GIA Carlsbad - Jewelry Career Fair & Open House Oct. 11th

Jewels & Jobs: Hundreds of Opportunities in Southern California

Preview of GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair & Open House in Carlsbad, Oct. 11

The jewelry industry’s preeminent recruiting event will take place in the seaside city of Carlsbad on Oct. 11 during the annual GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Jewelry Career Fair & Open House. More than 25 gem and jewelry companies are expected to be on-hand and looking to hire hundreds of professionals at every career stage and in roles across the industry – from jewelry design and appraisal to retail sales and diamond grading. The free event marks the only time each year that the coastal 30-acre Carlsbad campus is open to the public without appointment. 

“Attending the GIA career fair was a great way to see the variety of positions available to graduates. I was both surprised and pleased at the diversity of options. After receiving my Graduate Diamonds and Graduate Jeweler diplomas from GIA, I not only possessed the confidence to pursue the opportunity I truly wanted, but also the skills necessary to get the job,” said Peter Sainz, who found his job with Beverly Loan Company at last year’s event.

GIA’s world headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. will set the scene for the jewelry industry’s preeminent
recruiting event on October 11th.   Image © GIA.

In addition to hiring opportunities and one-on-one career coaching, the event will feature must-see panel presentations:

·         8:30-10 a.m.: “Job Success in Today’s Market” moderated by Susan M. Jacques, chair of the GIA board of governors. Panelists are Lex Graham, retail jeweler at Betteridge Jewelers; Douglas Hucker, CEO of AGTA; and Dione D. Kenyon, president and CEO of the Jewelers Board of Trade.

·         10:30-11:30 a.m.: “From Design to Finish” moderated by Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of JCK magazine. Panelists are Erica Courtney, designer and president of Erica Courtney, Inc.; Alishan Halebian, designer and owner of Alishan; Charlie Herner, CAD/CAM director of Green Lake Jewelry Works; and Erik Stewart, owner of Erik Stewart Jewelry.

·         1-2 p.m.: “Creative Careers” moderated by Mark Smelzer, publisher of JCK magazine and JCKonline.com. Panelists are Rebecca Boyajian, director of communications for Bill Boyajian & Associates Inc; Au-Co Mai, president and CEO of Emitations.com; Yancy Weinrich, group vice president of JCK Shows; and Hutton Wilkinson, president and creative director of Tony Duquette, Inc.

GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair & Open House will take place from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Institute’s Carlsbad campus (5345 Armada Drive); industry recruiters will be available from 10:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.Companies recruiting at the event include Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers and Zale Corporation. Anyone interested in attending is urged to RSVP prior to the event.

Attendees will be among the first to see Hollywood design legends Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson’s first-ever all-jewelry exhibit, “More is More: Tony Duquette - Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry,” which debuts the night prior. The more than fifty emblematic jewelry creations on display by the design duo embrace a wide variety of styles, periods and palettes often showcasing unusual gemstones paired with rare materials in whimsical designs.

GIA hosted its first Jewelry Career Fair in 1991 in Santa Monica, Calif. Since then, the event has expanded and linked gem and jewelry companies with future employees at nearly 50 events in India, and in Las Vegas, New York and the GIA world headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.

For more details, visit www.careerfair.gia.edu or email careerfair@gia.edu.