NOVEMBER 15, 2022

The Awards Committee of the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) has named Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, as the recipient of the 2023 IPMI Jun-ichiro Tanaka Distinguished Achievement Award.

It its announcement, the IPMI Awards Committee recognized Dr. Cavalieri as “one of the most prominent leaders in the international jewellery industry, which includes more than 20 years as president of CIBJO.”

The Jun-ichiro Tanaka Distinguished Achievement Award, which is sponsored by the Tanaka Memorial Foundation, recognizes important career contributions to the advancement of the precious metals industry, be it technical, economic or managerial. Most of the previous recipients were scientists affiliated with many of the world’s most renowned academic institutions. They include Prof. Chad A. Mirkin (Northwestern University, 2022), Prof. Gary Molander (University of Pennsylvania, 2020), Dr Robert Ianniello (2019), Dr. Steward Murray (ex-LBMA, 2018), Dr. Roland Gerner (Heraeus, 2017) and Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald (MIT, 2016).

Founded in 1976, IPMI is the preeminent trade association for the precious metals industry, with more 600 members globally, involved in every aspect of the precious metals world, including exploration and mining, refining and manufacturing banking, trading and finance, pharma and biomedical, automotive, electronics and other consumer goods.

“I am an honoured to be named the recipient of the Jun-ichiro Tanaka Distinguished Achievement Award, and to be included amongst such an esteemed group of recipients,” said Dr. Cavalieri. “ I believe that the award shines light on CIBJO’s efforts to promote harmonized technical and better business standards in the precious metals industry, and to enourage the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide. My thanks to the Awards Committee.”

The award will be presented at IPMI’s 47th Conference in June 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Cartier International, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious luxury maisons, has joined CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, as a commercial member.

The company, which designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells jewellery, leather goods and watches was founded by Louis-François Cartier in Paris in 1847, and is today a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. It operate more than more than 200 boutiques in more than 60 countries, and three flagship stores, known as temples, in Paris, New York and London. Its revenues in 2022 stood at approximately $12.4 billion.

“We are delighted to welcome Cartier International into the World Jewellery Confederation,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “Its historical legacy, commitment to excellence and worldwide prestige are unprecedented, but it also is pioneering our industry’s journey towards full sustainability, realizing our responsibility to the long-term wellbeing of all our stakeholders and health of our planet. We are most happy to be doing that together.”

“One of the most striking characteristics of the jewellery business is the interdependence of all the participants in the distribution chain, meaning that the integrity of each one of us relies on the integrity of others,” said Cyrille Vigneron, Cartier International’s President and CEO. “CIBJO provides the forum where all players may gather and discuss our common interests, formulate universal standards and define general operating principles that both protect both us and the consumers we serve. We are proud to be part of the CIBJO community.”

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and Intertek Italia SpA will officially launch the first-ever training and certification programme for sustainability officers working in the jewellery industry, during the VICENZAORO show on Saturday, September 10, 2022.

The online programme will operate under the auspices of the International Council for Sustainable Business, which was established by CIBJO’s educational arm, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF).

The announcement about the start of of the programme will take place on the Main Stage in Hall 7 of the Vicenza Exposition Centre at 10:30 AM, and the proceedings will be streamed live internationally via the VICENZAORO website.

Intertek Italia SpA is the Italian subsidiary of the Intertek Group, a multinational assurance, inspection, product-testing and certification organisation that assists companies ensure that their operating procedures and products meet quality, health, environmental, safety, and social accountability standards. It has been for working two years together with CIBJO’s Sustainable Development Commission (formerly the Responsible Sourcing Commission) in the development of the training curriculum and course materials for the new programme.

The training programme will offered in a series of modules on a dedicated e-training platform, developed by Intertek. Presented by sustainability experts with special expertise in the gem and jewellery industries, they will contribute to a student’s successfully obtaining the number of training hours that are mandatory for certified CSR/Sustainability/ESG officers.

The educational programme will provide professionals from the gem and jewellery industry the knowledge, insight and practical tools necessary for applying practices related to Sustainability and CSR in their own businesses. These include strategies for implementing the company’s individual goals, tools for communicating sustainability initiatives worldwide, auditing techniques and more, as as well as information about laws and regulations specific to the industry, including the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, U.S. and European conflict mineral legislation, OECD due diligence guidelines, the WDC System of Warranties, Responsible Jewellery Council’s Code of Practice, CIBJO’s Blue Book on Responsible Sourcing, and others.

The certification will be issued by Intertek, which is accredited by Accredia, the sole national accreditation body appointed by the Italian government in compliance with the application of the European Regulation 765/2008, which attests to the competence, independence and impartiality of certification, inspection and verification bodies. Accredia is a member of EA (European cooperation for Accreditation) and IAF (International Accreditation Forum). This means that the certification will be recognised worldwide.

Potential candidates for the courses and certification would be entrepreneurs, employees of companies operating in the jewellery and gemstone industries, and individuals seeking employment as compliance officers in the sector.

To view the launch online, viewers will be able to link directly to the live feed on September 10, 2022, via the VICENZAORO website at: https://www.vicenzaoro.com/en/.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2022

CIBJO’s Jewellery Industry Voices webinar and seminar series will conclude its successful third season on Sunday, September 11, 2022, with two consecutive live events from the VICENZAORO show in Vicenza, Italy. They will take place before an in-person audience on the Main Stage in Hall 7 at the Fiera di Vicenza exposition centre, which will be live-streamed simultaneously to a global audience.

The first seminar/webinar, which will take place 11:15 AM-12:15 PM Central European Time, is entitled A new paradigm for marketing diamond jewellery: Shifting the focus from men to women. It will consider whether the classic approach to marketing diamond jewellery is outdated. For many years, it has involved predominantly targeting men buying for women as the purchase decision makers, especially ahead of specific life events and calendar occasions. The panel will investigate whether the focus today really should be on women consumers, who are more likely to make the critical decision as to whether to buy an item of jewellery. The seminar/webinar is sponsored by the Natural Diamond Council.

Moderated by Elle Hill, and co-moderated by Edward Johnson, the first seminar’s panellists include: Mina El Hadraoui, France Director of the Natural Diamond Council; Bérengère Treussard, creator and producer of Like A B, a French publication and website concentrating on the promotion of jewellery and watches; Katerina Perez, a leading jewellery influencer who produces the popular Jewellery Insights by Katerina Perez website; and Roberto Coin, the founder and owner of the renowned Roberto Coin Jewelry retail brand.

The second seminar, which will take place 12:45 PM-1:45 PM Central European Time, is entitled Developing a global approach to jewellery supply chain regulation. It will consider how, in an industry where almost all supply chains cross multiple borders, it is possible to formulate global principles and methods for responsible sourcing and sustainable environmental management, which will protect the reputation of the products and those who handle them, and at the same time provide fair access to all participants in the industry, large and small, who act with integrity.

Moderated by Edward Johnson, the second seminar’s panellists include: Tiffany Stevens, President, CEO and General Counsel of the Jewelers Vigilance Council (JVC) in the United States; Sara Yood, JVC’s Deputy General Counsel; Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030; and John Mulligan, Climate Change Lead & Market Relations, World Gold Council.

To view the webinars online, viewers will be able to link directly to the live feed on September 11, 2022, via the VICENZAORO website at: https://www.vicenzaoro.com/en/

AUGUST 8, 2022

A long-established maxim in jewellery marketing is that one of most significant predictors that an individual will eventually purchase a high-value item of jewellery is that she or he has already done so in the past. A first acquisition whets the appetite for more.

Consequently, the age at which people acquire their first piece of fine jewellery is of supreme importance. Younger is better, for not only does age indicate the number of purchases likely to be made over the course of a lifetime, but also how much will be spent on jewellery over that period, with the value of purchases tending to increase as maturing consumers become more economically secure.

But while the marketing maxim still holds true, the world is changing. Younger consumers are offered a wider range of alternatives to spend their discretionary income. Furthermore, in many countries they are less independent financially than their parents were at their age, and they are marrying later and not as frequently. At the same time, new markets, which 25 years ago hardly registered on the jewellery industry’s radar, are today prime targets.

CIBJO’s Jewellery Industry Voices webinar on August 25, 2022, will examine what is required to raise demand for jewellery among younger consumers. It is entitled “Connecting a New Generation with Jewellery.”

The blue-ribbon webinar panel includes Zhenzhen Liu, Director of Global Corporate Marketing at Platinum Guild International (PGI); Han Ye, Lead Partner at Kantar China, Consulting Division, an expert in branding, consumer understanding and market research in both the Chinese and international markets; Mu Chen, Founder and CEO of BigOne Lab, a Beijing-based omni-channel e-commerce consumer analytics consulting firm, which helps companies navigate the latest trends; Jenna Kirschner, Director at New York-based 360 Market Reach, who is an expert at developing research that build brands, supporting successful product innovations and enabling effective communication with target audiences; and Suvankar Sen, Executive Director of Senco Gold & Diamonds, a major Indian jewellery manufacturer and omni-channel retailer.

The seminar will be co-moderated by Edward Johnson and Steven Benson, and CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri will welcome participants.

The webinar is sponsored by Platinum Guild International (PGI), which is also the Platinum Sponsor of Jewellery Industry Voices Season 3.

JANUARY 4, 2022

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has announced that the gathering of its General Assembly, which had been scheduled to take place in Vicenza, Italy, on January 24 and 25, has been postponed to Thursday, March 17, and Friday, March 18. It will be held at the same venue.

The announcement comes after the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), which will be hosting the CIBJO event, said that it is postponing its January VICENZAORO trade show to March 17-21, 2022, as a result of the global upsurge in COVID-19 infections that currently underway. The meeting of CIBJO General Assembly will take place in the Vicenza Exposition Centre concurrently with the trade show.

The CIBJO General Assembly will be the closing session of the 2021 Virtual CIBJO Congress, which took place over eight days from November 4 to 8 and November 15 to 18. It will be a hybrid session, with delegates meeting in person during the show in Vicenza, while the event is simultaneously streamed live to other participants around the world.

“Under the new circumstances, IEG has generously offered to host a rescheduled CIBJO General Assembly session at its show in March, providing the same facilities that it would have done in January,” wrote CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri in a letter to the organisation’s Board of Directors. “Given that we are subject to the same uncertainty concerning travel and public safety, the most prudent decision is to take IEG up on its offer.”

As would have been the case at the show in January, CIBJO will present two seminars at the VICENZAORO show, dealing with responsible sourcing, social activism and sustainability in the jewellery industry. Those will now take place on Saturday, March 19, 2022. They are part of an ongoing programme conducted by IEG and CIBJO to promote such principles in the jewellery sector, which is endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, where CIBJO has special consultative status.