Strict adherence to agreed-to grading standards, nomenclature and methods of testing are prerequisites for the development of the gemstone and jewellery industries in China, which are keen to establish a leading position internationally, and in the Asia-Pacific region in particular, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri told audiences in Hong Kong last week.

CIBJO’s new Responsible Sourcing Blue Book highlighted a well-attended seminar at the VICENZAORO January jewellery trade show in Vicenza, Italy, on January 19, which also featured the precious coral sector as a case study for sustainability.

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the Federation for European Education (FEEG) in Gemmology, will be presenting a day-long conference at the VICENZAORO January jewellery trade show, organised by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), in Vicenza on Saturday, January 19, where the principle focus will be on issues related to responsible sourcing and gemmology.

The Board of Directors of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has approved the first edition of the Responsible Sourcing Book, which provides a framework and guidance for due diligence related to the responsible sourcing of gemstones and precious metals in the jewellery sector. It becomes the latest in CIBJO’s Blue Book series of definitive industry guides for standards and nomenclature, joining the Blue Books for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, precious coral, precious metals and gemmological laboratories.

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has been certified as being carbon neutral in 2017, which is the fifth straight year that offset its greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. It did so as part of the CIBJO Greenhouse Gas Measurement Initiative that was launched several years ago to promote environmental consciousness and responsibility in the jewellery and gemstone industries.

The 2018 CIBJO Congress concluded yesterday in Bogotá, Colombia, after three days of official business, which followed two days of steering committee meetings. The final day of the congress was marked by a visit by Colombia’s Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez.

The 2018 CIBJO Congress opened yesterday in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, with a strong focus on responsible sourcing in the jewellery industry. This included the introduction of a Responsible Sourcing Guidance document, which will serve as a reference for responsible sourcing practices developed and applied by industry organisations and commercial bodies worldwide, and will come to have the status of a CIBJO Book. To oversee the process, a Responsible Sourcing Commission was established.

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has called for the creation of government monitored chokepoints for the coloured gemstone sector, at which it will be possible to verify the integrity of merchandise accessing the chain of distribution, similar to national Kimberley Process Authorities that verify the identity of rough diamonds entering the global pipeline. He was speaking at the opening of the World Emerald Symposium, which started in Bogotá today, and will precede the start of 2018 CIBJO Congress on October 15.

With the 2018 CIBJO Congress set to open in Bogotá, Colombia, in five days’ time, agendas and related documentation for the various sessions and meetings that will take place during the event are now available online. Contained in a Digital Binder, they can be downloaded from the dedicated congress website.

With fewer than two weeks to go to the opening of the 2018 CIBJO Congress in Bogotá, Colombia, on October 15, 2018, the eighth and the final of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Coral Commission, headed by Vincenzo Liverino, the report looks at a variety of topics related to precious coral reef sustainability, including government regulation of harvesting, research into methods for repopulating depleted areas, the use of DNA and Blockchain in achieving traceability, and online education.