Distance Education students can now order all of the necessary tools to successfully complete GIA's Gem Identification sections of the gemology program in one easy package – at a special student price.

The package includes the following instruments for use in the Gem Identification course (see image, from left to right):

  A. Illuminator Polariscope™
  B. Hand-Held Diffraction Grating Spectroscope
  C. Calcite Dichroscope
  D. GIA PresentationScope™
  E. Duplex II Refractometer™
  F. LED Monochromatic Light

The PresentationScope, which provides a 10x and 30x magnification, includes similar features to those found in the classroom, but is more compact and available at an affordable price for students, said Gaston Lopez, general manager of GIA Instruments.

"While it is important to learn how to clarity grade with a 10x loupe, a microscope of this design is so much more beneficial to students for more accurate clarity grading purposes. Its darkfield illumination with variable intensity control makes it easier for students to view stones, grade them and locate their internal characteristics. You can see details that might otherwise be missed."

The microscope also includes a custom GIA Stoneholder that allows students to view a stone hands-free or manipulate it to any angle desired. The tools are "ideal for students and for the professional work environment," said Lopez, noting that the microscope can be used in a retail store as a counter scope to show customers the characteristics of a stone and help close a sale.

To order your GIA student package for $2,045, a savings of more than $275, call (800) 421-8161; outside the U.S. (760) 603-4200.