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.

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

The webinar looks at the challenges facing the industry as it returns to business, and more specifically considers what can be done to raise and then maintain demand in what remains a global health crisis.

With disruptions in the supply chain caused by lockdowns, mining houses supplying raw materials to the jewellery industry have selected to curtail or reduce production, while at the same taking measures to protect the health of their workforces.

To what degree will issues of sustainability, social responsibility and responsible sourcing practices in the jewellery industry be more relevant in the world that emerges after the COVID crisis.

The webinar examines how COVID-19 is transforming the jewellery and gemstone business technologically, and how it may become one of the seminal events of the 21st Century.