GIA Accepting Fall 2012 Scholarship Applications

GIA Accepting Fall 2012 Scholarship Applications

Richard T. Liddicoat scholarship winners announced

CARLSBAD, Calif. – March 1, 2012 – GIA (Gemological Institute of America) will accept scholarship applications for the remainder of 2012, downloadable on its website, beginning March 1 through April 30. Scholarship recipients are eligible to participate in laboratory classes in the U.S., a variety of eLearning courses worldwide and the Institute’s campuses in Hong Kong, London, the Middle East and Taiwan.  

A number of $1,500 awards for eLearning courses and $1,295 awards for U.S.-based lab classes are available. The scholarships, sponsored by private donors and the GIA endowment fund, supplement GIA’s wider scope of offerings. 

“As part of our mission to provide education in gems and jewelry, we believe it’s instrumental to make opportunities available to those that require a financial boost,” said Bev Hori, vice president and chief learning officer of GIA. “The Institute has educated more than 300,000 professionals worldwide, and we look forward to growing this number.” 

Richard T. Liddicoat 2012 Scholarship Winners

GIA recently announced the 2012 Richard T. Liddicoat (RTL) Scholarship recipients: Soha Javaherian of Madison, Wis., and Casey Sharpe of Los Angeles, Calif. The RTL Scholarship awards two full scholarships for the Graduate Gemologist program each year.

Javaherian, recipient of the on-campus scholarship, graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His grandfather is an eighth generation jeweler in Tehran, Iran, and he plans to share in his long family history by using his GIA education to immerse himself in the industry.

Sharpe, recipient of the distance education scholarship, is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Currently working as a jewelry designer, Sharpe will continue in this role as she pursues her gemological education to enhance her gemstone knowledge.

The RTL Scholarship program was created by the GIA Alumni Association in 2003 to honor Liddicoat, the Institute’s former longtime president and chairman.

The second GIA scholarship application period is June 15 through Oct. 30. For more information, call (760) 603-4131 or emailscholarship@gia.edu.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu.