Representatives of leading gem laboratories will join diamond, gemstone and jewellery industry leaders in Salvador, Brazil, on May 6, for a special conference on the first day of the 2015 CIBJO Congress, which will focus specifically on the standards and practices used by grading laboratories in the industry, and the quality of the grading reports they produce. More specifically they will consider the divergence of standards and results that are prevalent in the industry.

“Over the past two decades, changing business conditions and evolving consumer expectations have resulted in diamond, coloured stone and pearl laboratory reports to become necessities in our trade,” wrote CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and CIBJO Vice President and Sector A President Roland Naftule, in their invitation to participants. “But while their use is universal, the standards and systems according to which they are compiled are not. Inconsistencies in grading, reporting, identification and determination of country of origin are often widespread between laboratories, and even sometimes within the same organisations. This is creating significant problems for our trade and, if not contained, the gravity of the situation will seriously affect consumer confidence at every level.”

Participants at the conference will discuss a CIBJO recommendation that an international committee of gemmological laboratory representatives from around the globe be created to discuss methods that could result in more consistent and reliable gemmological laboratory reports. Such a committee could consist of 12 to 14 members, four to six of which could become permanent, with the balance rotating in a well-defined manner.

Discussion of benchmarks for gemmological laboratories, and creating a system of dispute resolution will also be discussed.

With fewer than six weeks to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the fourth of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Coloured Stone Commission, headed by Nilam Alawdeen, the report looks at the impact of measures being introduced ensure that coloured gemstones are sourced in ethical manner.

In many cases, Mr. Alawdeen writes, the primary objective appears to be using ethical sourcing as a marketing tool, where the goal is more to increase sales, rather than looking out for the welfare of local communities. “The energies and finances spent in publicising such efforts are in many cases more than what appears to have been invested in actual grassroots welfare,” he writes.

“Just as there is no traffic rule that can be universally applied, since conditions differ in many countries, approaches have to be localized,” Mr. Alawdeen continues. “Policies have to be made in consultation with local industry and governments, otherwise it will appear to be a repeat of what took place in countries that experienced colonial rule, where rulings were resented for no other reason than that they were imposed. Time also has to be given for solutions to be accepted and realised. A top-down-only approach will be counterproductive.”

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

Registration is now open for a gem-mine tour in the Brazilian state of Bahia, for participants in the 2015 CIBJO Congress, which will take place in Salvador da Bahia, May 4-6. The tour will be depart from Salvador on May 7, returning to the city three days later, on May 10.

The tour will focus on northeast Bahia, in the area of the Chapada Diamantina National Park, which in the 19th Century was the site of a diamond rush. Today it is a protected area, attracting eco-adventurists from around the world.

Participant will fly to Lençóis, adjacent to the Chapada Diamantina National Park, where they will be housed at the Hotel de Lençóis. The town was founded by diamond prospectors, called garimpeiros, during the rush.

Steeped in mining history, the area home to working golden rutilated quartz mines, which also will be visited, as will to the town of Novo Horizonte and the village of Remedios in the heart of the region. Remedios dates to the mid 1600s, and was originally settled by gold prospectors.

The tour to the mines will be led by Brian Cook, a geologist and long-time resident of Bahia.

The cost for the tour per participant is U.S. $850. It includes flight tickets, hotel expenses (including breakfast), tours and tour guides, airport transfers and a buffet dinner on Thursday, May 7.

For more information and online registration, CLICK HERE.

With fewer than seven weeks to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the third of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Diamond Commission, headed by Udi Sheintal, the report looks at measures being taken to tackle the infiltration of undisclosed synthetic diamonds into the pipeline, and also the integrity and the diversity of diamond grading systems that used in the industry, the definitions that are used for diamond grading, and the reliability of the graders themselves.

In the report, Mr. Sheintal refers to a recent court case in the United States, at which a consumer alleged that the colour of a diamond sold to him had been “over-graded,” and consequently, he had been charged an exaggerated price.

The scandal has revisited a number of controversial but important questions, Mr. Sheintal wrote. “Is there a single international standard for diamond grading, in which what is stated on a grading report is understood in the same way, irrespective of who issued it? If not, is it not time that we proactively pursue the establishment of an international standard? And who should be grading the graders?”

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

With fewer than eight weeks to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the second of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Precious Metals Commission, headed by Stella Layton, the report focuses on a variety of subjects, including pending conflict mineral legislation in the European Union, nickel regulation, platinum fineness standards and the classification of certain chemicals used in the industry.

Noting that the European Union is a trying to avoid the pitfalls of the conflict mineral legislation in the United States, for which there is a growing body of evidence that it has resulted in the closure of legitimate mines in Africa’s Great Lakes region, Ms. Layton wrote: The European Commission and Parliament are co-legislators and the decision could still go either way. CIBJO members need to remain active in this debate.”

Concerning platinum fineness, Ms. Layton reported that since the CIBJO Congress in 2014, the ISO Standard for Fineness of Precious Metals Alloys has been updated, and now includes a 600 standard for platinum. “While different nations may elect to recognise different standards, they can all refer back to one international standard and appropriate test procedure, which is fundamental to CIBJO’s vision of global consistency and transparency,” she wrote.

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

With two months to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the first of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Marketing & Education Commission, headed by Jonathan Kendall, the report urges the jewellery and gemstone industries not to fall behind other business sectors in adopting positive environmental policies.

The upcoming CIBJO Congress in Brazil will be carbon neutral, Mr Kendall noted, likely making it the first-ever major jewellery industry conference or trade show to achieve this status. He also announced the launch in Brazil of the “CIBJO Climate Leadership Awards,” which will focus on recognising those jewellery and gemstone trade organisations, companies or individuals that show real leadership in response to climate change.

“Research has shown that consumers make choices between product categories, and today the jewellery industry’s competition comes from products such as smart phones, computers, and holidays. All these industries have made significant progress with regards to the environment. We do not wish to see our industry left behind, and on the wrong side of history,” Mr Kendall writes.

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