CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has been a named an Honorary Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of gemmology.   The award was made by Gem-A President Harry Levy during the association’s graduation ceremony at Goldsmith’s Hall in London on November 3.

With its goal of advancing the science and practice of gemmology though education and training, Gem-A is the world’s longest established provider of gem and jewellery education, with its Gemmology Diploma being a direct descendant of the gem course that was proposed for the UK jewellery trade in 1908. Today the organisation provides courses in gemmology and diamond grading in some 25 countries around the world, and also produces two trade publications, Gems & Jewellery and The Journal of Gemmology.

“Gaetano has been a significant figure in shaping the industry over the last 10 years,” said James Riley, Gem-A’s CEO, “obtaining UN recognition of CIBJO and its associated bodies, and ensuring that the voice of the jewellery industry is represented on the world stage.”

“Gem-A is delighted to be able to award Gaetano an Honorary Fellowship in light of his efforts on behalf of both the association and the wider industry. The work he has done on issues of ethics and social responsibility is unparalleled and we’re certain that his continued work will only strengthen the industry and leave a lasting legacy we can all be proud of,” Mr. Riley added.

Photo Caption: Harry Levy (left), President of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A), presenting the Honorary Fellowship recognition to CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri.

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) will hold a champagne reception on Sunday, August 31, at the 2014 International Jewellery London trade show, in celebration of the upcoming launch of the association’s new course in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the jewellery professional, which it  developed in conjunction with CIBJO and its educational arm, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), and Branded Trust.

Gem-A’s new CSR course aims to provide the industry with an essential foundation for CSR which can be incorporated into any size business, no matter where it is located in the jewellery supply chain. The online course provides a series of interactive lectures, delivered by experts in all the relevant areas, and supplemented with readings, tests and a written essay; and provides a unique perspective on how to tackle issues of CSR in the jewellery industry.

Gem-A has been working with CIBJO, WJCEF and Branded Trust over the last year to help the jewellery industry realise the growing importance of CSR as an essential aspect of professional accreditation, and how it is becoming increasingly clear that customers now expect jewellery professionals to be able to advise on non-technical issues such as the source of jewellery components, and the social and environmental impact of their jewellery purchase.

The course aims to assist jewellers in this process by giving a structured outline of the benefits of CSR and how a range of businesses can use different tools and techniques to assist in implementing a CSR programme, building trust, and improving overall business performance.

“We are delighted to have ben part of the venture and congratulate Gem-A and Branded Trust for delivering to the industry a set of practical tools that are today essential in the business environment,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President. “CSR needs to work at the grass roots level, and this is what is being done here.”

Gem-A’s Ethics Manager, Vivien Johnston, commented on the new CSR-focussed offering, saying: “Working alongside Branded Trust we have come up with a number of superb modules that give straight-forward, practical, and actionable advice for the jewellery professional to increase their company’s ethical value. For anyone serious about tracking the impact of their business practices and improving the areas, environments and communities they do business in, Gem-A and Branded Trust’s new CSR course can give real measurable advice on how to start becoming a more socially responsible company.”

These comments were echoed by Gem-A CEO James Riley, who discussed how Gem-A are aiming to be on the forefront of how CSR is introduced and measured within the jewellery industry, by saying: “For the last few years ‘Ethics’, and ideas about being ‘Ethical’, ‘Green’, or ‘Socially Responsible’ have been bandied around the jewellery industry like they’re going out of fashion. We think it’s great that the conversation about issues surrounding CSR and how we, as an industry, tackle them, has begun. However, problems remain with the industry being able to validate these claims with real practical measures for educating and tracking company policy and its impacts. Gem-A and Branded Trust hope to change this with an industry-wide push for the validation and accreditation of those committed to a socially responsible supply chain through a series of initiatives, starting with this new CSR-focussed professional qualification.”

Attendees of this year’s IJL show will be treated to a free glass of champagne and an exclusive first glimpse at the new course and the Branded Trust system at Gem-A stand J31 from 12.30 PM on Sunday, August 31. Early adopters are able to register their interest on the stand and make sure they’re the first students to officially enrol on the course, for a one-off fee of £595. The course also will be featured at Gem-A’s booth (3M046) at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, September 17-21.

The London-Based  Gemmological Association of Great Britain, or Gem-A, is the world’s longest established provider of gem education and a membership organisation that forms an international community of gem professionals and enthusiasts, whose goal is  to serve the best interests of the gem and jewellery industries worldwide through its commitment to supporting gemmological research and high educational and trade standards.

Australia-based Branded Trust is an academic group that engages with industry bodies, public sector organisations and social responsibility practitioners from companies of all sized to research and develop sensible and cost effective solutions to the challenges of understanding and implementing social responsibility. The Branded Trust Foundation has supported the development and testing of social responsibility tools such as the world’s first social responsibility management system and the world’s first automated ethical supply-chain and chain of custody solution.

For more information, please contact Gem-A via information@gem-a.com or +44(0)207 404 3334.

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has addressed the High Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York, and in his presentation stressed the commitment of both CIBJO and the international jewellery sector to assisting the United Nations meet its development goals.

Dr. Cavalieri was addressing the annual keynote gathering the UN agency as the head of the  jewellery industry’s industry’ only organisation with special consultative status with ECOSOC, which is had since 2006. CIBJO was also one of only a handful of NGOs with special consultative status invited to make a formal oral statement before the 2014 High Level Segment.

Dr. Cavalieri was accompanied in New York by Corrado Facco, Managing Director of Italian trade fair organiser Fiera di Vicenza, which has been accredited by the United Nations to deliver a UN recognised Corporate Social Responsibility programmes for the jewellery industry together with CIBJO, and Professor Alba Cappellieri, who heads the prestigious jewellery design department at Politecnico di Milano university, which features a series that focuses specifically on the creation of responsible and sustainable jewellery.

In his address to the gathering, Dr. Cavalieri reviewed CIBJO’s efforts to promote an industry-wide understanding that the jewellery industry should provide both sustainable and social development opportunities in the countries and regions where its stakeholders reside.

CIBJO, Dr. Cavalieri said, has been unrelenting in promoting the UN Development Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. “For almost 10 years, CIBJO and its worldwide membership have not only integrated the MDGs in the activities and in the program of each annual Congress, but we have also launched a concrete campaign of awareness, education and training, in order to insert the MDGs in the daily operations of our members throughout the world,” he stated.

More recently, Dr. Cavalieri said, CIBJO’s supply chain integrity initiative with the Branded Trust Foundation is structured to ensure that all major UN treaties, conventions and principles covering good governance, human rights, anti-discrimination, fair labour practices, anti-corruption and the Millennium Development Goals have been integrated into the CSR program.

CIBJO, he told the UN gathering, has entered in various partnership agreements with other major organisations to support the MDGs and to ensure compliance with the UN human rights, civil rights, labour rights and gender rights. “These partnership agreements contribute to greater ethical awareness and accountability, as well as to mutual support with civil society organisations,” he stated.

During their meeting in New York, the CIBJO delegation met and were hosted by a number of senior UN and ECOSOC officials, including Navid Hanif, director of ECOSOC’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which has responsibility for CIBJO’s involvement in the UN’s development programme post 2015; Alberto Padova, Deputy Chief, NGO Branch at DESA; Qatari Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who heads the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and President of the 66th General Assembly; and Muna Rihani, Chairperson  of  the UN Women for Peace Association, with whom they discussed a “Jewelry for Peace” project.

Photo Caption:  Meeting at the United Nations in New York (from left): Corrado Facco, Managing Director of Fiera di Vicenza; Hanifa Mezoui, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Affairs and Civil Society, Office of the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations; Navid Hanif, director of ECOSOC’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); and Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO.