This program was developed for the professional gemmologist in mind. See course outline or View/Download program brochure 
404k (Acrobat Reader or plug-in needed (right-click for direct View/Download to your computer).
The Diamond Grading component develops practical skills in diamond grading covering the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and harmonized European (CIBJO) grading systems. Courses GEM 130 and GEM 210 have to be completed to earn the "DIAMOND EXPERT (C.I.G.)" certificate; it will be awarded for a period of eight (8) years. After expiry an upgrade course must be taken to maintain the high level of competence required in this field.
(Theoretical and Practical Grading Course)
In ten (10) assignments you learn the basic knowledge to buy, sell and evaluate diamonds effectively. In five (5) practical sessions you grade diamonds for clarity, colour and cut (according to GIA and European grading standards) including performance and device based approaches such as AGS (American Gem Society) ASET, Hearts & Arrows (Ideal Scope), Cut Advisor and others. Special procedures for assessing the quality of mounted diamonds will be shown.
Fee: $ 995 includes home study lessons (must be completed prior to practical class), grading projects with actual diamonds, study materials and exam fee (no HST) but does not include the textbook "Diamond Grading ABC: Handbook of Diamond Grading" by Pagel Theisen, 2007 (price $ 80) Click here to see course materials
Course Type: Combination of correspondence and evening course or completion during one-week practical classes in major cities. DIAMOND GRADING certificate after written and practical exam.
Prerequisite: Course GEM 130
Course Content: 1. Introduction to Diamond Grading 2. Determination of Colour Grades 3. Clarity Nomenclature and Grading 4. Cut and Proportions 5. Evaluation of Colour, Clarity and Cut 6. Diamond Grading Procedure 7. Representation of external and internal features 8. Practical Grading of Clarity, Colour and Cut 9.Proportionscope and Fancy Cuts 10. Grading Tools, Recutting, Diamond Imitations, HPHT Treatments, Synthetic Diamonds
View/Download course outline 340k (Acrobat Reader or plug-in needed (right-click for direct View/Download to your computer)
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This comprehensive correspondence course reviews the aspects of theoretical and descriptive gemmology and contains 18 lessons with multiple-choice and essay-type questionnaires. It is the prerequisite for course 250 Gem Identification II (Advanced) and also provides the scientific background necessary for the advanced gem identification class.
Fee: $ 595 includes all study materials and exam fee (for "Gemmologist" designation completion of GEM 230 required).
Course Type: Correspondence only.
Prerequisite: Fine Jewellery Expert (C.I.G.) and GEM 210
Yes, I want to register in this correspondence course
In the correspondence part of this course appraisers, buyers and sellers of colour gems will learn what causes colour in gemstones and how to describe and evaluate them. In the practical class several commercially available colour grading systems will be used. Course topics include: the four C's of coloured gems, the theory of light and colour, quality factors in emerald, ruby, sapphire and other gems.
C.I.G. Gem Colour Grading Projects
Fee: $ 595 includes 10 correspondence lessons, practical grading project(available as home-study kit), colour charts, appraisal guide-lines and the required text: The Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Buying Guide. Colour vision test provided.
Course Type: Correspondence Course. COLOUR GEM GRADING certificate after written and practical exam.
Prerequisite: Fine Jewellery Expert (C.I.G.), GEM 210 and 220
Yes, I want to register in this correspondence course
In this course students will learn state-of-the-art techniques including immersionscope, konoscope, video-spectroscopy, etc. designed to identify confidently any gemstone encountered in the industry. Between 100 and 120 challenging gems including the most recent synthetics are available for testing.
Here a brief list of man-made gems in our study collection: Chatham, Kashan, Ramaura, Knischka,Lechleitner, Regency, Biron, Douros, Lenix, Gilson, Tairus rubies, sapphires, emeralds, alexandrite, opal and many others. Gem enhancement techniques such as heat-alteration, surface colour diffusion, irradiation and glass filled cavities are studied.
Hands-on exercises with our portable Ocean Optics USB2000 (200 - 850 nm) for UV emission studies and our new in-house developed GL Spectrometer (to be launched June 2010). We use SpectraSuite, the first modular, OS-independent spectroscopy software platform running on Windows, Linux and MacOS based computers and our own customized software. Practising gemmologists may use this lab class to up-grade their skills.
Fee: $ 995 ($ 200 exam fee for A.G. diploma not included); comprehensive study guide, Gemstone Inclusion Library, use of lab equipment and study stones. Recommended optional text: Handbook of Gem Identification by Liddicoat (12th ed.)
Course Type: Four-day week-end seminars, one-week practical class in major cities. Certificate after written and practical exam.
Prerequisite: "Gemmologist" certificate or similar gemmological qualification.
Yes, I want to register in this course
The Canadian Institute of Gemmology is offering a self-guided study program for students who have completed a gemmology program with another institution.
Upon successful completion of the AG-PDP graduates are entitled to use the international recognized professional Accredited Gemmologist (C.I.G.)® designation - a registered certification mark.
Entrance requirement: "Fine Jewellery Expert (C.I.G.)", F.G.A. or equivalent from other international institutions; foreign candidates may apply but must enter Canada under a visitor's visa (no student visas available). If credentials were obtained before 2001 a practical entrance test must be passed.
Course credits required: all GEM 200-level courses such as GEM 210 Diamond Grading, GEM 220 Advanced Gemmology, GEM 230 Gem Colour Grading, GEM 250 Gem Identification II; for more info go to Advanced (GEM 200-level) Courses.
GEM 250 Gem Identification II: For this course it is recommended that students have basic gem equipment at their disposal to complete individual projects at home or at their work place; students will also learn the use of UV- VIS - NIR spectrometers. There will be a four-day practical workshop at the end of the program; the last day will be exam-day for both written and practical exam.
To obtain certification as an "Accredited Gemmologist (C.I.G.)®" a scientific paper has to be submitted within 6 months of completion of the A.G. (C.I.G.) diploma program. See course outline or View/Download program brochure 404k (Acrobat Reader or plug-in needed (right-click for direct View/Download to your computer).
We are presently working on our new USB portable GL Gem Spectrometer™ (GLGemSpec 300 - 1000 nm FWHM <1.00 nm) with customized software.
The prize for a basic setup including fiber probe, GL Tungsten Halogen Light Source (GLHalogen 10W) and soft-ware will be under $ 1,800. See for preliminary information with specs and pricing.
The GLGemSpec will also work on the LabView platform (see image); VIs for version 7.1., 8 and 9 have already been developed.
GL Gem Spectrometer with Dell Mini 9" netbook
The instrument will be offered at a discount to A.G. (C.I.G.) graduates and participants in the AG-PDP program; the upgrade GEM 250 course will contain a training module for the broad range GL Gem Spectrometer. We will report about the testing phase in the CIGem News Summer 2010 edition. Read more at Gemlab Research & Technology.
Up until now we have been testing portable OceanOptics spectrometers in the UV-VIS (200 - 1100 nm) and NIR (850 - 2500 nm) range in the following study areas:
In cooperation with The Fox Group Inc. newly developed UV-LEDs are being tested to find and establish more reliable standards for fluorescence testing.
1. Check for coated fancy coloured diamonds (only tungsten carbide inscriber will scratch coatings)
2. Detect magnetism in gems for gem identification (use immersion dish with styrofoam)
Detecting HPHT treated Diamonds 
For more information call the Registrar at (604) 530-8569 or one of our area instructors. If you wish to obtain your certification as an Accredited Gemmologist (C.I.G.)® a grade 12 high school diploma or equivalent is required. Students can start their course work at any time. January and September starting dates are recommended for Vancouver students.
Individual courses and certificate programs must be completed within 12 months; the diploma program is usually completed within 24 months. Students may apply for extensions but may have to pay additional fees for new text-books and study materials. Students with learning disabilities (such as dyslexia) may need a professional tutor and should consult their medical practicioner before registering. View/Download and read carefully our refund policy .
The passing mark for all written exams is 65%, for practical exams 100%; the "Diamond and Fine Gem Expert" certificates require a 80% mark and expire after eight (8) years. All examination fees are included in the tuition. The administrative fee for a second written exam is $ 100 and for a practical exam $ 200. Students may attempt to re-write a failed exam two times after paying the required fee within 6 months (after a waiting period of 1 month). A failed third attempt will lead to the dismissal of the student from the school.
In the Gem Identification I and II (course 150 or 250) class an organic liquid (methylene iodide) saturated with sulphur is being used in conjunction with the refractometer. The school cannot assume any liability for any allergic or medical reactions a student may experience from its use. Please consult your health practicioner.
After completion of all credit courses and submission of a scientific paper the student will receive the internationally recognized ACCREDITED GEMMOLOGIST (C.I.G.)® diploma.
This designation is a registered certification mark (see Industry Canada, Canadian Intellectual Property Office) and requires a user licence for business use. The annual user fee for diploma and C.I.G. Expert certificate holders is presently $100; it includes a membership in the Gem Connoisseur Club. The logo and name "Canadian Institute of Gemmology (C.I.G.)" is a registered trademark; see certificate . The designation "Fine Jewellery Expert (C.I.G.)" and "Diamond Expert (C.I.G.)" are protected certification marks.
The Canadian Institute of Gemmology (C.I.G.) is a nonprofit, post-secondary educational institution incorporated with Letters Patent, dated September 28, 1990 under the Canada Corporations Act.
It has been certified as an educational institute and approved by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRDC) under subparagraphs 118.5(1)(a)(ii) and 118.6(1)(a)(ii) of the Income Tax Act. Accordingly, a student may claim fees paid to the institution for purposes of the tuition, education and textbook tax credits provided that the fees qualify as eligible tuition expenses, the student has attained the age of 16 years before the end of the year, the course can reasonably be regarded as providing or improving skills in an occupation and all other criteria for eligibility have been met. Additional details are also available on the Internet at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca
The Canadian Institute of Gemmology was registered with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) as a Private Career Training Institution from 1983 until 2006. With changes to the PCTIA Bylaws and transformation of our diploma and certificate programs into a course credit system the school was no longer required to maintain full accreditation status and upon request has been deregistered. As a consequence the courses are not eligible for Canada Student Loan requirements. Further we are unable to enrol and assist foreign students who wish to come to Canada on a student visa. Foreign students are welcome to take our courses by correspondence and attend local classes on a visitor's visa. Please contact us at 604-530-8569 for further info.
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