Press Releases

GIA to Offer $2 Million in Scholarships for 2017

Published

7 years ago

August 3, 2016

INSTORE Staff

(Press Release)
GIA has begun accepting scholarship applications for its 2017 Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing Arts programs, courses and lab classes. GIA scholarships, which total $2 million for 2017, align with the institute’s goals of providing quality education in gemology and jewelry to the trade and aspiring professionals. Applications for the current scholarship cycle are available through Sept. 30 at GIA.edu/scholarships.

Since 2013, GIA has awarded more than $5.5 million in scholarships to nearly 1,150 students. Funded by the GIA endowment fund and several private donors, the scholarships supplement GIA’s wider scope of offerings.

Scholarships are available for distance education eLearning courses and for classes at the Institute’s campuses in Bangkok, Carlsbad, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Taiwan; and at the GIA branches in Botswana and Dubai.

For more information, call (760) 603-4131 or email scholarship@gia.edu.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”