Seventeen students from the Los Angeles Branch of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) received their Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diplomas at a ceremony in the Gem & Mineral Hall of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Nov. 13. The graduation marked the largest number of students to earn the prestigious G.G. from this branch since it began offering the diploma one year ago.

“Today we are all proud of your achievements,” said Director of GIA-Los Angeles Veronica Clark-Hudson at the ceremony. “You’re well on your way to the beginning of all sorts of new possibilities. GIA’s Graduate Gemologists are highly prized professionals in the gem and jewelry industry.”

According to GIA Career Services at the Institute’s headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., of the approximately 200 jobs currently listed in the GIA job database, some 76 positions are seeking a G.G. Some of the positions a G.G. typically fulfills are appraiser, diamond or colored stone buyer, jewelry business owner, retail jewelry salesperson, diamond manufacturer, lab and research professional, and auction house jewelry specialist.

JCK