OCTOBER 27, 2021

With less than one week to go to the opening of the 2021 CIBJO Congress on November 1, 2021, the seventh of this year’s CIBJO Special Reports has been released. Prepared by CIBJO’s Pearl Commission, headed by Kenneth Scarratt, the report provides a broad overview of an industry that has been dealing with the dual challenges of COVID-19 and climate change for the past two years, with perspectives from Australia, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Mexico, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

“For while the molluscs remain blissfully unaware of the situation and continue their nacre production come what may, travel restrictions, both local and international, along with compliant social distancing, have resulted in many members of staff not being able to get to, or having been stuck on farms for long periods,” writes Mr. Scarratt, relating about the effects on the industry of the global pandemic.

Global warming and its effects on the ocean is also a massive challenge to the pearling sector, and is an issue that is related to by contributor Pierre Fallourd, who provides insight on the subject from the perspective of the Australian industry. “Extreme sea level events, which previously occurred once in 100 years will be happening every year by the end of this century,” he writes.

“Ocean acidification, shifts in marine currents and nutrients flows, as well as extreme weather occurrences, directly challenge nacre growth productivity, resulting in smaller pearls and longer cultivation time,” he continues.

CIBJO congresses serve as the official gathering place for the World Jewellery Confederation’s global membership, and are also the venue for the annual meetings of CIBJO’s sectoral commissions, where amendments can be introduced to the organisation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals, coral and responsible sourcing, known as the Blue Books.

The CIBJO Congress is also where the programme of World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), relating to responsible and sustainable activities in the industry and CIBJO’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations and its development programme is reported upon.

To download a full copy of the CIBJO Pearl Commission’s special report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

OCTOBER 20, 2021

With fewer than two weeks to go to the opening of the 2021 CIBJO Congress on November 1, 2021, the sixth of this year’s CIBJO Special Reports has been released. Prepared by CIBJO’s Gemmological Commission, headed by Hanco Zwaan, the report focuses on two issues, namely the establishment of criteria for defining gem variety names, and the creation of an international set of standards, practices and nomenclature for the mainly jade and jadeite gem materials referred to as Fei Cui.

As Mr. Zwaan reports, a new Committee on Varietal Names was established after the last CIBJO Congress, which took place in Bahrain in 2019, under the auspices of the Gemmological Commission Steering Committee. It has already produced a preliminary draft of a document listing gem materials and definitions, which will be presented and discussed during the Gemmological Commission’s online session on November 3, as part of the upcoming CIBJO Congress.

Fei Cui, which is a trade name predominantly used in Asian countries, is associated with the minerals jadeite, omphacite and kosmochlor, and represents a jewellery category that has an annual global net worth second only to diamonds. In its respect, CIBJO has set up a working group that is charged with creating universally accepted standards, practices and nomenclature, building upon the body of work already carried out by the Gemmological Association of Hong Kong (GAHK), the National Gem Testing Centre of Beijing and others.

“CIBJO is interested in sending a signal that it is also keen to address issues that are mainly relevant in non-Western countries,” Mr. Zwaan writes.

CIBJO congresses serve as the official gathering place for the World Jewellery Confederation’s global membership, and are also the venue for the annual meetings of CIBJO’s sectoral commissions, where amendments can be introduced to the organisation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals, coral and responsible sourcing, known as the Blue Books.

The CIBJO Congress is also where the programme of World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), relating to responsible and sustainable activities in the industry and CIBJO’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations and its development programme is reported upon.

To download a full copy of the CIBJO Gemmological Commission’s special report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

OCTOBER 11, 2021

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has described to an audience of  business and industry leaders meeting in the Italian capital of Rome, as well as online, the current and potential role of the jewellery industry as a catalyst for the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He was participating in the Sustainable Development Festival (Festival dello Sviluppo Sostenibile), organised by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), which is taking part in cities around the country between September 28 and October 14.

The annual festival which was held for the first time one year after the adoption by the United Nations in 2015 of the 17 SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, is intended to raise awareness about social, economic and environmental sustainability, in order to foster a cultural shift and to lobby the country’s leadership to comply with the agreements undertaken in the UN. It involves the participation of businesses, industry organisations, national and local administrations, universities and civil society.

Dr. Cavalieri spoke as a panellist during a high-level summit meeting on October 7, at which ASviS presented the results of a research project that looks at the relative success of the G20 countries in advancing the  SDGs, and considering areas of potential international cooperation among them. CIBJO actively supported and contributed to the research, which has been conducted during a period during which Italy holds the presidency of the G20, an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 of the world’s most economically advanced countries and the European Union. The keynote speech at the summit was delivered by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Speaking during a panel discussion that considered ideas for a global recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Cavalieri pointed to the jewellery industry’s ability to empower societies and economies, particularly in economies where precious metals and gems are mined, farmed and harvested.

“Our goal must be that citizens of these countries should be able to leverage the natural resources with which they have been blessed into sustainable economic and social opportunity. Unlike in the past, where they were primarily regarded as a source of raw materials, our commitment now must be that they extend their involvement up the value chain, developing home-grown cutting and polishing industries, precious metal refineries, jewellery design and manufacturing hubs, and wholesale and retail trading networks. This does not mean undermining the existing centres. On the contrary, in an interconnected global industry we will all benefit from their development and the growth of the market in general,” Dr. Cavalieri stated.

The jewellery industry finds itself uniquely positioned to serve as a catalyst for economic and social development, Dr. Cavalieri said. All the countries in which raw materials are mined have centuries-old jewellery traditions, so the challenge is a not to create capacity in areas where none previously existed, but rather to adapt, build upon and upgrade knowledge and skills that are already present in the community. Furthermore, in certain fields, like pearl farmining, the industry can also impact positively on the region’s land and marine environment.

“The fact that the jewellery industry reaches the grass roots of almost any society means that we can play a critical role in advancing a range of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “They include SDG 1, ending poverty; SDG 5, gender equality; SDG 8, decent work and economic growth, SDG 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure; SDG 12, responsible consumption and production, SDG 13, climate action; SDG 14, life below water, SDG 15, life on land; SDG 16 peace, justice and stong institutions; and, in particular, SDG 17, partnerships for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.”