Dubai has developed into an importanttrading hub for rough and polished diamonds, and IGI is seeing this evidenced by a huge increase in demand for gemological courses. Compared to 2011, the demand for polished diamond courses has doubled, and tripled for rough diamonds. Jewelry retailers and manufacturers are also increasingly requesting in-house training programs for their staff. In 2011, 226 million carats of Diamonds were traded through the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) (ref DDE).This growing volume of diamond imports and exports through the DDE has resulted in a commensurate increase in demand for IGI courses.The first rough diamond course of the year was given exclusively to the members of the DMCC.The group consisted of members from DDE, KP Dubai and selected private companies.

The standard IGI rough diamond course was tailored specifically to accommodate the special needs and requirements of thisstudent base. The practical 5-day course focused on pricing of gem quality rough diamonds mined from various sources worldwide.

In order to comprehensively evaluate Rough Diamonds, the following subjects were covered in detail:

1. Sorting rough diamonds according to shape, color and clarity.
2. Analyzing and marking Rough Diamonds to estimate the yield (weight retention) after polishing.
3. Price estimation of single stones and parcels.
4. Origin determination and identification of imitations in parcels.

All IGI courses follow international grading standards and supply students with the most current and up-to-date market information.

The IGI School of Gemology is conveniently located on the 27th floor of Almas Towers, the HQ of the DMCC. For further information on courses and schedules, please visit our office or website www.igiworldwide.com