April 10, 2018

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has concluded a week-long visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, as the guest of DANAT, the Bahrain Institute for Pearls & Gemstones, during which he met with the leadership of the country’s fast-developing gemstone and jewellery centre, and discussed the possibility of its hosting the CIBJO Congress in 2019.

Located on an archipelago on the northern flank of the Arabian Peninsula, the energy-rich Kingdom of Bahrain is home to a pearling industry that traces its history back 4,000 years. DANAT, the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones, was formerly was established in 2017, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. Upgrading a 27-year pearl and gem-testing laboratory that, when it was formed in 1990, was the first such facility in the Middle East, under its new structure and with a state of the art laboratory it aims to become an internationally-recognised institute for third party verification services and scientific research into pearls and gemstones.

Although it just recently announced the discovery of massive shale oil reserves off its western coast, Bahrain was the first of the Gulf states to make the transition from a predominantly energy-based economy into a one that is today anchored by banking, trade and tourism. Mumtalakat was created by a royal decree in 2006, with the objective of pursuing long-term value-enhancing opportunities for the country’s state-owned, non-oil and gas-related assets. It established DANAT from the older Pearl & Gem Testing Laboratory to support the country’s distinguished pearling history and heritage, as well as to tap into the rapid growth of the jewellery industry across the world, though the issuance of verification and authentication reports, continuous scientific research and analysis of pearls and gemstones, and the provision of ongoing training programmes in the field of gemmology.

To manage the process, DANAT appointed Kenneth Scarratt, a world renowned gemmologist as its CEO. Mr. Scarratt also serves as President of CIBJO’s Pearl Commission.

“One of our guiding principles in CIBJO is our conviction that the jewellery and gemstone business, if responsibly and  professionally managed, has the capacity to generate economic opportunity, growing existing markets and creating new ones where they never existed,” said Dr. Cavalieri. “For that to happen, however, the proper infrastructure and a wealth of knowledge is required. This is what we are seeing in Bahrain. Its impact on the markets in the Gulf region, the Middle East and far beyond is likely to be tremendous.”

During his meetings in Bahrain, DANAT Chairman Yaser Alsharifi and Mr. Scarratt proposed that Bahrain’s capital of Manama host the CIBJO Congress in 2019. “We were honoured to receive the invitation, which will be brought for discussion before the CIBJO Board of Directors,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “It is an event that brings together the leadership  of the international jewellery and gemstone industry from around the world, and it certainly be an excellent showcase for what is being built and achieved today in Bahrain.”

March 6, 2018

Speaking at an industry seminar in Hong Kong, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has urged both government authorities and jewellery and gemstone associations to incorporate the standards and nomenclature contained in the CIBJO Blue Books  into their respective national guidelines, as a measure designed to facilitate more transparent and efficient international trade.

The CIBJO Blue Books are definitive sets of grading standards and nomenclature for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, coral, precious metals, and gemmological laboratories. They are compiled and are consistently updated by relevant CIBJO Commissions, whose members include representatives of trade organisations and laboratories active in the diamond, coloured gemstone, pearl, precious metals and jewellery industries.

“It is essential because we work in an industry where there is almost no single item produced that does not includes elements that were either mined, processed and manufactured in multiple countries,” Dr. Cavalieri said, during  a seminar on March 3 at the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show organised by the Gemmological Association of Hong Kong and the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government. “What this means is that gemstones, jewellery components and complete jewellery items are constantly crossing borders, and are being handled and valued by different people in each of the countries they pass through.  It is absolutely essential that members of our industry in one country can communicate accurately with their colleagues in other countries, using a common professional language.”

“The application of the Blue Books is voluntary, but increasingly they are becoming recognized as common standards,” Dr. Cavalieri noted. He listed milestones in this process:

• In 2004 a German district court used terminology and definitions contained in CIBJO’s Diamond Book to decide a case involving misrepresentation of synthetic diamonds, the first time the Blue Books were cited in European case law.
• In 2013 CIBJO’s Blue Book standards for pearls and precious metals were accepted as national standards in the Philippines.
• In 2015, the International Standards Organisation approved ISO International Standard 18323, which for specifies a set of permitted descriptors for the diamond industry. The new standard mirrored almost exactly the existing definitions outlined in CIBJO’s Diamond Blue Book.
• In 2017, CIBJO, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association reached agreement, by which the nomenclature used by the International Diamond Council (IDC) will be harmonised with that of CIBJO’s Diamond Blue Book. As a result, the CIBJO Diamond Book now functions as the single official reference book for nomenclature in the entire diamond and jewellery industry.
• In January 2018 an MOU was signed with the Russian government aimed at harmonizing the system used in that country for the classification of polished diamonds with the CIBJO Blue Book.

“The process of developing the Blue Books is remarkable, and is a testament to the dedication, professionalism, expertise and voluntary spirit of members of our community,” Dr. Cavalieri said, calling on member of the industry in Hong Kong and China, to work with CIBJO to expand the relevance to more countries and product categories, including Fei Cui, which involves jade and jadeite materials that are popular in the region.

“The CIBJO Commissions that compile and update the CIBJO Blue Books do not work in isolation. They are made up by industry members, like yourself, who are ready to contribute,” he stated. “Members of the Hong Kong and Chinese industries have long played key roles in our commission, and this practice needs to continue.”

January 30, 2018

Nine of the leading diamond and jewellery industry organisations (AWDC, CIBJO, DPA, GJEPC, IDI, IDMA, USJC, WDC and WFDB) have released a jointly developed Diamond Terminology Guideline to encourage full, fair and effective use of a clear and accessible terminology for diamonds and synthetics diamonds by all sector bodies, organisations, traders and retailers.

While not legally binding, the Diamond Terminology Guideline is designed to serve as the reference document when referring to or describing diamonds, synthetic diamonds and imitations of diamonds. It is built on two internationally accepted standards: the ISO 18323 Standard (“Jewellery – Consumer confidence in the diamond industry”) and the CIBJO Diamond Blue Book.

“Protecting consumer confidence is of paramount importance to the long-term success of our industry,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “The Diamond Terminology Guideline is an important tool in achieving this, by helping standardise the terminology used to clearly distinguish between diamonds and synthetic diamonds, in all communications, among ourselves and with our customers.”

“The Diamond Terminology Guideline is an important complement to the CIBJO Blue Book, with which it is fully consistent.  It provides for easy and simple reference and will be distributed broadly within the industry.  The accessible language, the succinct format and the broad support from leading industry organisations is intended to stimulate widespread implementation within trade and at the retail level,” Dr Cavalieri said.

To download the Diamond Terminology Guideline in PDF format, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

January 25, 2018

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with CIBJO,  the World Jewellery Confederation, and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), with the goal of harmonizing the official system used in Russia for the classification of polished diamonds with the standards and nomenclature applied internationally. The agreement was signed on January 24, 2018, in the Russian capital by Alexei Vladmirovich Moiseev, Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation, Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, and Stephane Fischler, President of AWDC.

In the MOU, the parties agreed to define the priority areas where harmonization is critical, and to formulate ways of achieving it in the most accurate way possible. The object of the agreement is to ensure that the system by which polished diamonds are classified and described in the Russian Federation are in accordance with the most widely accepted standards in the international trade.

“The ultimate aim of this agreement is to achieve absolute transparency in a worldwide business, where a dealer working in one country can communicate accurately and correctly with a dealer in another country, and the welfare and the confidence of consumers are properly defended,” said Dr. Cavalieri.  “We work in an industry where any one item of jewellery is likely to be comprised of components mined and produced in a multitude of countries. Among ourselves we might speak in a variety of languages and dialects, but when it comes to describing the products, we must have a single reference guide, irrespective from where they were sourced. This is what makes this latest agreement so important, and we hope that it will be followed by others.”

Members of the Russian government, CIBJO and AWDC negotiating teams after the signing ceremony: Roman Samunekov, Deputy Head of Gokhran; Jean-Pierre Chalain, Vice President of the CIBJO Diamond Commission; Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President; Yulia Goncharenko, Deputy Department Director, Russian Ministry of Finance; Andrey Yurin; Head of Gokhran; Stephane Fischler, AWDC President;  Ans Anthonis, HRD Antwerp; Tatiana Gorelenkova, Gokhran; and Udi Sheintal, President of the CIBJO Diamond Commission.

Dr. Cavalieri thanked the Russian government, the head of Gokhran Andrey Yurin and  his team, for their ongoing cooperation. Gokhran is the state  repository with responsibility for precious metals and gemstones. He paid special thanks to AWDC and its President, Stephane Fischler, for helping initiate the discussion and bring it to a successful result. He was accompanied by Moscow by Udi Sheintal, President of the CIBJO Diamond Commission, and Jean-Pierre Chalain, Vice President of the CIBJO Diamond Commission.

The CIBJO Diamond Blue Book was the reference document used in the discussions between the Russian Government, CIBJO and AWDC, and is widely recognized as the most universally accepted delineation of polished diamond grading standards and nomenclature, along with the International Standards Organisation’s ISO 18323 Standard (“Jewellery – Consumer confidence in the diamond industry”), which closely parallels the CIBJO document. At the CIBJO Congress in Bangkok last November, the final stages of an agreement bringing the rules of International Diamond Council (IDC) in line with the Diamond Blue Book were completed, cementing the CIBJO document’s status as the primary reference book for nomenclature in the diamond and jewellery business.

January 23, 2018

In a planet threatened by uncontrolled climate change, the jewellery industry could come to be recognized as a beacon of sustainability and positive environmentalism. This was the message emanating from a seminar co-organized by CIBJO and the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), which took place January 22 at the VICENZAORO January show in Vicenza, Italy.

Entitled “Green and Blue Jewellery, Environmentally Sustainable Luxury,” the seminar focused on the marine ecosystem, where fully sustainable gem production, relating to the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive over the course of time, is feasible. It was the latest event in CIBJO and IEG’s joint programme, endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the international jewellery sector.

Under the spotlight were organic materials, generally produced through aquafarming, such as cultured pearls. Precious coral was also examined.

Unlike a mine, which has a finite life span, a pearl farm can continue producing indefinitely, on condition that it is responsibly operated. A healthy oyster has the ability to consecutively produce three high-quality cultured pearls over its productive life span, if it is provided a clean marine environment in which to live, and proper time between grafting and harvesting for the pearls to form. Such responsible practices are more likely to be applied in places where sustainable social and economic opportunities are also present.  For if pearl farming communities share only a minimal proportion of the revenues generated by their labour, they are less likely to invest in maintaining a decent marine environment and will be more inclined to maximize production by reducing the gestation period of the pearl in the oyster.

Because pearls and their oysters should be cultivated in pristine marine environments, pearl producers have an inherent need for marine conservation, explained Dr. Laurent Cartier, a pearl and gemstone specialist at the Swiss Gemmological Institute in Basel, Switzerland, and one of the world’s preeminent experts in sustainability in the cultured pearl sector. He is a co-founder of the Sustainable Pearls project, which promotes responsible pearl farming and contributes to marine conservation and livelihood development efforts in the Pacific region.

There is a unique synergy between pearl quality and ocean health, with profits and conservation being closely linked, Dr. Cartier said. Not only does pearl farming offer economic development opportunities to remote communities, it also has the potential to be a sustainable luxury product, and a great medium to engage with and educate consumers, he added.

Representing one of the world’s most prominent pearl companies was Shigeru Akamatsu, who is a senior researcher at the Mikimoto Pearl Research Laboratory in Japan, and also a Vice President of CIBJO’s Pearl Commission. He described Mikimoto’s “zero emissions pearl farming” policy, which eliminates the release of industrial waste into nature during the pearl farming process, in part by ensuring that practically all elements of the are oyster are productively utilised.

The tropical reefs in which much of world’s pearl farms operate cover less than one half of 1 percent of the earth’s surface area, but contain the largest concentration of biodiversity on the planet, explained Justin Hunter, founder and CEO of J. Hunter Pearls in Fiji and President of the Fiji Pearl Association. Over the past several years, he has been working together with the government of Fiji to establish a Private Public Partnership that will create viable economic and employment opportunities within rural communities of the island nation, while at the same time developing means of countering the effects of climate change.

Pearl farms serve as important regulators of water quality, with pearl farmers adopting the role of sea stewards to protect their investment, Mr. Hunter said. The pearl-bearing oyster is a filter feeder by nature, with one of the highest clearance rates, he noted, adding that it is often referred to as an “indicator species,” inasmuch as any decline in water quality has a direct impact on oyster health, resulting in poorer pearl quality and increased oyster mortality.

Pearl farming is as much as about knowing the technique of operating on an oyster as it is about preserving nature and nurturing people, said Jacques Christophe Branellec, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President of Jewelmer, a Philippines-based international luxury brand cultivating South Sea pearls and producing fine jewellery. He also is a Vice President of the CIBJO Pearl Commission.

Emphasizing the close association between responsible social practices and responsible environmental management, Mr. Branellec recounted the efforts of his company to rebuild employee housing after a devastating typhoon had struck the Philippines. While company workers worked to repair damage caused to the pearl farms caused by the storm, Jewelmer built about 400 homes for workers and their families, he recalled. “We are not in the life of a business,” he stated, quoting the company Chairman, Manuel Cojuangco, “we are in the business of life.”

Climate change has significantly impacted on the world’s coral reefs, said Rui Galopim de Carvalho, founder and editor of Portugal Gemas, a gem and jewellery digital educational platform, and Vice President of CIBJO’s Coral Commission. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of educating the public about the difference between shallow-water common coral, some of which have been declared in danger of extinction, and precious coral species, which live at considerably greater depths beneath the ocean, none of which are considered so threatened by the world wildlife authorities.

Nonetheless, said Mr. Galopim de Carvalho, the coral sector is a strongly aware of the threats posed by warming ocean temperatures and acidification, and is supporting research into actively culturing precious coral under controlled conditions, as a means of encouraging reef restoration. Unlike pearls, precious coral is currently harvested, and relies on natural growth for rejuvenation. Sustainability is maintained mainly by ensuring that production levels remain below the ability of the coral reefs to grow and regenerate on their own.

The seminar was opened by CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and IEG Executive Vice President Matteo Marzotto, both of whom stressed the commitment of the two organisations toward educating the jewellery industry about social, economic and environmental sustainability. Closing words were delivered by Corrado Facco, IEG’s Managing Director, who also serves as Vice President of CIBJO, with special authority over the confederation’s CSR programme. The seminar moderator was Steven Benson, CIBJO’s Director of Communications.

January 10, 2018

Environmental, as well as social and economic responsibility in the jewellery sector will be the focus of a seminar scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2018, during the VICENZAORO January 2018 jewellery trade show in Vicenza, Italy. Titled “Green and Blue Jewellery, Environmentally Sustainable Luxury,” it is being organised by CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the Italian Exhibition Group, and will take place from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Hall 7.1.b – TIZIANO Room at Fiera di Vicenza.

Environmental sustainability, which refers to the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive over the course of time, is not generally associated with the world of jewellery, where many of the raw materials are mined. Once removed from the earth, they do not grow back again. Nonetheless, sustainability is of critical importance in today’s jewellery sector, and has been approached in recent years predominantly from a social and economic perspective. This is because the valuable natural resources that are used in jewellery can provide sustainable economic and social opportunities to people and communities in the often-impoverished areas of the world where they are located.

But there are sectors of the jewellery industry, where both the product and the business can be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. These most often involve organic materials living in a marine environment, where sustainability is made possible through aquafarming, such as with cultured pearls, and to a lesser degree precious coral.

Unlike a mine, which has a finite life span, a pearl farm can continue producing indefinitely, on condition that it is responsibly operated. In other words, it is an asset that can be regenerated and sustained, and in turn act as a resource for sustainable economic and social opportunity. Precious coral, in contrast, is harvested from deep water natural reefs. Here, sustainability is maintained mainly by ensuring that production levels remain below the ability of the coral reefs to grow and regenerate on their own. However, research currently is being undertaken to investigate the means of actively restoring precious coral reefs in protected zones.

The blue-ribbon panel that will discuss “Green and Blue Jewellery, Environmentally Sustainable Luxury” at the seminar at VICENZAORO is made up of leading experts from across the globe. They include Laurent Cartier, SSEF, Basel, Switzerland, the co-founder of the Sustainable Pearls Project; Justin Hunter, J. Hunter Pearls, Fiji, President of the Fiji Pearl Association and a key initiator of Fiji’s new pearl industry development project; Shigeru Akamatsu, Mikimoto Pearls, Japan, and Vice President of the CIBJO Pearl Commission;  Jacques Christophe Branellec, Jewelmer Joaillerie, Phillippines, and Vice President of the CIBJO Pearl Commission; and Rui Galopim de Carvalho, the founder of the Portugal Gemas Academy, Portugal, and Vice President of the CIBJO Coral Commission.

Members of the panel to address the ‘Green and Blue Jewellery, Environmentally Sustainable Luxury’ seminar at VICENZAORO on January 22 (from left): Laurent Cartier, Shigeru Akamatsu, Justin Hunter, Jacques Christophe Branellec and Rui Galopim de Carvalho.  

The seminar is the latest in a series of educational events organized by CIBJO and the Italian Exhibition Group and is part of their joint programme, endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the international jewellery sector.

“As the experience of the pearl and precious coral industries shows, we should not only strive to be environmentally and socially responsible corporate citizens from the moral and ethical perspective, but such an approach is also critical if we want to optimise our economic viability over the long term,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO. “Our potential for producing top-quality products is largely dependent on the health of the marine ecosystem, as it is on the commitment by local communities to our industry and our joint business goals.”

“What the seminar will underline is there is should be no comprises made when it comes to jewellery and environmental and social responsibility,” said Corrado Facco, Managing Director of the Italian Exhibition Group and Vice President of CIBJO. “Our goal should be that when consumers purchase an item of jewellery, they are inspired to do so not only because it is valuable, beautiful and emotionally significant, but also because it contributes to improving the wellbeing of ordinary people in developing countries, as well as to the protection of the natural environment.”