Julia Griffith FGA DGA EG
I'm Julia, the gemmologist behind The Gem Academy.
Let me tell you a bit about myself...
Hi there!
I'm Julia, the gemmologist behind The Gem Academy. I specialise in teaching jewellery professionals about the most important topic in our trade right now: laboratory-grown diamonds. I have been an educator in the jewellery industry for 10 years and am honoured to train the members of the jewellery trade.
My gemmological journey started in 2010, when I enrolled in the HND Gemmology Diploma course at The School of Jewellery, Birmingham. Here, I fell in love with gemmology under my tutor and mentor Kate Hopley.
I did very well as a student. I won the Gemmology Student Award for the HND Diploma and a Diamond Award, sponsored by Fellows Auctioneers, in 2012. I was honoured to receive The Bruton Medal for exceptional work in the Gem-A Diamond Diploma examinations in 2011. I left The School of Jewellery with two diplomas in Gemmology and one diploma in diamonds. During my studies, I worked part-time at Fellows Auctioneers. Fellows is an incredible place to work and this is where I gained an appreciation for fine jewellery.
Once I left BCU, I worked one year in retail at the best jewellers in my home town, Parkhouse (now known as Laings) before I was invited to work as an intern in the Gem-A library in 2013.
At Gem-A, I was quickly moved to the teaching team as I demonstrated a knack for education - a passion that I've stuck to ever since. I worked as a primary tutor in Gem-A HQ for 4.5 years before I got the itchiest feet to go and travel. Next stop... Australia.
In 2018, I travelled to Australia to go dig for gems. "Fossicking" and collecting gems and minerals is now a keen hobby of mine. I regularly hunt for gems in Cornwall, Devon and Derbyshire.
#treasurehunting
I have a designated Instagram page to showcase the things I find.
Click here to view @gemtripper page.
Lockdown 2020
From March 2020, the World was locked down due to Covid-19. Webinars surged from the gem and jewellery indusrty. I was amongst the earliest providers of these webinars. These were provided in association with Gem-A and perfomed as my former brand jewelleryadvisor. These lectures focused on specialised areas within gemmology. The response from gem-loving peers was incredible! All 400 webinar spaces would book out within an hour or two of the registration opening and dozens of messages expressing appreciation for covering these harder-to-understand topics was received daily. These webinars have collectively had over 150,000 views. You can check out the Gem-A LIVE webinars here. This experience gave me the idea to start my own education platform that offers niche education in gemmology. First topic? Laboratory-grown diamonds. Never has there ever been such an important topic in our trade. I proudly offer the most accessible yet comprehensive education available.
I now run The Gem Academy, which specialises on laboratory-grown diamond education. I have been working on it since November 2020, and I finally feel like things are clicking into place!
I am very proud to offer my teaching to the jewellery industry. The feedback has been overwhelming. I am honoured to lecture at events and conferences worldwide. Thank you for joining me and I hope you enjoy what's on offer at The Gem Academy.
Courses | Workshop | Blog | Podcast | Youtube
Resume
Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A)
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Diploma in Gemmology (FGA), 2012
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Gem Diamond Diploma (DGA), 2011
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Bruton Medal, 2011
School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University
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HND in Gemmology, 2012
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Student of the Year, 2011
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Fellows Diamond Award, 2011
Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF)
Certificate in Advanced Gemmology, 2014
Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA)
CPAA Pearls Specialist, 2017
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
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Jewelry Design Diploma, 2019
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Diamond Practical Certificate, 2017
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Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP), 2020
Federation of European Education in Gemmology (FEEG)
European Graduate (EG), 2015
National Association of Jewellers (NAJ)
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Certificate of Appraisal Theory (CAT), 2014
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JET Professional Jewellers Certificate, 2013
City & Guilds
Level 3 AET Adult Education & Training, 2017
