Diamond Council of America president and CEO Terry Chandler has announced the completion of DCA’s Colored Gemstone Course. Like the organization’s new diamonds course, the colored gemstones course was a collaborative effort between DCA and Performance Concepts. “It’s light years ahead of our previous gemology course,” says Chandler.

As with DCA’s other courses, the focus is on sales training as well as product knowledge. The course includes 16 lessons, a comprehensive review, four tests, a separate Colored Gemstone Compendium, and an exhaustive glossary. It’s a thorough study of gemstones, including their history and lore.

The Colored Gemstone Compendium, a 123-page reference guide, is a stand-alone book included with the course. Students may use it at the counter to review a specific gemstone’s history, origin, and gemological makeup with their customers.

For information, contact DCA education administrator Lissa Maxwell at 3212 West End Ave., Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37203; (615) 385-5301, e-mail lissa@diamondcouncil.org, or visit www.diamondcouncil.org.