The Gemological Institute of America will open an education center in Mumbai (Bombay), India on July 14. The Institute has selected Deepak Bagai, who holds a master’s degree in geology and has completed GIA training in diamonds and diamond grading, as director of GIA India.

The new center will be located on the ninth floor at Maker Chambers VI, Nariman Point, in Mumbai’s financial district. It contains two classrooms, each with a 23-student capacity, within its 2,509 sq.-ft. floor plan. Five-day Diamond Grading Extension classes are scheduled to start Aug. 16 and 23. The seven-week Graduate Diamonds diploma program is scheduled for Sept. 16 to Nov. 5. All classes at GIA India will be taught in English.

Bagai, who is also a Ph. D. candidate in geology, has more than 29 years experience as an officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS), most recently serving as additional director general of police and chief of railways and traffic in the Shimla region, in the country’s far northern sector.

GIA has created the Endowment Fund for Education in India, a special campaign designed to support future programs and education initiatives in the country. Two internationally known Indian firms, the Dimexon-Eurostar group of companies, and Rosy Blue N.V., have each donated $1 million to the fund, and have been named Founding Benefactors of GIA India.

GIA India will be the Institute’s 11th international location, and 14th overall. In 2004, GIA India will offer the renowned GIA Graduate Diamonds diploma program, as well as Diamond Grading Extension classes, and the full GIA Distance Education curriculum, including Accredited Jewelry Professional (A.J.P.), Diamonds and Diamond Grading, Colored Stones, and Gem Identification.

GIA India may be contacted by telephone at 91-22-22870844, by fax at 91-22-22870845, or by e-mail at giaindiainfo@gia.edu. Also, visit its Web site at www.giaindia.ac.in.

JCK