More than three months since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, an increasing number of countries had seen a flattening of the curve of new infections and were considering taking the first steps toward ending the lockdown, which had enforced social distancing but largely paralyzed business activity. This is not a simple process, mainly because the coronavirus was still present and the threat of a resurgence remained real.

Carefully thought-out strategies for exiting the lockdown werere critically important for the jewellery industry, with the goal being to return to a state of normalcy as soon as possible, while maintaining the safety of both staff and customers. All this needed to takes into consideration that what was considered normal before the crisis will not necessarily be thought of as normal in its aftermath.

The second edition of the Jewellery Industry Voices considered the subjects that must be addressed in planning an exit strategy, including ways of operating businesses while maintaining social distancing, precautionary measures for ensuring the sanitization of stores and jewellery, addressing the concerns of staff and clientele, communicating with all stakeholders, and rethinking the brick and mortar/e-commerce balance.

Entitled “Strategies for Exiting the Lockdown” the second Jewellery Industry Voices webinar featured leaders of four jewellery associations, each from a different country – Harriet Kelsall, Chair of the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) in the United Kingdom; John Carter, President of the American Gem Society (AGS) in the United States; Anantha Padmanaban, Chairman of the All India Gems & Jewellery Domestic Council; and Steven Tranquilli, Chief Executive of Federpreziosi Confcommercio, the Italian Association of Jewellery, Silverware and Watches Enterprises. They provided the perspective of thousands of their own colleagues, and also of their own experience as individual jewellers.

The webinar was co-moderated by Edward Johnson and Steven Benson, and Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President, welcomed the participants.