Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 10/02) - Tina Nasholm-Rudkevitch is the first woman to become a certified diamond polisher and cross-worker.

She graduated from Aurora College's program in the spring and now works for Sirius Diamonds.

She said it's the first certification of its kind in the world.

"I feel good to know I'm the first woman," she said. "Hopefully, other women in Yellowknife will get into it. There's room for a lot more women."

In 1998, Nasholm-Rudkevitch was looking for a career change when a Sirius Diamonds job booth caught her eye.

So, after meeting all the qualifications -- "You have to have really good eyesight" -- she underwent six months of training in Victoria, B.C., and then completed an apprenticeship at Sirius Diamonds.

"The most rewarding part is seeing a diamond with no life in it and bringing out the fire and brilliance of the stone," she said.