support the dynamic Japanese gem and jewelry industry, and advance GIA’s mission to ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry.”

Beginning in November, the new GIA campus in Tokyo will offer the Diamond Essentials Intensive and Diamond Grading Lab classes in Japanese. The Diamond Essentials and the Diamonds and Diamond Grading eLearning courses will be available in Japanese by early 2018, allowing students in Japan to complete the Graduate Diamonds diploma in Japanese.

GIA plans to add the Graduate Coloured Stones program at a later date so students studying in Japanese can earn their Graduate Gemologist diploma. There will be other specific skills-focused seminars offered to help meet the needs of the industry. All of the Japanese language courses have been reviewed and updated to reflect the latest advancements in gemology.

Jacques recognized several industry leaders attending the gathering, including Ken Fujita, president of the GIA Alumni Association in Japan; Yasukazu Suwa, president of Suwa and Son, Inc. and the first Graduate Gemologist in Japan; and Mrs. Yoshiko Doi, president of the AGT Gem Laboratory.

“I would especially like to acknowledge Mrs. Yoshiko Doi,” said Jacques. “She was instrumental in bringing GIA education to Japan in the early 1970s, and her work on behalf of GIA’s education programs will be remembered and appreciated for years to come.”

Japan was the first country outside of the United States where GIA offered educational courses, beginning more than 40 years ago. The GIA alumni chapter in Japan celebrated its 26th anniversary earlier this year. Building on that strong foundation, the Institute opened gem identification and grading laboratory in Tokyo in December 2012 to help better serve clients in the important Japanese market. In December 2016 the lab added the fully automated GIA Melee Analysis Service to rapidly and accurately screen melee parcels for CVD and HPHT synthetic stones. The Tokyo laboratory has three full-time researchers – all with doctoral degrees – actively involved in advanced research on diamonds, coloured stones and pearls.