GIA Alumni Collective
The GIA Alumni Collective offers an exciting new networking platform for GIA graduates. The online community at collective.gia.edu allows a diverse group of users to access both live and self-paced continuing education seminars, join virtual chapters, connect with global alumni, and more. The site also puts GIA alums in the spotlight (see above), celebrating those who uphold the highest standards of GIA’s consumer protection mission.
Deeta Thakural earned her Graduate Gemologist diploma at GIA’s Mumbai campus. As a fourth-generation jeweler, Thakural was drawn to design. Her award-winning collections blend organic shapes and rich hues that reflect the natural world.
Mélanie Matthes studied at GIA’s Carlsbad campus, receiving Graduate Gemologist, Pearls Graduate, and Applied Jewelry Professional diplomas. Her education, fascination with gemology, and love of history led to her career with a well-known auction house, handling some of the world’s most extraordinary jewelry pieces.
Learning from GIA guided each member of the Hodge family down a different path. Aldis, a self-taught watchmaker and business owner, and his sister Briana, a visual specialist and photographer, encouraged their mother, Yolette, to explore her childhood fascination with diamonds and earn a Diamonds Graduate diploma.
Visit https://collective.gia.edu/meet-the-collective.html to read stories from these alumni and more.
