The Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz GIA Scholarship
Renowned jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz has teamed up with GIA to create a scholarship dedicated to her longtime friend and client – the multi-talented performer, record producer and philanthropist, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. The Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz GIA Scholarship will award two members of the Black community the opportunity to earn the most esteemed credentials in the industry – the GIA Graduate Gemologist® diploma. The recipients of the scholarship will be selected by Beyoncé herself and will be awarded full tuition and paid expenses for the program, which will be studied primarily online through distance education. Applications for the scholarship will be accepted March 1st through March 16th.
"This scholarship is an homage to Beyoncé for the inspiration she's given me throughout my career. It’s about the love formed from relationships and knowing that at the end of the day, we are all the same. Now I have the opportunity to bring that inspiration full circle and show the community the endless possibilities that are in this industry, especially for Black professionals." - Lorraine Schwartz
"We both believe that learning is constant. This is a chance to learn from the best, create generational wealth and turn a love of gems into a career." - Beyoncé
Long known as "Jeweler to the Stars," Lorraine Schwartz is a world-renowned high jewelry designer who has created red carpet pieces for the likes of Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Will Farrell, Jennifer Lopez and, of course, Beyoncé herself. They first collaborated in 2003 when Schwartz, a diamond dealer at the time, designed the earrings that Beyoncé wore on her first solo album cover – Dangerously in Love. Their careers have since risen together, with Beyoncé serving not only as Schwartz’s client, but her muse. Schwartz has shared diamond and gemstone knowledge with the famed performer and created much of her red carpet and editorial jewelry.
Schwartz, who comes from two generations of diamond dealers, specializes in creating avant-garde high-end jewelry using quality stones. Many of the gems she works with have been graded by GIA. In her words, "The stones have to have the most beautiful proportion, they have to be chic, they have to tell a story."
"This scholarship is an homage to Beyoncé for the inspiration she's given me throughout my career. It’s about the love formed from relationships and knowing that at the end of the day, we are all the same. Now I have the opportunity to bring that inspiration full circle and show the community the endless possibilities that are in this industry, especially for Black professionals." - Lorraine Schwartz
"We both believe that learning is constant. This is a chance to learn from the best, create generational wealth and turn a love of gems into a career." - Beyoncé
Long known as "Jeweler to the Stars," Lorraine Schwartz is a world-renowned high jewelry designer who has created red carpet pieces for the likes of Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Will Farrell, Jennifer Lopez and, of course, Beyoncé herself. They first collaborated in 2003 when Schwartz, a diamond dealer at the time, designed the earrings that Beyoncé wore on her first solo album cover – Dangerously in Love. Their careers have since risen together, with Beyoncé serving not only as Schwartz’s client, but her muse. Schwartz has shared diamond and gemstone knowledge with the famed performer and created much of her red carpet and editorial jewelry.
Schwartz, who comes from two generations of diamond dealers, specializes in creating avant-garde high-end jewelry using quality stones. Many of the gems she works with have been graded by GIA. In her words, "The stones have to have the most beautiful proportion, they have to be chic, they have to tell a story."
