SSEF Debuts Free Online Gemstone Courses

Basel, Switzerland—The Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF has released a series of free online gemstone learning courses. 

Each comprehensive class in “Understanding Gemstones” covers a specific stone and is self-paced by the student, who can start and finish at any time on SSEF’s digital learning platform. 

The courses currently cover diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies, and sapphires, but SSEF noted it plans to add more gems to its selection in the future. 

They have been made available in English, French, and simplified Chinese but eventually will expand to include more languages as well. 

Each course provides an introduction to the specific gem, its history, properties, formation information, source locations, treatments it might be subjected to, and relevant synthetic counterparts where applicable. 

Then, at the end, students are given a quiz to take. If they pass, they’re awarded a certification of completion. 

“We have had the privilege of testing many of the world's most famous and exceptional gemstones, and as a consequence have amassed a vast quantity of knowledge that we would like to make available to the industry and jewelry buying public,” said SSEF Director Michael S. Krzemnicki.

“Recent advances in online learning and technology enables us to launch these online courses, to share our knowledge and passion about gemstones, to a wide international audience at no cost to students.”

The online courses supplement SSEF’s in-person classes, which it started more than 20 years ago and range from introductory practical gemology to scientific gemology.

The new free digital courses can be accessed on the SSEF website.