With the holiday season around the corner, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has reminded us of GIA’s NextGem™, a new way for retail jewelers to train their staff — fast.
The concept is simple: quick, on-demand courses that cover the fundamentals of diamonds. Each lesson takes under an hour to complete and is designed for real-world retail environments where time is limited and product knowledge is essential.
What’s Available Now
The first two courses — The 4Cs of Diamond Quality, and Diamond Basics — are already live. Each includes five short videos and takes roughly 45 minutes to complete. Coming soon are two additional modules: Jewelry Basics and Care & Handling Basics.
By Gary Roskin
Roskin Gem News Report
Training Made Practical
NextGem was built with jewelry store teams in mind. Whether it’s a new hire quickly learning the ropes, or a seasoned associate brushing up on diamond fundamentals, the program offers flexible, self-paced learning that can fit between customers, appointments, or after hours.
It’s a straightforward, practical offering — bringing GIA’s educational material into a modern, easy-to-access format. For many retailers, especially during the holiday rush, a short refresher course on the fundamentals is simply time and money well spent. And as always, a bit more gemological knowledge from GIA is better than none, especially during the holidays.
For details or enrollment information, visit GIA.edu/NextGem.
