CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, will hold its 2021 annual congress virtually during the first and third weeks of November, from Monday, November 1 through Thursday, November 4, and then from Monday, November 15 through Thursday, November 18.

The congress will be conducted on the new Zoom Events platform, which allows congress delegates to mingle and interact in a common area, between and during formal meetings.

The November sessions are being timed to enable optimal attendance by delegates linking in from multiple time zones, and thus only one or two will be held on any given day, for not more than two and half hours in total. The proceedings will be recorded, so that those delegates who may be unable participate live will be able to review a session after the event.

Certain of the congress sessions, including the Opening Ceremony, will open to public participation, and registration for them will begin on October 1, 2021. Other sessions will be by invitation only.

CIBJO congresses serve as the official gathering place for the World Jewellery Confederation’s global membership, and are also the venue for the annual meetings of CIBJO’s sectoral commissions, where amendments can be introduced to the organisation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals, coral and responsible sourcing, known as the Blue Books.

The CIBJO Congress is also where the programme of World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), relating to responsible and sustainable activities in the industry and CIBJO’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations and its development programme is reported upon.

“We would have been delighted to hold an in-person event, but ultimately felt that under current conditions a virtual congress is the safer alternative, allowing the participation of the greatest number of delegates,” explained CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “Fortunately, we have over the past 18 months become quite experienced in running virtual events, and as a result CIBJO’s work has continued unabated. There is a great deal to report and discuss, not least of which is how our industry is being impacted and changed by the COVID pandemic. It will be a fascinating congress.”

A dedicated CIBJO Congress 20201 website has been launched at www.cibjo.org/congress2021.