Carlsbad, Calif., – Feb. 15, 2008 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has announced that the 2008 Richard T. Liddicoat (RTL) Scholarships have been awarded to Grant Herrin and Christian De Bor. The recipients were revealed at the annual GIA Alumni Association auction and dance party held at the Tucson trade shows on Feb. 8, 2008.

The RTL Scholarship Fund was created by the GIA Alumni Association in 2003 to honor Liddicoat, the Institute’s longtime president and chairman, who is regarded as the “Father of Modern Gemology.”  The fund furthers GIA and Liddicoat’s mission of providing gemological education to worthy students by awarding two full scholarships each year in the GIA Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma program.

Grant Herrin, 23, of Shreveport, Louisiana will use his GIA Education to foster his professional interest in estate jewelry. Herrin received his bachelor’s degree in history from Louisiana State University and has worked in the jewelry industry for nearly eight years.

Herrin has worked with jeweler, Sid Potts, Inc. since he was 16 and explained that through attending industry trade shows he determined obtaining a GIA Education would provide him with the highest level of knowledge in gemology to further his career in the industry.

“I was honored to receive this scholarship as Mr. Liddicoat was such a notable visionary in the history of gemology” said Herrin.

Once Herrin completes his G.G. at the Carlsbad campus he is planning on returning to Sid Potts, Inc. and pursuing a Masters of Business Administration degree.

Both scholarship winners were recognized by Donna Baker, president of GIA, during the ceremony in Tucson.

“These two individuals have demonstrated a tremendous amount of conviction and drive to further their education and perfect their knowledge of gemology, thus making them the ideal representatives of the RTL Scholarship,” said Baker. “We congratulate both Grant and Christian and wish them much success in their future endeavors.”

Christian De Bor, 45, of Gloucester City, New Jersey discovered an interest in gemology in his early childhood.

As a young boy, De Bor would cut and polish stones he discovered on the beach and by age 9, he became an amateur lapidary. He went on to become an intern at the Smithsonian Institution and then to receive his undergraduate degree at Haverford College. After graduating he worked in the jewelry field though various positions in customer service, sales, merchandising, appraising and management. De Bor is planning on receiving his G.G. to become a jewelry designer.

“I deeply appreciate GIA’s tremendous vote of confidence in my abilities and look forward to fulfilling my goals through this very prestigious scholarship,” said De Bor.

De Bor explains receiving the RTL Scholarship is also a personal accolade to his late mother who recently passed away. “This gift of GIA Education is a tribute to my mother who encouraged me to keep my dreams alive.”

For more information about the RTL Scholarship or any of GIA’s other scholarships, click here. Applications for 2008 scholarships can be downloaded from GIA's Web site beginning June 15. Qualifications differ for each scholarship. To find out more, visit www.gia.edu, call 760-603-4175, or e-mail financialaid@gia.edu.

For more information about making a donation in the name of a scholarship, contact  Bev Berthoty at 760-603-4120.