The gem and jewellery industry is one of the largest contributors to India’s economic growth, employing more than 3.2 million people and accounting for 14 percent of the country’s total merchandise exports during the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Expanding companies are constantly looking for professionals to handle various roles throughout their organisations. Similarly, an increasing number of professionals have realised the industry’s potential and are embarking on building careers in gems and jewellery.
The size of the Indian gems and jewellery market was USD 30.1 billion in 2011 and is expected to be USD 45 billion by 2015 on the back of increasing domestic demand. The country is one of the largest exporters of gems and jewellery and the industry is considered to play a vital role in the Indian economy, as it is a leading foreign exchange earner. The sector is expected to generate up to USD 35 billion of revenue from exports by the year 2015. The countries where demand is increasing for Indian jewellery include the UAE, the US, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Latin America and China.
It is no surprise then that employment opportunities in the gem and jewellery industry of India are increasing manifolds today and many young guns are determined to take the plunge in the industry. With such a large employment force available in India it is necessary to have good gemological institutes here to help give boost to the one and many interested in the gem and jewellery industry’s employment opportunities.
One of the most respected institutes in the world is undoubtedly Gemological Institute of America. Established in 1931, the Gemological Institute of America is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. GIA exists to protect all purchasers of gemstones, by providing the education, laboratory services, research, and instruments needed to accurately and objectively determine gemstone quality. In India too, the institute has fast gripped the market and provides innumerable courses to help the students achieve their dreams.
Nirupa Bhatt, Managing Director, GIA (India & Middle East) shares, “GIA works to ensure consumer confidence in their purchases of gems and jewellery, in part by working with the industry to develop a well-educated and professional workforce. GIA has conducted its Career Fairs in India since 2011. Nearly 2,000 job seekers from both inside and outside the industry have attended these events. In addition to technical jobs in gemology, employers are looking for qualified personnel in business support functions like human resources, marketing, sales, finance and Information Technology. Several career opportunities are available for those with an active interest in the industry. From diamond grading, jewellery design and merchandising to finance, marketing and sales, professionals today have numerous avenues to build their careers.”
Throwing light on the most-sought after job position in the industry she said that based on recruitment trends at GIA’s Career Fairs, nearly every part of the jewellery value chain is looking for qualified professionals. Manufacturers and wholesalers, for instance, are always looking to recruit diamond and gem graders and buyers. They specifically look for graders professionally trained in the 4C’s of diamond quality and understand the anatomy of gemstones. Skilled graders who can identify the potential of diamonds and gemstones early on in the manufacturing process are highly sought after. Retailjewellers are also constantly in search of trained and skilled sales professionals who are able to communicate product quality and value across the counter to customers. Jewellery design – the creative backbone of the gems and jewellery industry – is another field that has several positions open. Design is one of the key differentiating factors that contributes to a jeweller’s success and creates a distinctive brand image. Jewellers today are always on a lookout for qualified and innovative designers who can translate their visions into reality.
Talking about the importance of theoretical training for even the experienced, she says, “GIA’s course offerings are not restricted to the age of the participant. We have noticed a healthy mix of experienced and aspiring jewellery professionals of all ages looking to further their knowledge in the gem and jewellery industry. With rapid expansion and new developments in the industry, even experienced professionals recognize the need to upgrade their skills. Several manufacturers like Kiran Gems and Shree Ram Krishna Exports, and retailers like Tanishq and Hazoorilal send their skilled workers, senior staff and front-line executives through GIA’s courses on relevant topics. From entrepreneurs to jewellery professionals, GIA works to empower the industry through up to date and relevant information in the field.”
GIA understands that every business functions differently, including varying business needs, processes, and scale of operations, market base, employee experience levels and language of instruction. As a result, customised training often delivers better value when working with large groups. GIA invests time with manufacturing and retail companies to create customisedprogrammes. Topics range from basic understanding of gems and sales techniques to gemological advancements.
GIA conducts knowledge seminars and workshops throughout India including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mysore, New Delhi and Surat. Employees of leading companies such as PC Chandra Jewellers, Dharmanandan Diamonds, Venus Gems, ShriRamkrishna Export, C KrishniahChetty and many others have benefitted much from these workshops.
GIA is the world’s foremost authority in gem and jewellery education, grading and research. In India, GIA has a state-of-the-art campus in Mumbai and teaches classes in New Delhi, Jaipur, Surat and Kolkata. The Institute has trained more than 12,000 professionals in India alone. Ranging from gemology and design to sales and merchandising, each course offering has been carefully designed to cater to the gem and jewellery industry.
The Institute’s courses in gemology – Graduate Colored Stones and Graduate Diamonds – feature a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on current advancements including simulants, synthetics and treatments in diamonds, coloured stones and pearls. Students work hands-on with gemstones and gemological equipment, which enables them to gain a holistic knowledge on the subject.
To encourage the creative side of industry professionals, GIA offers an extensive education in jewellery design through its Jewelry Design Certificate programme. With GIA’s jewellery curriculum, students can choose between extensive and shorter-term design and merchandising programmes. For those in jewellery retail, courses include theory and role-playing exercises that enhance the learning experience.
Specifically catering to retail professionals, GIA has courses like the Accredited Jewelry Professional diploma programme and Retail Sales excellence programme that offer training on proven sales techniques, enabling frontline personnel to communicate product quality and value confidently.
These courses are offered in a variety of formats – including diploma programmes, lab classes, skill building seminars, customisedprogrammes for corporates, workshops and distance education courses – which enable students to choose a learning method that suits their lifestyle or preference.
“GIA’s courses are offered in a variety of formats and the price range varies from programme to programme. Laboratory classes and skill building seminars start at around Rs25000 and can go up toRs5, 00,000 for diploma programmes,” shares Bhatt.
Yet another institute that has been doggedly training and building skills of thousands of people in India is the Institute of Gemology (IGI). IGI is the largest organisation of its kind, with offices in Antwerp, New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Cavalese, Toronto, Los Angeles, Kolkata, New Delhi, Thrissur, Surat, Chennai and Shanghai. The IGI School of Gemology operates from Antwerp, Mumbai, Dubai and Cavalese, offering a variety of courses designed for professionals and consumer enthusiasts alike.
Stating the career possibilities in the gem and jewellery industry, Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director, IGI India says, “There are various career possibilities in the gem and jewellery sector of India. For example, jewellery designer is the most widely known facet but a manufacturer, the one who starts his own production house or his line of branded jewellery is also an option.Whereas Bench Jeweller is a professional who specialises in the art of repairing or creating various jewellery products or accessories. Gemologist works at a gem testing laboratory and who grades diamonds; colored stones and fine jewellery are in demand too.Business Development, assortment, store managing and quality control also are good options for jobs in this industry.”
IGI has varied courses for the student community to acquire fascinating degrees such as Graduate Gemologist, Diamond Graduate, Coloured Stone Graduate, Jewellery Design Graduate (Manual & CAD), Rough Diamond Grading. Not restricting just to the students they also have many tailor-made courses for the industry professionals who need a degree or theoretical training. The courses for the industry are: Retail Sales Development, Improvement of Finish (Cut), Polished Diamond Grading, Hearts & arrows, Diamond Assortment, Mounted Jewellery Grading.
It is not uncommon to see that a large number of industry professionals are enrolling in such courses to gain more insight into the field backed with a good experience they already possess. Talking about the expectations of the elderly students, Printer states, “The experienced elderly candidates need to upgrade their existing skills to the International Grading Standards to move to higher positions in the organisation. They also need to learn the grading techniques followed by a laboratory in order to train their existing team. Other than from the trade, there are elderly gem enthusiasts or investors who invest money in diamonds, so need to follow a basic course in order to understand the terminology and to buy correctly.”
“We design tailor made programs for diamond/jewellery manufacturing companies based on their requirements. The instructors spend time with their team; understand their concerns and shortfall, and accordingly design a programme for them. The course can range from one day to a week. The time as well as venue to conduct the course is decided mutually. Most of these programmes are done in the client’s office or his factory with his entire team,” he further adds.
Giving an insight of the future plans of the IGI Printer expresses, “The future plans are to have an IGI school in all major cities of India as well as across the world. We look forward to tie up with more universities and institutions this year. Currently we have schools operating in India in the following cities: Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi & Hyderabad.However, we conduct courses through our mobile doorstep education concept in all other cities and towns of India.”
The first thing that crosses a commoners mind before enrolling in any of the gemological course is that it may be too expensive and out of budget but IGI has broken this myth and offers courses at a very nominal fee. “The minimum fee to enroll in a short term program is Rs 5000 and maximum fee for a Graduate Gemologist course would be Rs 1,50,000,” Printer says.
Another renowned school that has carved a niche for itself in the past years is the Indian Institute of Jewellery (IIJ). We spoke to RenuKapoor, Director, IIJ and found out what she thinks the future holds for the gem and jewellery industry in terms of employment opportunities. “The career opportunities are huge, provided the candidate has the right attributes. We at IIJ receive several requests for personnel on a weekly basis. We not only train the student in the curriculum that is prescribed for the course that he or she has enrolled for, but also give a lot of importance on communication skills, body language and presentation. The most popular requirements from the industry are for the jobs of Merchandisers, Production and Quality Control, CAD and Manual Designers. We at IIJ are extremely proud of our curriculum and believe the methodology of project-based curriculum in manufacturing gives us a special edge,” she professes.
When asked what courses does IIJ offer to meet the rising demand of gem and jewellery industry professionals, she says, “IIJ can proudly boast of meeting all the needs of the gems and jewellery industry. Our most popular programme is the IIJ Professional Programme that we normally refer to as IIJP Programme.Here we follow the method that is followed in the United States of America of first making all students go through the foundation programme after which the student decides the area of specialisation. He / She can choose from Production, Designing or a Masters in Gemology. I personally recommend that any student who wishes to make a career in the jewellery industry must only do the IIJP programme offered by us.We are also proud to share that our teaching facilitates a student to even venture into other ancillary industries and not necessarily confine themselves to the jewellery industry.For instance, one of our student is now a merchandiser to Bombay Store for all their life style products.”
While discussing about the elderly students are keen to get a certificate to back up their vital experience, she shares, “The elderly students are in fact the most dedicated and conscientious students. The faculty however does it make it a point to be more patient with them and take the training at a slightly slower pace as it is an undisputed fact that it does take a reasonable amount of time to acclimatize oneself to become a student once again.”
Once again clearing the misconception that gem and jewellery courses are exorbitant she states, “We have programs with fees ranging from Rs 7,500 to Rs 26,0000.”
Trying to probe into more options of our courses for our readers to enroll, we headed to Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery (IIGJ). The Indian Institute of Gems &Jewellery (IIGJ) is a project of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.IIGJ is a non-profit organization committed to excellence in education. Speaking on the topic of the huge potential of the gem and jewellery as a job creator Col S K Arora, Head of IIGJ (Mumbai) says, “For the next 20-25 years, gem and jewellery section will be a good career option.Job opportunities by 2026 will be about 200 thousand as per industry survey.Coming years will see a marked increase in demand for trained professionals who are well versed in various aspects of making and designing jewellery.”
Talking about the job positions which are in demand these days, he shares, “Manager in production and sales, Supervisor of quality production, Technician in the production department, Retailer, Wholesaler, Manufacturer, Exporter, Consultant, Trainer in various gem and jewellery institutes and Jewellery Designer are just some of the options that are available today.”
“The Minimum expenditure is Rs 5000 for short-term Courses like' Sales & Marketing’ and The Maximum Expenditure is Rs300,000 for Three-Year Diploma course in Jewellery Design and Manufacture Technology. An added advantage of enrolling with us is that our courses are recognisedby AICTE, DTE and DVET.”
Shedding light on the future plans of IIGJ he shares, “We are planning on expanding the teaching facilities by adding additional courses in various aspects of jewellery-based training, e.g. MATRIX software for CAD.”
With such a large gamut of courses and opportunities available the employment prospects in the gem and jewellery industry are bound to shine and support every individual’s dream to create a mark for himself in this illustrious industry.
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