Questions remain about the mood of holiday shoppers and their readiness to spend in economies that have been impacted severely by the pandemic.

Four of the industry’s most respected analysts provide a broader perspective of where the jewellery and gemstone stands and where it is headed.

In the new media environment, the role of the expert and impartial trade journalist is more important than ever before. In a world where any individual can become a provider of information via a website or the social media, the phenomenon of fake news has become prevalent.

As they have in many business sectors, the social media are changing the rules of the game in the jewellery trade, and demanding that its participants develop new set of skills.

The pearl industry is more conscious than most of the necessity of responsible environmental management, and not solely because of the economic potential it provides.

An open question that remains is whether the natural diamonds and laboratory diamonds will necessarily compete for similar market share, or whether, as many hope, the new product category will expand the size of the market.

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.