The webinar took the form of a round table discussion, and featured an open-ended discussion between three experts on the critical topic of ”Will retail, as we know it, be forever changed?”

The challenge of traceability is significant for all sectors of the jewellery industry, which is characterised by lengthy supply chains in which many of the participants are small and medium-sized, but nowhere more so than with coloured gemstones.

The question still remains whether, over the long term, e-commerce platforms will be able to supply the sense of assurance and intimacy that brick and mortar retailers are able to provide their customers.

Fair organisers were considering their strategic positions before COVID-19 struck. Technological developments had usurped elements of the traditional trade show model.