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 Post subject: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:49 am 
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Hey everyone!!!

So I am working on my GG and have finished Diamond ess, Colored stone Ess and now my colored stones. I am heading to CA to do all three labs in two weeks and my question is, should I go ahead and start the Colored stones ID course next? Or the Diamond grading? I see that Gem ID should take about 24 months???!!!!???!!! I am a Edistance student and wow, that seems like forever. Can anyone give me a better idea about what to expect with both? Is the time frame pretty realistic? 15 months for Diamond grading and 24 months for Gem ID?? I was hoping to be done with all of this in the next 12 months if I worked diligently. Also, do you think it is wise to try and take my 20 stone final while I am in California right after I do the colored stone lab? Or wait and do the edistance class where they send me the 500 stones to practice? Thank you in advance..


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:02 pm 
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There is a big difference between the "Essentials" classes and a GG.

In my opinion, the "Essentials" classes may better qualify one to work as a sales associate in a retail store....but truth be told, even without the "Essentail" classes you would still probably get hired.


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:28 pm 
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Correct. I have my certificates in all the essentials and now colored stones. I am doing all three labs in CA in two weeks. All I will have left after the labs is diamond grading and gem ID. I am wondering if I should take my 20 stone final while I am in CA? Or if I should wait and take it after gem ID? Has anyone taken it right after taking the lab course, Before finishing gem ID? Also, 500 stones to ID for that class, will Gia send more that 10 stones at a time? Just seems like 24 months is a really long time and I am wondering if it actually takes that long? Lol thanks in advance for any help..


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 2:42 am 
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Hi,
I was a distance student, and completed the Colored Stones Essentials and Colored Stones distance ed courses in far less than the time allowed, But, when it came to the Gem ID course, I was much slower, because I really didn't want to move along to the next assignment before I had the feedback from my tutor about the previous one! Assignment are marked strictly in order of receipt, and I found that "turnaround time" varied from two days to two weeks, depending on how busy the tutors were (in the Gem ID course you return the assignments when you are ready; there are no fixed deadlines). So the course work for Gem ID took me a total of about 15 months to complete.

As far as I'm aware, you aren't allowed to take the Gem ID exam until you have completed all the assignments and returned all the stones. If you are outside the USA, they will send the first set of 20 stones in one package, and then the remainder of the stones in another. Bear in mind that you will be responsible for any customs duties: I had to pay sales tax at 25% of the value, even though I wasn't purchasing the stones! Also, you'll want to make sure before you start the Gem ID course that you are aware of the exam requirements and have a plan: I couldn't find a local proctor willing to meet the requirements of GIA (at least, not in English!), and it wasn't worth a plane ticket halfway across the world to California to me to take it.

The Gem ID course itself was great fun though: the the tutors were incredibly helpful. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Your tutors in Carlsbad will probably be able to answer your questions rather better than those of us on the forum :)


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:00 am 
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Excellent response! Thank you so much!!! That makes sense, not being able to take the 20stone final until after completely finishing the assignments. I too worry about finding a proctor for the final, which is I why I considered the option of taking it while I was in CA. I am flying across the country to attend these three lab courses, so want to take full advantage of being on campus while I can, IF I can. LOL

thank you again!!! I am excited to go take the labs and I think I will stick with colored stones and start my gem ID class. They allow you to take another class while you are enrolled in the labs, so I wasn't sure if I should do diamond grading or gem ID next- since I am doing all three labs at once.but I think it makes sense to stay with color after that colored stones class. I did need a proctor for that final, and I wonder if he can also proctor my 20 stone final? Or maybe the requirements change for that test? Anyways, thank you again! Very helpful!!! Have a great day!


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:28 am 
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Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:03 pm
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Location: San Diego
A few things to keep in mind...

You will not be able to take any other classes on campus during the same time as your lab classes as they last all day long. You could enroll into one of the online courses, but this would be no different than if you were at home.

However, if you enroll into the Gem ID class prior to your arrival, you would be permitted to attend the evening student workroom to begin the practical testing of the stones in the course. This is held only during the week of the Gem ID Lab Class (5 days, M-F) in the evenings from 4pm-7pm. I find that students who take the lab class during the day and then 3 hours of workroom afterwards tend to get pretty burned out as it is a long day looking in a microscope, especially if you are unaccustomed to it. However, if this does not scare you off, you can typically complete the first couple of stone sets while you are there with onsite assistance from an instructor (who is extremely helpful :wink: ). Note that unlike the lab class, this is simply a "study hall" type environment with students at all different points in the course completing their coursework.

Regarding the final exam for the Gem ID lab class, this can be proctored by the same person as your colored stones final as the requirements are the same. The only difference is that you would need access to all of the testing equipment, so you would need to ensure that this is possible at your proctor's location. All 19 online assignments and 25 boxes of stones (500 stones total) must be completed and passed prior to being eligible to take the exam.

Regarding international shipments, note that currently all duties/taxes and shipping costs are covered by GIA. The only exception being the return of the first box of stones (which is sent separately from the other 480 stones as mentioned by sparkleross).

If you have additional questions, you can always contact your assigned primary instructor at GIA, the admissions department, or the general distance education extension.

Hope that helps

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Paul Mattlin
Senior Manager, Online Education Division

* My posts are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:35 am 
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Hi Paul,

Just fyi, unless it has changed since December 2013: I was specifically told that, whilst the GIA pays all the outward shipping costs for the stone sets, any customs/import fees were totally my responsibility. I thought I wouldn't have to pay anything, because in the country where I live, there is no import duty on colored stones. The sales tax and admin fees were a surprise! Also, I was required to pay the return shipping for ALL the stones. Since these fees vary from place to place, it's difficult to see how the GIA could include them in the course fees.

I, too, thought that the same person who proctored my Colored Stones exam would be able to proctor my Gem ID exam, but the two exams are rather different: Colored Stones was a maximum of two hours (I was finished in one) and required only access to a computer and the internet. Gem ID is 5 hours, and requires somewhere to set up the Gem ID equipment, which has to be well ventilated because of the RI fluid. Also, we weren't clear whether the proctor would be responsible for the paperwork for importing the exam stone set. When my previous proctor saw the requirements of the Gem ID exam, they weren't able to help me. So, my advice to anyone considering the Gem ID course is to have the proctor lined up, and aware of the length of the exam and space/ventilation/stone import requirements before beginning the course!!


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 Post subject: Re: Working on my GG, what course next? and 20 stone final??
PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 10:22 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:03 pm
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Location: San Diego
Sparkleross -

The policy has changed since the time of your enrollment, the current policies can be found in the course catalog available on the GIA website. GIA now covers the cost of all shipping fees for international shipments both to the student and return, along with any applicable duties and taxes for international shipment (provided that it is possible to ship to the country that the student resides in of course). The only exception being the return shipping of the first set alone as I mentioned above.

Regarding the proctor, let me clarify... The requirements to be a proctor are no different regardless of which course it is for, so someone who was able to proctor a Diamonds and Diamond Grading or Colored Stones final exam would also be eligible to proctor the Gem ID final.

As you mentioned though, this is not something that all proctors would be willing and able to do. The Gem ID final exam requires the use of the testing equipment, so you would either need to be able to take your equipment to the proctor location or arrange to have the proctor come to where you have your equipment set up. Also, as up to 6 hours is permitted to take the exam, this is asking for more of the proctor's time (although many students are able to finish within 2-3 hours). Lastly, it is required that the proctor handle the return of the final exam stone set. All details and documentation for this return are included along with the Proctor Instructions for the exam.

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Paul Mattlin
Senior Manager, Online Education Division

* My posts are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer


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