Gemmological institutes are helping to raise the standard of jewellery professionals in the mainland
The demand for industry-focused gemmological training on the mainland has increased because jewellery consumers want an assurance of quality for their purchases and companies want to improve the quality of their staff amid stiff competition.
In China, the majority of diamond jewellery designs sold at retail shops are accompanied by certificates issued by industry-recognised gemmological laboratories staffed by professionally trained gemmologists.
The buoyant market has driven the demand for certificates which consumers consider a guarantee of the quality of their diamonds. Diamonds and gold account for the bulk of jewellery sales in China.
The number of gem labs in China is growing steadily. 'A medium-sized city like Guangzhou [with a population of 12 million] already has around 20 gem labs,' said Dominic Mok, principal of the Asian Gemmological Institute and Laboratory (AGIL) in Hong Kong.
The National Gemstone Testing Centre headquartered in Beijing, China University of Geosciences Gemmological Institute in Wuhan, and universities in Shanghai and Guilin offer gemmology programmes, he said.
These institutes organise courses based on the syllabuses of international gemmological institutes, including the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and the Gemmological Institute of America.
