COVID-19 did not so much initiate technological change, as much as it accelerated changes that were already underway, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri told attendees at the the opening of the Guangzhou International Jewellery & Diamond Conference on October 29, 2020. It forced many in our industry to start using new working methods that were already there, but they had been afraid or reluctant to adopt them to date, the CIBJO President told attendees during the opening session of the conference.