January 22, 2019

CIBJO’s new Responsible Sourcing Blue Book highlighted a well-attended seminar at the VICENZAORO January jewellery trade show in Vicenza, Italy, on January 19, which also featured the precious coral sector as a case study for sustainability.

The seminar comprised the opening session of the 21st Symposium of the Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG), which was hosted by the Italian Gemmological Institute. FEEG President Guy Lalous welcomed the delegates, as did Marco Carniello, Director of the Jewellery & Fashion Division of the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), the organizer of the VICENZAORO shows.

In his introduction, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, who moderated the opening seminar, said that that consumer confidence, without which “the entire premise on which our business is built would be meaningless,” requires more than just the integrity of the product to be maintained.

“Today, and for about 20 years already, it has become increasingly apparent that the ways in which we, the members of the jewellery industry, behave and impact society and the environment are also fundamental components of consumer confidence. We do not operate in a moral vacuum, where the value of the products we handle are no way connected to the businesses we run. That may have been the case in the distant past, but it is no longer true – certainly not in the age of the Internet and the social media, where a photograph, video or tweet can go viral in a matter of hours,” he stated.

The seminar panel (from left): Philip Olden, President of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission; Francesca Marino, CIBJO’s Senior CSR Advisor; Professor Roberto Vona, Dean of the Business Management Department at the University of Naples Federico II; Guy Lelous, President of FEEG; Vincenzo Liverino; President of the CIBJO Coral Commission; Rui Galopim de Carvalho, Vice President of the CIBJO Coral Commission.

Philip Olden, the President of CIBJO’s Responsible Sourcing Commission, provided an overview of the new Responsible Sourcing Blue Book, which was approved by the CIBJO Board of Directors earlier this month. It can be downloaded free of charge from the CIBJO website, by CLICKING HERE.

Emphasising that the Responsible Sourcing Blue Book does not purport to be a code of practice for which compliance  can be certified, and neither a chain of custody, he said that it is meant to serve as guidance and provide a framework within which all members of the industry can perform responsible-sourcing due diligence, irrespective of their size and type of business. “We believe in the principle of continuous improvement,” he said. “Responsible sourcing is a process that can begin by taking just a few basic steps.”

Francesca Marino, CIBJO’s senior advisor on CSR, looked at how the implementation of social responsibility practices could change through the introduction of Blockchain technology. “Compared to previously used systems, Blockchain makes the process of ethically evaluating the behavior of a company more objective, eliminating the arbitrariness that other methods sometimes involve,” she stated.

Members of the audience during the CIBJO Seminar, which opened the 21st Symposium of the Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG) at the VICENZAORO January jewellery trade show.

The second part of the CIBJO seminar shone the spotlight on precious coral, which has been the subject of media attention in recent years, largely as a result of concern about the effects of global warming on ocean life.

Providing a gemmological and historical overview of precious coral, Rui Galopim de Carvalho, Vice President of CIBJO’s Coral Commission, explained that it is critical that the eight species of coral that are considered precious be differentiated from the thousands of other common coral species. The precious coral species are located below the surface of the sea at depths of 50 metres and more, where ocean warming and acidification are not considered to be significant factors, he explained. In contrast, many of the common corals, including all reef corals, can be found in shallow waters, where rising temperatures and bleaching  are sometimes having devastating effects, he said.

Research being conducted at scientific institutes around the world, with the support of the CIBJO Coral Commission, is eliciting promising results that could lead to the regrowth and repopulation of common corals affected by global warming, explained Vincenzo Liverino, President of the CIBJO Coral Commisison. Described by Dr. Cavalieri as the individual who almost singlehandedly has restored the position and reputation of precious coral in the marketplace, over the past three years Mr. Liverino has used the high profile of precious coral to raise awareness about the general health of the oceans, encouraging action to be taken to protect the sustainability of this essential source of life and sustenance for the planet.

Coral education is a critical part of the process, Mr. Liverino stressed. The CIBJO Coral Commisison will soon launch an online course about precious coral and common coral, and it also is providing assistance to gemmology educational institutes to introduce coral units into their regular programmes.

Closing out out the seminar was Professor Roberto Vona, Dean of the Business Management Department at the University of Naples Federico II. Having long studied the area where business management and entrepreneurship intersects with technology and ethics, he considered how Blockchain technology could be applied to managing the coral supply chain, and so provide opportunities to improve the quality and sustainability of the product.

“You work in a field where transactions are concluded on an assumption of trust,” he said. “But there are instances where trust is betrayed.” Blockchain could provide an objective and unalterable records of what is known about the product as it moves along the chain of distribution,  providing evidence that sustainable practices have been complied with throughout the harvesting, processing and sales process, he explained.

January 16, 2019

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the Federation for European Education (FEEG) in Gemmology, will be presenting a day-long conference at the VICENZAORO January jewellery trade show, organised by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), in Vicenza on Saturday, January 19, where the principle focus will be on issues related to responsible sourcing and gemmology.

For CIBJO, the event is the latest in a series of seminars and workshops presented at VICENZAORO shows, in cooperation with IEG, focusing on issues relating to responsible business practices and sustainability in the jewellery sector. For FEEG, which was established in 1995 to create a pan-European gemmology qualification that is recognised by all bodies and institutions across the EU, the conference serves as its 21st Symposium, bringing together leading gemmological experts from across the continent and around the world. It is being hosted in Vicenza by the Italian Gemmological Institute (IGI).

Beginning at 10:00 AM in Hall 7.1 -TIZIANO Room of the Vicenza Expo Centre, the morning session of the conference will focus first on responsible sourcing practices, and feature a presentation of CIBJO’s newly approved Responsible Sourcing Book, which provides a framework and guidance for due diligence related to the responsible sourcing of gemstones and precious metals in the jewellery sector. Also in the spotlight during the morning session will be precious coral, both from the gemmological perspective and from the perspective of sustainability, as will be Blockchain technology, which will be looked at generally and more specifically from the standpoint of the precious coral sector. The morning session will be moderated by Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO.

The Afternoon Session of the conference will begin at 2:00 PM in the same venue, and look at a variety of topics, including marketing and strategies in the coloured gemstones sector, the legacy and gemmology of natural pearls, new laboratory technologies, the classification and identification of jade, and the gemmology and geology of diamonds. It will be moderated by Paolo Valentini, IGI Vice President.

The proceedings will conclude with the annual FEEG diploma award ceremony, starting at 4:30 PM. The day’s events will be conducted in English and Italian, with simultaneous translation into both languages available at all times. Registration at the conference venue will begin at 9:30 AM.

To download the conference programme, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

January 14, 2019

The Board of Directors of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has approved the first edition of the Responsible Sourcing Book, which provides a framework and guidance for due diligence related to the responsible sourcing of gemstones and precious metals in the jewellery sector. It becomes the latest in CIBJO’s Blue Book series of definitive industry guides for standards and nomenclature, joining the Blue Books for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, precious coral, precious metals and gemmological laboratories.

The new Responsible Sourcing Book is the product of a year-long project, which included the creation of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission and a policy document that was presented at the 2018 CIBJO Congress in Bogotá in November. Before its release, it was subject to a rigorous internal and external review process that included experts both from the jewellery sector and the international community.

Recommending guidelines and procedures by which participants in the jewellery supply chain may undertake supply-chain due diligence to support  responsible sourcing, the Responsible Sourcing Book is designed to serve as guidance for ethical business practices and supply-chain due-diligence systems in the jewellery sector. It is not a definitive code of practice in and of itself and cannot be described or interpreted as a compliance mechanism or chain of custody.

Referencing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, the Responsible Sourcing Book insists on compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the World Diamond Council’s System of Warranties for diamonds, and supports the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It recommends that all participants in the industry have a responsible sourcing policy in place, and undertake due diligence on their supply chains to the best of their ability, to identify, assess and mitigate any identifiable risks in the jewellery supply chain related to  human rights, labour practices, money laundering,  financing of confict and corruption.

To ensure product integrity, the Blue Book calls for precious metals and gem materials and products to be correctly represented and disclosed through their supply chains in accordance with the CIBJO Retailers’ Reference Guide or the relevant CIBJO Blue Books, and recommends that grading reports and other types of product-verification be provided as well.

“The philosophy that guided us in the creation of the Responsible Sourcing Book is that all participants in the jewellery business have a duty of care, and thus should conduct supply-chain due diligence to the best of their ability,” explained Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO. “And while we support the principle of having responsible practices being verified and certified by standards and certification bodies which are referred to in the CIBJO guidance, we also recognise that, at any particular point in time, not every company has the capacity to do so. The new Blue Book provides a set of universal guidelines that enable all members of the industry to demonstrate that they are actively involved in defending the integrity of the supply chain, and that they strive to improve these efforts on a continuous basis.”

“The Responsible Sourcing Book is intended to provide an essential structure for supply-chain due diligence in the jewellery business, in accordance with accepted practice and standards in the international community,” added  Dr. Cavalieri. “How individual companies choose to apply the standards and guidelines provided is up to them. Like all CIBJO Blue Books, it is a living document, which will be reviewed on a continuing basis, and amended and updated when necessary.”

The new CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Blue Book will be presented to the industry by Responsible Sourcing Commission President Philip Olden at a seminar in Vicenza on Saturday, January 19, starting at 10:00 AM. The seminar, which is being held during the VICENZAORO January trade show, will open the symposium of the Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG), in Hall 7.1–TIZIANO Room of the Vicenza Exposition Centre. It will be moderated by CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri.

 The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Blue Book can be downloaded free of charge from the CIBJO website at CLICK HERE.

October 18, 2018

The 2018 CIBJO Congress concluded yesterday in Bogotá, Colombia, after three days of official business, which followed two days of steering committee meetings. The final day of the congress was marked by a visit by Colombia’s Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez.

Addressing the special session of the congress, which also was attended by about 200 members of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá’s Jewellery Cluster, Ms. Ramirez outlined challenges facing Colombia in general and the business community specifically. She pointed to the growing importance and expansion of the Colombian jewellery sector, and paid tribute to representatives of the emerald and jewellery industries, who she said were leading the sector forward.

During the concluding General Assembly session on the final day, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri described the congress as most successful, noting that significant work had been accomplished in driving forward the business and social agendas of the jewellery and gemstone industries, and in particular preparing them for the marketplace of the years ahead.

CIBJO’s senior officers during the General Assembly session on the final day of the 2018 congress (from left): Roland Naftule, Vice President; Marc-Alain Christen, Chief Financial Officer; Gaetano Cavalieri, President; Corrado Facco, Vice President; and Eli Avidar, Vice President.

“As industry leaders, our obligation is to ensure that our sector is able to evolve and adapt in accordance with changing business, technological, social and geopolitical conditions,” said Dr. Cavalieri. “Staying in one place effectively means that you are moving backwards, and that is not acceptable. What we have done in Bogotá over the past few days is to examine what is happening around us, and to discuss and implement strategies that will equip our industry for the future.”

A landmark event took place on the first day of the congress, when CIBJO’s Responsible Souring Guidance was unveiled. It is intended that the document will achieve the status of a CIBJO Blue Book, coming to serve as a reference for responsible sourcing practices developed and applied by industry organisations and commercial bodies worldwide, while taking into account the challenges of the global jewellery supply chains. Like the other Blue Books for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, precious metals, coral and gemmological laboratories, it will be a living document, which can be amended and added to as changing conditions require. For that purpose, a Responsible Sourcing Commission was established, with Philip Olden appointed as its president.

Disruptive technologies were discussed at length during the 2018 CIBJO Congress. Blockchain technology was the focus of a dedicated session, investigating the significance and possible impacts of the new technology in general, and more specifically in terms of its applications in the jewellery and gemstone sectors. These include securely and transparently tracking the movement of merchandise, as it changes hands multiple times during its journey down the chain of distribution, and also the use of digital currencies, which can significantly reduce banking costs and provide financing opportunities for industry members.

Also coming under the spotlight was the use of the social media as a means of marketing products and services in the jewellery industry. In an enlightening presentation during the meeting of CIBJO’s Pearl Commission, Kevin Cannon, head of digital marketing at the Cultured Pearl Association of America, showed how a single paid-for posting on Facebook was seen by 1.7 million people, and generated 50,000 clicks, 3,000 shares and more than 800 comments.

Environmental sustainability, particular in the marine ecosystem, received a great deal of attention. CIBJO’s Coral Commission, headed by Vincenzo Liverino, reported on its work in promoting research into the repopulation of coral reefs, which today are being severely damaged by climate warming and ocean acidification. While precious corals, which are deep-water species, are not under the same degree of threat as the shallow water coral reefs, the commission hopes that the profile of precious coral as a luxury item will raise public awareness about the plight of those species that are in danger of extinction.

Among the other subjects receiving close attention was adoption by the jewellery industry of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, which were presented and explained by Tyler Gillard, who heads the Responsible Mineral Supply Chain project at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Also discussed at length were the recently revised guides of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for diamonds, precious metals, coloured gemstones and pearls; means of separating professional opinions from measurable facts on gem grading reports; and simplified versions of the CIBJO Blue Books and other guidelines for members of the jewellery retail trade.

The venue of the the next CIBJO Congress was also announced. It will be the Kingdom of Bahrain, and will be hosted by the Bahrain Institute for Pearls &Gemstones DANAT in November 2019.

The 2018 CIBJO Congress was hosted at the Grand Hyatt Bogotá by Fedesmeraldas, the National Federation of Emeralds of Colombia, and CDTEC, Colombia’s leading gemmological institute.

To view reports of all the 2018 CIBJO Congress sessions, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

To view all the photo galleries of the 2018 CIBJO Congress, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

More information is available on the dedicated CIBJO Congress website at: http://www.cibjo.org/congress2018/

October 16, 2018

The 2018 CIBJO Congress opened yesterday in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, with a strong focus on responsible sourcing in the jewellery industry. This included the introduction of a Responsible Sourcing Guidance document, which will serve as a reference for responsible sourcing practices developed and applied by industry organisations and commercial bodies worldwide, and will come to have the status of a CIBJO Book. To oversee the process, a Responsible Sourcing Commission was established.

“At the end of last year, we decided to investigate whether the methods by which we have compiled our standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, precious metals, coral and gemmological laboratories could be applied to the subject of responsible sourcing,” explained Dr. Cavalieri. “We asked ourselves, would it be possible to create a responsible sourcing protocol that could be universally accepted, which would meet the ethical standards that our industry expects from itself, and at the same time be acceptable from the perspective of the international community?”

Dr. Cavalieri explained that an operating principle of the Responsible Sourcing Guidance document was that it would be inclusive, meaning that there is an expectation that the standards, guidelines and systems that it describes can reasonably be applied by all members of the industry, irrespective of size or financial capacity.

“Like the other CIBJO Blue Books, the standards and guidelines contained in the Responsible Sourcing Guidance document are recommendations, as opposed to conditions of membership. However, they should come to serve as benchmarks for responsible sourcing systems developed and applied by industry organisations and commercial bodies worldwide, and for governments that may seek to create viable regulatory systems. Also, like the other Blue Books, the Responsible Sourcing Guidance will be a living document, which will be reviewed on a constant basis, and amended if changing conditions make it necessary,” Dr. Cavalieri stated.

CIBJO’s Responsible Sourcing Guidance is based on the OECD Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, and supports the Kimberley Process and UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights.

Delivering keynote addresses, both during the Opening Session and during a special Responsible Sourcing Session that was held on the first day of the CIBJO Congress, was Tyler Gillard. He heads the OECD’s team working on due diligence in the mining and metals, financial, textiles, oil and gas and agriculture sectors, and additionally leads the multi-stakeholder negotiations for the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. CIBJO had consulted with the OECD and other key industry associations in formulating its guidance document.

“CIBJO’s new initiative ensures a level playing field and is a common and consistent common reference among different actors in the supply chain,” Mr. Gillard said. “It also helps smaller players to become familiar with internationally accepted due diligence and responsibility, and we are encouraged by the progress taken by CIBJO to promote due diligence, transparency and integrity of the jewellery industry supply chains.”

Mr. Gillard insisted that the OECD understands the challenges faced by the many smaller and medium-sized bodies in the jewellery industry in instituting its due diligence standards, and especially small-scale and artisanal miners. “We don’t require full traceability from mine to consumer, but that you are exhibiting a strong degree of commitment,” he said.

“I emphasise that due diligence is a process, and that it won’t be completed overnight. But you must show good faith that you are doing it,” he said.

The President of the new Responsible Sourcing Commission is Philip Olden, who has developed responsible sourcing protocols and guidance for leading international companies in the jewellery and gemstone sectors, and who oversaw the creation of CIBJO’s Responsible Sourcing Guidance document. The commission’s two vice presidents will be Tiffany Stevens, President and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee in the United States, and Erik Jens, an independent financial consultant for the jewellery and gemstone sectors and former head of the diamond and jewellery division at ABN AMRO Bank.

Serving as the official venue for the meeting of the CIBJO Assembly of Delegates, the CIBJO Congress gathers 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. During the event, the organisation’s Diamond, Coloured Stones, Pearl, Coral, Precious Metals and Gemmological Blue Books, which are industry’s most widely accepted directories of uniform grading standards and nomenclature, are discussed and updated.

The congress is being hosted by Fedesmeraldas, the National Federation of Emeralds of Colombia, and CDTEC, Colombia’s leading gemmological institute.

October 12, 2018

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has called for the creation of government monitored chokepoints for the coloured gemstone sector, at which it will be possible to verify the integrity of merchandise accessing the chain of distribution, similar to national Kimberley Process Authorities that verify the identity of rough diamonds entering the global pipeline. He was speaking at the opening of the World Emerald Symposium, which started in Bogotá today, and will precede the start of 2018 CIBJO Congress on October 15.

While regulators to date have focused their attention on diamonds and precious metals, the period of grace for coloured gemstones is coming to an end, Dr. Cavalieri said. “We have to meet the challenge. And we need to do to that without threatening the livelihoods of the men and women who have earned their living over the years from the coloured gemstone trade,” he stated.

“Given the wide variety of coloured gemstones and the massive number of small companies involved in their production and distribution, it is unlikely in the foreseeable future that a single regulatory umbrella body will be established for the coloured gemstone sector, like the Kimberley Process. But if the trade and government cooperate, on a country by country basis, it may be possible to establish a multitude of chokepoints, which can verify and certify the integrity of the gemstones in their respective regions of jurisdiction,” Dr. Cavalieri continued.

“The incentive for governments to join with industry in creating such national chokepoints would be to defend and grow the market share of their own gemstone industries,” he stated. “But that is not the only incentive. It is also a system that will help create legal pathways for artisanal miners, enabling them to enter the legitimate chain of distribution. As we know, today much of the material they produce is sold on the black market or smuggled, and therefore produces little to no tax revenue for the state and local governments.”

Dr. Cavalieri revealed that he has spoken with a number of governments, and the ideas that he presented have been quite well received. He added that a general Responsible Sourcing Guidance document will be presented at the upcoming CIBJO Congress, which in time could come to serve as a set of standards for a future network of national offices, verifying the integrity of coloured gemstones mined in their territories.

To download a full copy of Dr. Cavalieri’s address to the World Emerald Symposium, PLEASE CLICK HERE.