About
Gem Training International
Over the past 20 years, Alan Lowe has trained persons from many of the diamond producing countries in Africa as well as students from China, India, USA, England, and Europe. He has also done training in Mauritius under the auspices of the Mauritian Government for their Jewellery School.
Alan Lowe, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
After completing school at St Stithians College in Johannesburg and a B.Com degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, he entered the commercial world.
He also earned a Business diploma from Damelin College in South Africa. He completed gemological courses from the Jewellery Council of South Africa, the Gemological Institute of America and European Gemological laboratories.
In 1980, he opened up the EGL diamond grading laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa.
EGL South Africa expanded into the grading of coloured gemstones in 1996. This was also the year that the EGL College of Gemmology was opened and provided courses in diamond and coloured stones to dealers, retailers and traders to the African continent and Mauritius.
He then opened up the laboratory and college in Cape Town to heed to the requests from the dealers and trade in the Western Cape. His goal was to have the laboratories as world class facilities providing services to the African continent and beyond and the same ethos applied to the colleges.
He was responsible for the EGL laboratories in India and was instrumental in setting up the EGL laboratory in Prague and assisting the laboratory in Belgium.
He also sat on the TRG and SSG committees to set up the diamond production and grading standards for the Mining Qualifications Authority of South Africa.
Alan Lowe has been a member of the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa since 2001
and was an Executive member of the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa from 2006- 2019 and has served as an Arbitration and Crime sub- committee member.
He attended diamond conferences of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses. He remains a member of the Jewellery Council of South Africa. Alan Lowe was also an International diamond Council (IDC) officer from 2015-2019.
Alan Lowe in his private life has taught several sports disciplines and music.
His passion for teaching is evidenced by the numbers of students through the college and the fact that the major retailers and industry members continuously make use of the courses to up-skill those in the trade or those entering the industry.
Alan Lowe made the decision to concentrate on the college: Gem Training International. The purpose of the college is to provide relevant, current, factual information and practical training that will skill persons entering the industry and in so doing add to their self-worth and becoming an ever-increasing asset to the companies for whom they work.
In South Africa he has trained staff from THE BELOW COMPANIES.
These companies represent a significant section of the market in South Africa.
Alan has also trained at Browns, Shimansky, and many others.