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This prestigious new five-day course will run several times a year over the coming years, offering a bespoke learning experience tailored to the Hatton Garden community. The programme will cover the full diamond pipeline — from the science of geology and diamond growth, through the rough and polished processes, and concluding with retail, marketing, and branding.
Eligibility is limited to those with a direct connection to Hatton Garden and a demonstrable interest or experience in the artisan jewellery industry. Application details can be found below, following the course content overview.
To ensure a strong foundation, all participants must complete a short pre-course e-learning module (approx. 4 hours) before the workshop begins. Delivered via a secure online platform developed by De Beers, the three modules consist of bite-sized chapters that can be completed flexibly, at a time to suit participants:
Module 1: The origins of diamonds and the evolution of recovery techniques.
Module 2: The diamond’s journey — from rough stone to polished gem.
Module 3: Jewellery manufacturing processes, the art of selling, and the role of branding.
This blended learning approach ensures that attendees arrive at the five-day workshop with the essential context, ready to deepen their expertise through interactive teaching and industry insight.
The below detail has been provided by Jodine Perrin, Director of Education & Training at De Beers Institute of Diamonds
Monday – We begin with introductions and an overview of the main learning outcomes from the eLearning modules, which students have completed in advance. This is also an opportunity for students to register their specific learning outcomes for the lab-based portion of the course. We then work through a variety of sessions including an online presentation and Q&A session, which members of our exploration team host. This gives students the opportunity to ask questions about the upstream led processes and find out more about where diamond originate. We run a session exploring our Building Forever strategy, which is hosted by a member of our ‘Social & Community Development’ team. In the afternoon our Research Team take students through the growth of diamonds, and the resulting properties which make them rare and unique. The session contains several interactive exercises.
Tuesday - The Tuesday session covers the process of sorting and valuing rough diamonds. Throughout the day students are taken through a series of exercises (handling rough diamonds throughout the day) designed to give them an overview of the rough sorting process. Towards the afternoon we switch focus and learn how the various categories of rough diamonds are then valued for subsequent sales. The day is full of hands-on exercises and hosted by experts from this area of De Beers.
Wednesday - On Wednesday we turn our attention to polished diamonds and take students through a series of hands-on exercises designed to showcase each of the 4Cs (Carat, Clarity, Cut & Colour). Each exercise is designed to replicate the laboratory-based grading processes so that students build up an appreciation of grading polished diamonds. It also serves as base learning, in advance of the rough to polished session which is held on Thursday morning. This session is presented by an expert from the De Beers laboratory grading team.
Thursday – Here we focus on the Rough to Polished journey. During the morning session our students review the traditional techniques of the planning process which is critical when cutting and polishing diamonds. We then move to the more advanced techniques and students are asked to complete a series of exercises to plan a series of outcomes from examples diamonds. Each exercise is designed to highlight the expertise of trade professionals, whilst also highlighting some of the external factors which can influence commercial decisions. On Thursday afternoon students will be introduced to Consumer Confidence. We review the De Beers strategic actions in this field including the design and use of its Screening and Verification instruments. Again, the afternoon contains a series of activities so that students gain hands-on experience of using the technology, as well as benefitting from experts within our De Beers teams. They also get to examine lab-grown material and learn about the difference between these and natural diamonds.
Friday - Today students begin the day at our De Beers Jewellers store in Bond Street. We spend the morning exploring the importance of tracking and reviewing customer trends in the world of branding. We also spend time looking at the jewellery designs in store and preparing students for the afternoon session which focuses on design. The morning session is hosted by the Store Manager of Bond St, as well as a member from the De Beers Strategy team. After making our way back to Charterhouse Street, students are joined by a Senior Lecturer from the British Academy of Jewellery, who takes students through an afternoon of practical workshop sessions designed give them an appreciation of the world of jewellery and design processes. Finally, we review our original learning desires, and then present students with their Certificate of Completion.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
UPCOMING COURSE DATES
Monday 24th November - Friday 28th November 2025
Monday 2nd February - Friday 6th February 2026