De Beers Grading Unit Launches Courses in China

RAPAPORT... The International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research(IIDGR) will launch a series of educational courses in China through apartnership with a local grading organization, it said Tuesday. The De Beers subsidiary will collaborate with the NationalGemstone Testing Center (NGTC) to offer online and laboratory-based courses ondifferent aspects of the trade, including synthetics detection,polished-diamond-grading courses, and an overview of the entire diamondpipeline. The arrangement with NGTC will "make our proprietaryeducation courses more accessible to students in one of the world's mostimportant diamond markets," said IIDGR president Jonathan Kendall. Tutors will teach all the classes in the local language,IIDGR said. The program is set to begin in early 2019. Image: IIDGR grading report. Credit: IIDGR