Gem & Jewelry Courses in New York

With a vibrant Diamond District and prestigious organizations leaving their mark on the city, access to world-renowned education, networking, and opportunities on the bench are available to those looking to pursue a gem and jewelry career in NYC.  If you’re in New York looking to start and/or continue your education in gemology or are looking to find out more, below are just a few places where you can find quality education, resources, and support (with some great online options, too).

GIA  

GIA is a public benefit, nonprofit institute that offers a plethora of educational and research services. In the 1940’s they coined the “4c’s,” cut, clarity, color, and carat weight, as well as the International Diamond Grading System, which is still used today worldwide. GIA offers courses all around the world and virtually. In New York, you’ll get to study in the heart of the Diamond District, with direct access to all that New York, at their beautiful 47th Street campus. You can expect to see programs in gemology, jewelry design, and CAD and more. Learn more about these programs on the GIA Website: https://www.gia.edu/school#gemology

L’ECOLE School of Jewelry Arts

L’ECOLE was founded in 2012 with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels. Although relatively new, they have made a name for themselves, offering a wide array of programs, talks, publications, and exhibitions. The programs offered focus on three main ideals: savior-faire, the history of jewelry, and the universe of gemstones. The school is based in Paris, France, and offers traveling programs in New York. Currently, there are two talks that you can sign up for, and they’re both free! Learn more about their courses here: https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/fr/en

Sotheby’s Institue of Art

Founded in 1969, Sotheby’s offers educational programs for professionals, graduate students, and others. Their programs discuss art history, the global art economy, business skills, etc. All of their courses are offered in London, New York, and online. You can learn more about their New York programs here:  https://www.sothebysinstitute.com/new-york/

Christie’s Education: New York

Christie’s Education originated in London before expanding to New York in 1993. They’re located in the Rockefeller Center, with access to the best experiences New York has to offer. What makes Christie’s Education unique is that it’s fully owned by Christie’s Auction House,  allowing students the chance to meet and mingle with professionals in the art world, gaining hands-on experience. Their courses, offered both in person and virtually, dive into the art world, focusing on the skills necessary to enter the global marketplace, modern and contemporary art connoisseurship, appraisal, and more. Learn more here: https://education.christies.com/online/courses/continuing-education/online-courses/view-online-courses

92nd Street Y, New York

92NY is a world-class cultural and community center that has been active for over 140 years. 92Y builds and maintains relationships with people from all, connecting them through the arts, entertainment, and conversation. Offering a range of classes across many disciplines, including many jewelry classes, they host courses for all levels, beginner to advanced, including goldsmithing, enameling, hinges, beading and more. As they’ve stated on their website, there truly is no other place like 92NY. You can find out more about them here: https://www.92ny.org/classes?100_Classes=Jewelry

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain

Based in the United Kingdom, Gem-A provides gemological education in seven different languages in 26 different countries around the world, including online. They are the OG–the longest-established gem educator in the world. For those in New York open to distance learning, you can learn more about GEM-A courses on their website: https://gem-a.com/education/study-online

Fashion Institute of Technology

One of the top institutions in the country for fashion, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has been leading education in the subject since its founding in 1944. Connecting students to the top movers and shakers in the field, FIT features nearly 50 majors in various fields of fashion, and has an outstanding jewelry design program.  To learn more about all of the courses offered and the opportunities available, visit https://www.fitnyc.edu

BenloloNY

BenloloNY offers semi-private jewelry design classes alongside a private jeweler. Operating on a full-year, Monday through Friday schedule, BenloloNY offers small class sizes, with each class having between four to six students. With courses available in jewelry design and gold and metal fabrication, this institution is a great place to gain bench experience in a small group setting. Learn more about the offered courses at https://benlolony.com/classes-and-tuition/

The Arts Center of New York 

The Arts Center of New York offers crash courses that last anywhere between one day and one week, and on certain dates in the year. The courses offered at the Arts Center of New York have to do with fusing and creating materials, including a bench jewelers comprehensive course, and forged jewelry workshops. Learn more about the courses they offer at https://www.artscenteronline.org/jewelry/

Flourish and Thrive Academy

For up-and-coming designers looking for business skills to support their growing jewelry ccompanies, Flourish and Thrive Academy is a great option. With an extensive catalog of courses available online, it allows for learning from the comfort of your home. Offering courses in “How to Start a Jewelry Brand”, as well as “Website Building” and “Fast Cash Strategies”, Flourish and Thrive Academy is a great place to learn about the business end of jewelry. To learn more about their program visit http://flourishthriveacademy.com

De Beers Institute of Diamonds

As the world’s leading diamond company for over a century, De Beers has a unique position in the world of diamonds through our involvement in every stage of the diamond pipeline, from exploration and mining to one’s purchase of diamond jewelry. With this expertise, De Beers offers a range of courses designed to meet the needs of all types of students – from industry newcomers to veterans seeking more specialist knowledge in particular areas. Starting with our foundation course and advancing to polished grading, synthetic diamond detection, and a range of specialist deep dive insights, De Beers Institute of Diamonds has all your education needs covered. Check out their online courses here https://www.diamondeducation.debeers.com/en-GB/home