Westside : A LOST GEM
Santa Monica will lose the Gemological Institute of America next summer.
Primarily a teaching facility for jewelers and gemologists, the 64-year-old institute is relocating from a six-acre site in Santa Monica to an 18-acre site in Carlsbad. Officials from the institute could not find adequate space at a competitive price in the Los Angeles area, according to Andrew Christie, manager of public information for the institute.
About 350 people work at the Santa Monica site, which has been operating since 1976. All of the institute’s employees have been offered jobs in Carlsbad, Christie said.
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