GIA India held the graduation ceremony for the batches of GIA Graduate Diamonds Diploma Program and GIA Graduate Diamonds Diploma Program (Blended) at its Mumbai campus. Vandana M. Jagwani, a GIA Diamonds Graduate and Founder of Vandals - a laboratory-grown diamond jewellery brand, was the chief guest for the event. Also, present at the ceremony were Sriram Natarajan, Managing Director of GIA India and Apoorva Deshingkar, Senior Director – Education and Market Development.
The graduation ceremony was preceded by an interactive session in which Vandana spoke about the latest trends in laboratory-grown diamonds, and the importance of upskilling and research for continued success in the gem and jewellery industry. Vandana congratulated the students on the successful completion of their programmes and said, “It feels good to come back to the GIA campus as an alumni. There is no better place to learn than GIA. GIA know diamonds the best anyone could know. Now in the real world, the direction you take in the industry will be important as there is a lot of scope. I am very proud of the graduating batches. I wish you all the best.”
Addressing the students, Sriram Natarajan said, “GIA education prepares students for their onward journey in the gem and jewellery industry. We have a longstanding history of safeguarding consumers’ confidence in gems and jewellery, and we believe our students will further our mission to ensure public trust in gems and jewellery.”
Apoorva Deshingkar added, “We are proud of all our graduating students. I want to thank Vandana for sharing her key insights on laboratory-grown diamonds. GIA has been studying laboratory-grown diamonds for more than six decades. Since then, we’ve made several breakthroughs in research related to this field. We, at GIA, believe that whether the diamond is natural or laboratory-grown – there needs to be complete transparency and disclosure. We believe that our students will uphold our consumer-protection mission.”
GIA Graduate Diamond Diploma Programme students with their certificates
L-to-R (seated): Apoorva Deshingkar, Senior Director – Education and Market Development, GIA India; Vandana M. Jagwani, GIA Diamonds Graduate and Founder of Vandals and GIA India Instructor
Megh Nalin Vayeda, now a GIA Diamonds Graduate, said, “I was working at my dad’s firm where I felt I needed to learn about diamonds and delve deeper into this subject. I have completed my course successfully and it was way beyond my expectations!”
Abilasha Agarwal, also now a GIA Diamonds Graduate, said, “I am not from the gem and jewellery industry. I came to know about GIA through a family friend. He recommended the GIA Graduate Diamonds Diploma Program (Blended) to me. The course was very helpful as I did not have to sacrifice my travel or studies. The practical part of the course was highly engaging and worked well for me.”