The Development Journey of Chinese Gemmological Education and Future Direction of Gemmology with Chinese Characteristics

This study systematically reviewed the development trajectory of China's jewelry education since the late 1980s, focusing on vocational education, academic education, scientific research, and disciplinary construction. From adopting international systems to establishing indigenous educational brands (e.g., GIC, NGTC) and subsequently introducing national appraisal standards, China's jewelry education has successfully achieved a leapfrog evolution. It has built the most comprehensive jewelry education system in the world and has made notable accomplishments in areas such as testing and identification, synthetic gemstone technology, jade culture, and provenance studies, thereby forming disciplinary characteristics that integrate science, technology, and the humanities. Currently, the field still faces challenges including an underdeveloped theoretical framework and a shortage of high-level talent. Future efforts should focus on accelerating the establishment of "Jewelry Science and Engineering" as a first-level discipline, deepening the collaborative innovation framework across government, industry, academia, research, and application, systematically constructing a modern interpretation and international discourse system for traditional Chinese jade culture, and promoting the in-depth integration of scientific and technological research and development with cultural empowerment. These steps will facilitate China's transformation from a "follower" to a "rule-maker" and "leader" in the global gemstone industry, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to the world.