GIA Richard T. Liddicoat Scholarship Winners Announced

CARLSBAD, Calif. – March 15, 2010 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) recently announced that Catrina Clifton of Kingman, Arizona, and Davina Romansky of Rochester, New York, have been selected as this year’s Richard T. Liddicoat (RTL) Scholarship recipients.

The RTL Scholarship Fund was created by the GIA Alumni Association in 2003 to honor Liddicoat, the Institute’s longtime president and chairman. The fund supports GIA’s and Liddicoat’s mission of providing gemological education to students in need by awarding full scholarships for the Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma program each year.

Clifton (top), a sales manager at Luchia’s Jewelry Gallery, wants to become “the most well-known custom jewelry designer in Mohave County.” She has completed the Diamond programs and is eager to get started on the Colored Stones program to earn her G.G. diploma.

“I am so grateful for the generosity of GIA in granting me this scholarship,” she said. “It allows me to attain my goals and not be a financial burden to my employer. GIA has opened countless doors for me and I am truly thankful.”

Romansky (bottom), a bench jeweler at Jared’s Jewelers (Sterling Corp.) in Rochester and a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, will receive a scholarship for the G.G. program. Romansky has studied with several Italian and American metal masters and jewelry craftsman and has had her pieces on exhibit at several U.S. venues.

“There should always be discovery and drive for perfection in one’s craft,” Romansky said. “With every class I take, every new technique I learn and every project I finish, I am taking steps toward accomplishing my goal of becoming a respected designer in metals and jewelry.”

For more information about the RTL Scholarship or other GIA scholarships, call (760) 603-4175 or e-mail financialaid@gia.edu. Applications for scholarships can also be downloaded on GIA’s Web site beginning June 15.