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TNJtv.com | Events & News
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What inspired you to launch Harmony Academy? interested in a career in the industry than traditional gemological training usually provides. As I began talking to industry professionals about the kind of practical training I envisioned, I had an overwhelming positive response of people who were ready to sign up immediately. I soon formalized the training courses and opened Harmony Academy. How do Harmony Academy courses differ from traditional gemological training courses? Harmony Academy courses are designed to deliver maximum valuable and practical information in a very short period of time. In traditional gemological courses students rely on various instruments to identify a gemstone, which doesn’t prepare you to buy diamonds and gemstones in the international market. At Harmony Academy we train students to recognize certain characteristics of gem material so that they can identify and evaluate the stones with little, or no, equipment. We also teach pricing which enables students to start working in the market buying and selling with confidence. I spend most of the year traveling to the major gemstone and diamond trading hubs throughout the world, so I have up-to-date information on pricing. Most traders consider pricing insider-knowledge that isn’t readily shared. Through our courses, we want students to be able to start working right away – they can’t do that if they don’t also have knowledge about pricing. Are your courses designed for people with little to no experience in the gem trade, or do you have courses for different levels of expertise? What type of industry professional can benefit from the training? We have courses for beginners and up to expert level of experience. We teach some basics like GIA’s diamond grading using the 4Cs, but also impart knowledge that one can usually only get through industry experience. Courses can be tailor-made for companies whose employees need to have a specific set of skills, such as those dealing in certain types of stones, such as emerald or sapphires. Over the years we have had students with little experience and also professionals, such as gemologists, jewelry designers and appraisers, just to name a few. How do you determine if a student has successfully completed the courses? Do you provide students with any kind of credentials upon completion? FO: Students must pass a final exam in order to receive a Harmony Academy Certificate of Completion for each course. Workshop attendees receive a Certificate of Attendance. Tell us more about your plans for launching Harmony Academy in the US. After teaching the courses in five different languages to over 3,000 students around the world, we decided to bring our programs to the US. New York seemed to be an ideal place to start as it has such a large community of gem and jewelry enthusiasts. Education and special training are highly valued in our industry and we are well equipped to provide both practical and theoretical training to meet these needs. With the JA show being held in July in New York, we felt it was the perfect time to launch Harmony Academy with a booth at the show. We expect that our flexible teaching schedule will attract individuals and companies as we hold courses during the day and evenings, as well as on weekends. We can also tailor the number of hours in a day and days in a week for the courses according to the needs of our students. Barbara Wheat Lipatapanlop is CEO of Gemalytics LLC based in New York City. She can be reached at : barbara@gemalytics.com. 
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Fazil Ozen, a fourth-generation Turkish jeweler and gem trader, founded Harmony Academy in 2006. The author talked to Ozen about Harmony Academy and his plans for expansion in the US.