CIBJO’s long-running Jewellery Industry Voices webinar and seminar series will kick off its sixth season in typical fashion,  at the VICENZAORO show in Vicenza, Italy. As was the case last year, seven hybrid seminars will take place – in person at the Fiera di Vicenza exposition centre, and simultaneously live streamed. They will be held over two days, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, and Sunday, January 19, 2025. 

The event is being hosted by the VICENZAORO’s organizer, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), and is part of a joint CSR and sustainability educational programme for the jewellery industry, presented by CIBJO and IEG, which has been recognized by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

The two day programme is as follows:

SEMINAR 1
An ESG model for the jewellery industry
Saturday, January 18, 2024: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM (Educational Hub)

On June 30, 2023, the European Commission enacted the first set of ESG regulations that eventually will require all companies to assess and disclose the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors that influence their impact on climate-related financial risks, sustainable business practices and compliance with regulatory standards. According to the EC’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), on January 1, 2025, companies would become obliged by law to track and collect ESG data if they meet two of the three following criteria – 250 employees, €50 million in revenues, or €25 million in balance sheet (reporting year 2026). On January 1, 2026, the requirement will be extended to SMEs with 10-250 employees, covering much of the jewellery industry.

CIBJO has been working for more than two years to provide support to the jewellery industry meet new ESG regulatory requirements. In January 2024, it released a guidance document, accounting for the specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. The document presented 14 specific principles, five of which relate to environmental policy, four to socially responsible policies, and five to governance. The seminar in Vicenza will review the CIBJO guidance, as well as the ESG work that has been done since then, including in the introduction of measurable benchmarks that can be applied by the jewellery industry.

The seminar will be moderated by Wesley Hunt, Director, Programme Management, De Beers Consumer & Brands. Panellists include Jon Key, Founder & Managing Director, Key and Co. Ltd.;

Helen Mitchell, ESG and Social Responsibility Consultant, CIBJO; and Raluca Anghel, Head of External Affairs and Industry Relations, Natural Diamond Council

SEMINAR 2
De Beers new paradigm for the diamond market
Saturday, January 18, 2024: 11:15 AM-12:00 APM (Educational Hub)

After a seven stint at the De Beers Group that ended in 2014, during which as an Executive Director and an Executive Board Member he managed the transition of the DTC brand and helped secure the highest sales figures and strongest rough diamond pricing in the corporation’s 125-year history, Mahiar Borhanjoo joined the midstream of the diamond industry. He first served as Managing Director of Venus Jewels, one of the world’s largest diamond manufacturers, and then as President and CEO of UNI Diamonds, an innovative luxury ecosystem that provides mid-market financing and facilitates ethically sourced polished diamond sales downstream to retail, jewellery manufacturing and wholesale companies, using big data.

In 2024 he returned to the De Beers Group as Chief Commercial Officer, where he is currently positioning the world’s most prominent diamond producer for the fast-changing diamond market of the late 2020s and beyond. He will present De Beers’ vision during his seminar in Vicenza.

SEMINAR 3
The technology of traceability
Saturday, January 18, 2024: 12:15 PM-1:45 PM (Educational Hub)

With growing demand within the industry and the market to be able to trace the components from which a jewellery item is comprised, from the mine through the supply chain, a range of technologies is being developed to support traceability. The seminar will highlight several of the most promising projects underway and will discuss the challenges and opportunities that they present.

The seminar will be moderated by Feriel Zerouki, Senior Vice President, Provenance, Ethics & Industry Relations, De Beers Group. Panellists include Wesley Tucker, CEO, Tracr; Andrew Rimmer,

CEO, Opsydia; Jennifer Moriconi, Chief Sales Officer, iTraceiT; Leanne Kemp, Founder & CEO, Everledger; Bruno Scarselli, Founder, Authentia; Nicholas Molkte, Founder & CEO, Botswanamark; Tai Wong, Director, Innovation and Product Development, Platinum Guild International (PGI); and Pritesh Patel, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

SEMINAR 4
The Critical Role of Nature in Business Resilience: Reporting Back on WJI 2030 Nature Action Pathway
Saturday, January 18, 2024: 3:00 PM-1:30 AM (Palladio Theatre)

In this fireside chat, Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director and Secretary General of the Watch & Jewelley Initiative 2030 (WJI 2030), will lead an exploration of the crucial link between nature, biodiversity and the business case, with a particular focus on the watch and jewellery sector. The event will focus on education and actionable steps, aiming to provide businesses with tangible tools to integrate nature and biodiversity into their corporate strategies while addressing operationalization challenges.

During the discussion, Buga Berković, an expert at The Biodiversity Consultancy, will introduce WJI 2030’s work on shaping nature roadmap for the industry, talking about the Nature Action Playbook and the educational resources developed to help companies address their nature strategy and tackle their biodiversity challenges aligned with the evolving regulations.

Alice Vanni, CSR Director, Italpreziosi S.p.A., will offer a practical perspective on how he company  operationalizes biodiversity strategies in their business, sharing real-life experiences, challenges, and solutions.

The seminar is being organized together with Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030.

 SEMINAR 5
The role of the next generation: succession and heritage
Sunday, January 19, 2024: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM (Palladio Theatre)

Business sustainability in the jewellery industry, where a preponderance of the legacy brands companies are family-owned and maintained, is reliant on the ability to successfully transfer skills, knowledge and brand sensibility from one generation to the next, protecting the company’s ethos and tradition, while ensuring it remains relevant to the next generation of jewellery consumers. The seminar will investigate how this in being done with a group of next generation members of the Italian jewellery industry.

The seminar will be moderated by Edward Johnson, Corporate Responsibility Director, Gemfields Group; Alessia Crivelli, General Manager, Crivelli Srl; Alice Vanni, CSR Director, Italpreziosi S.p.A.; Azzura Cesari, Project Manager and Product Development, Cesari & Renaldi Gems; and Carlo Coin, President of Factories, Roberto Coin.

SEMINAR 6
Precious metals prices and their impact on the jewellery industry
Sunday, January 19, 2024: 11:15 AM-12:15 PM (Palladio Theatre)

The seminar will consider the phenomenon of price volatility in the precious metals markets, and consider alternative strategies that may be used in the jewellery sector to mitigate their negative impacts and to gain advantage from price upswings.

The seminar will be moderated by David Brough, Editor and Publisher, Jewellery Outlook. Panellists include Jonathan Jodry, Group Business Development Director, Metalor Technologies SA; Tim Schlick, CEO, Platinum Guild International (PGI); Damiano Zito, CEO, Progold S.p.A.; Dr. Jonathan Butler, President, International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI); and Andrew Morton, Managing Director, Weston Beamor Ltd.

SEMINAR 7
The meaning of ‘origin’ in the coloured gemstone trade
Sunday, January 19, 2024: 12:30 PM-1:30 PM (Palladio Theatre)

The origin of a coloured gemstone, meaning the geographic location from which it was sourced, has held significance in the coloured gemstone trade for many decades. By being able to claim that a ruby was from Burma, a sapphire from Kashmir and an emerald from Colombia, dealers typically were able to exact a premium on the value of a gemstone. But today, with the market more conscious of product integrity, the elements of mining origin, as the starting point of any stone in the supply chain, becomes important. Problematic origins, or an absence of reliable information about a gemstone’s origin, may negatively affect its value.

The seminar will investigate the broadening of demand for information about “origin,” and consider the elements required to identify and verify from where a coloured gemstone is sourced.

The seminar will be moderated by Lisa Koenigsberg, President, Initiatives in Art and Culture. Panellists include Sara Yood, CEO & General Counsel, Jeweler’s Vigilance Committee (JVC); Tiffany Stevens, Chief Business Officer & Head of Sustainability, International Gemological Institute (IGI); Edward Johnson, Corporate Responsibility Director, Gemfields Group; Adriano Mol, Head, Center for Gemstone and Jewelry Design, University of Minas Gerais State  and Brand & Product Development, Cruzeiro Mine; and Kenneth Scarratt, President, CIBJO Sector A (gem materials).

The seminar is being organized together with Initiatives in Art and Culture of New York.