Advanced Gemology Course

[iwakasu]

Hi,

I'm now in a li'l bit nervous that SSEF has been cancelled their Scientific Gemology Course scheduled in 2013 to next year.

Can you suggest other institutions which provides such course? Actually I want to get to know to using several scientific equipment such as FTIR, EDXRF, UV-VIS NIR and Raman.

Thanks

[energyos]

I also would be interested in such course.

[QuantumStuff]

Depends whether you want to learn the theory or just how to operate the machine. Typically all those techniques are taught at the graduate level at most any science/engineering university. If you had to pick a particular discipline, Materials Science would be a good start. I have seen summer workshops that do teach basic theory (University of Washington). If you are just interested in learning how to operate the machine, again, a lot of universities allow industrial folks to use their equipment once you have been trained. Its not free, of course, but when a SEM/EDX is $150,000...$150/hour doesn't sound too bad.

If you're stuck in a small town/city, your best bet is to start digging online. Raman systems can be scratch built for a fraction of what it would cost to buy...same with UV-VIS.