London: The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), part of De Beers Group, yesterday announced it will launch two of its diamond education courses in Simplified Chinese, helping students in one of the largest and fastest growing markets for diamond jewellery to enhance their knowledge of the industry.
The online Diamond Foundation Course, which was launched last year and is the industry’s first to cover the full diamond pipeline, will be available in Simplified Chinese from 1 March, with the Polished Diamond Grading Course to be translated later this year.
The courses have been designed to support flexible learning that minimises the impact on students’ daily lives and allows for personalisation of the learning experience. The Diamond Foundation Course is a completely online course, while the Polished Diamond Grading Course is a two-part course that involves distant learning via textbooks and online testing in the first instance, followed by a one week lab-based element.
Both courses will be available to those already involved in the diamond industry – whether at the retail level or other stages of the value chain – as well as anyone wishing to further their knowledge of diamonds and the diamond industry in general.
Jodine Perrin, Director of Education, IIDGR, said, “We’ve seen a lot of interest in our education services since they were launched last year, so translating these courses into Simplified Chinese was a logical next step to expand our offering. We see great potential for flexible and fully comprehensive education courses for those already working in the diamond industry in China, or who may wish to in the future.”
Jonathan Kendall, President, IIDGR, said: “Providing high-quality learning experiences, backed by the unrivalled diamond knowledge and expertise of De Beers Group, is an important priority for IIDGR and we are delighted to be launching our education services to a new audience in one of the world’s largest consumer markets for diamonds.”