Michael Beaudry, president of Michael Beaudry Inc., has contributed $164,450 to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to establish a scholarship program for students wishing to pursue the Graduate Jeweler Gemologist (G.J.G.) diploma.

The Michael Beaudry Scholarship is the largest of its kind ever to be established for prospective GIA students. Consisting of a fully paid tuition to the On Campus G.J.G. program with Design and Wax, the first Beaudry scholarship will be awarded in 2006. A total of five annual scholarships will be awarded for the 18-month program.

In recognition of his generous gift, Beaudry will be inducted into the GIA League of Honor in October, and a classroom at GIA’s world headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., will be named after his company.

Beaudry, who entered the jewelry industry in the late 1980s after completing GIA’s Diamond Grading course and graduating from the American School of Diamond Cutting in Whittier, Calif., said the scholarship was the most tangible way for his company to have a direct impact on those interested in a career in the jewelry industry.

To learn how to contribute to the GIA Endowment Fund, call GIA director of institute relations Jane Lynch at (760) 603-4114 or e-mail: jane.lynch@gia.edu.