Gaetano Cavalieri, the president of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, is visiting the Armenian capital of Yerevan this week, where on Tuesday he was invited to attend the official inauguration celebrations of President Serzh Sargsyan, who recently was elected for a second term in office. During the visit, he has been holding discussions with senior government and industry officials about plans for the development of the Armenian jewellery sector.

This is Dr. Cavalieri’s second visit in four months to Armenia, where he has joined the leadership of the Armenian Jewellers Association, led by the organisation’s president, Gagik Gevorkyan, in their discussions with the government about the infrastructural, regulatory and marketing strategies necessary to catapult Armenia to the status of major jewellery centre, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the western flank of Asia.

 “In so many respects Armenia is in an advantageous position,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “Its geographic location and its peoples’ long tradition in the jewellery industry, both at home and in the very loyal Armenian diaspora, provide it with a tremendous start from which to build. Its government is most supportive, agreeing to the establishment of a duty and tax free zone for the jewellery sector, which not only has the potential to serve as a magnet for the jewellery trades in other countries in the region and around the world, but also will create thousands of jobs at home and serve as valuable national resource for foreign income.”

“CIBJO is delighted to be involved in this mission,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “It underscores the commitment that we made when were recognised as the international jewellery sector’s representative in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and according to which the industry will participate in the fulfilment  of the Millennium Development Goals. This is the essence of Corporate Social Responsibility.”

On Wednesday Dr. Cavalieri and the leadership of the Armenian Jewellers Association had a private session with President Sargsyan, and they were scheduled to meet with a range of senior officials, including the governor on the Armenian Central Bank.

Photo Caption: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (left) greeting CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. Looking on are Gagik Gevorkyan, President of the Armenian Jewellers Association, and Artak Udumyan, Executive Director of the Armenian Jewellers Association. Mr.Gevorkyan also serves as President of the Association Russian Jewellers Guild.

With four weeks to go to the opening of the 2013 CIBJO Congress in Tel Aviv on May 7, 2013, the third of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Coloured Stone Commission, headed by Nilam Alawdeen,  the report  reviews updates already made to the Coloured Gemstone Blue Book and also those that are being considered. In particular it looks at the nomenclature used to describe gemstone treatments.

The Special Report notes the addition of the qualifying terms “laboratory-grown” and “laboratory-created” as alternatives to the term “synthetic,” but points out that in the event that a national jewellery association in a non-English speaking country, which is a member of CIBJO, deems that there is no acceptable local direct translation of the terms “laboratory-grown” or “laboratory-created,” then only the translation of the term “synthetic” should be used.

The Special Report states the intention of the Coloured Stone Commission to tackle the inadequacy of current nomenclature in describing lead-glass filled rubies. “If ‘composite’ is not the right term,” it says, “CIBJO should work in haste to adopt the proper nomenclature, to better protect consumers’ interests and, thereby, the integrity of the industry.

To download a full copy of the report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

With five weeks to go to the opening of the 2013 CIBJO Congress in Tel Aviv on May 7, 2013, the second of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Precious Metals Commission, headed by Michael Allchin,  the report  reviews legislative changes affecting jewellery, watches and related articles within the European Union and the European Free Trade Area.

In particular, the report outlines the General Product Safety Directive, which is meant to ensure that consumer products do not create risks to health and safety, which applies in the absence of more specific EC standards relating to the product-safety of articles in their finished state.

The report also discusses the expansion of REACH, which is a European Union Regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, and especially any substances that contain carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxins. Article 67 restricts the use of items relevant to importers and retailers of watches and jewellery, including nickel, cadmium, azo dyes, chromium VI and, from October 2013, lead.

Also featured is EU RoHS Directive, also known as RoHS 2, which restricts of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

To download a full copy of the report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

With six week to go to the opening of the 2013 CIBJO Congress in Tel Aviv on May 7, 2013, the first of its commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Marketing & Education Commission, headed by Jonathan Kendall, the report says that Corporate Environmental Impact will be a key concern of consumers in coming years, and one which the industry has to take note of.

“We only have to look at the headlines in 2012 to understand consumer concerns – pollution in Beijing and Hong Kong, massive storms in the United States, and the droughts in India and Africa show us why multitudes of people recognize the major issues related to the environment,” Mr. Kendall writes. “No one can deny the management of Corporate Environmental Impact has become a hot topic in the world today, especially in the minds of 15-35 year old women, a key group of purchasers in the jewellery industry.

The report also looks at market expectation for 2013, suggesting that jewellery industry forecasts are for positive growth of 5 percent-plus, driven by greater political stability in China, reasonable growth in United States, and potentially a more positive year in India.

To download a full copy of the report, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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The 2013 CIBJO Congress will take place at the Dan Panorama Convention Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel, from May 7 to May 9, 2013, with pre-congress meetings starting on May 5. More information is available on the dedicated 2013 CIBJO Congress website.

Fiera di Vicenza has been accredited through CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, to plan and implement a United Nations-endorsed Corporate Social Responsibility programme for the international jewellery industry. The programme, which mobilises the jewellery sector in the UN’s mission to realize the Millennium Development Goals, is the key element in CIBJO’s formal relationship with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Fiera di Vicenza’s position in the programme was confirmed this week at the UN headquarters in New York, where CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and Fiera di Vicenza Executive Director Corrado Facco met with Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, and President of the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations; Muna Rihani Al-Nasser, Chair of the UN Women for Peace; Dr. Hanifa Mezoui, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Affairs and Civil Society at the UN Alliance of Civilizations; well as with other senior UN and ECOSOC officials.

“We consider this to be a critical step in advancing the principles of corporate responsibility in the jewellery industry,” said Dr. Cavalieri. “When CIBJO became officially associated with the United Nations seven years ago, our worldwide community committed itself to participating in the economic and social development of the countries in which we have a vested stake. But, to do this, it is essential that we are able to reach and educate industry members across the globe. Fiera di Vicenza, as a leading industry trade show organiser, educator and service provider, has the infrastructure, experience, talent and determination to enable us to get the job done.”

“Fiera di Vicenza is honoured to be part of the process,” said Mr. Facco, following the meetings in New York. “We have been strong supporters of CIBJO’s programme with the United Nations for several years already, and we are happy to be able to upgrade our role. As a service and content provider our mission is to enhance the position of the jewellery industry. CSR is not only the right way to go morally and ethically, but is also correct from a strategic perspective. Jewellery may be considered as a luxury, non-essential product, but the world should come to know that the jewellery business and the revenues it generates are absolutely essential factors in the wellbeing of millions of ordinary people living in the developing world.”

In 2006 CIBJO became the first and only organisation in the jewellery sector to receive official consultative status with ECOSOC, and, part of the process, in 2009 it set up the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), whose goal it is to establish programmes that will educate members of the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industries about the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, and how they may implement these in their businesses.

Fiera di Vicenza was an early supporter of CIBJO’s CSR programme and WJCEF. In September 2010, it participated in two CSR workshops organised by CIBJO and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in the United Nations Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China. In January 2011 it hosted a high-level CSR seminar organised by WJCEF at the VICENZAORO jewellery trade show. In May 2012, it hosted a WJCEF seminar conducted by UNITAR at the World Jewellery Forum in Vicenza, as well as the 2012 CIBJO Congress and the 8th Annual Meeting of the World Diamond Council.

Mr. Facco also serves as President of CIBJO’s International Trade Show Commission, which was established in 2012 and counts among its goals the promotion of CSR principles through jewellery industry trade shows worldwide.

Registration is now open for the 2013 annual congress of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation.  A dedicated 2013 CIBJO Congress website has been launched at http://congress2013.cibjo.org/, and it enables participants to register directly, as well as reserve hotel rooms at preferential congress rates.

The 2013 CIBJO Congress will take place in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 7-9, 2013, with pre-congress meetings beginning on May 5. It will be hosted by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies and will take place at the Dan Panorama Convention Centre.

In addition to the registration and booking module, the CIBJO Congress website includes a preliminary congress programme, information about traveling to Israel, and registration for the complimentary tours of Jerusalem and Jaffa that will be provided to persons accompanying CIBJO Congress delegates.

There are two congress hotels from which to select, the David Intercontinental Tel Aviv and the Dan Panorama Tel Aviv. Both are located on the Tel Aviv seafront and are within short walking distance from the congress venue. Both hotels are offering special rates during the event, and these will be obtained automatically when booking via the congress website.

Serving as the official venue for meetings of the CIBJO Assembly of Delegates, the 2013 CIBJO Congress will gather in Tel Aviv the members of national jewellery and gemstone associations from more than 40 countries and representatives of many of the industry’s most important commercial bodies. The congress also serves as a forum for CIBJO’s professional commissions, and is the venue at which its Diamond, Coloured Stones, Pearl, Precious Metals and Gemmological Blue Books are discussed and updated.