2016 CIBJO Congress concludes with key decisions

The 2016 Congress of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, closed on October 28 in Yerevan, Armenia. The Congress unfolded over five intensive days of discussions which touched on issues facing the gemstone and jewellery industry, and sessions of its specialized commissions covering the diamond, coloured stone, pearl, coral, precious metals and gemmological laboratory sectors, as well as ethics, marketing and education.

The Congress was attended by about 120 delegates from all over the world, among them sizable delegation from CIS states, including Armenia, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The event was hosted by the Armenian Jewellers Association (AJA).

The Congress officially opened on October 26, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. During the Opening Session, President Sargsyan awarded CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri with a special medal of gratitude in honour of his and CIBJO’s contribution to the jewellery industry in Armenia and worldwide.

The congress’ first day focussed strongly on the issues of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability, with large number of key industry and civil society leaders and experts among the speakers and panel discussion members.

Other key events at the 2016 CIBJO Congress included:

-A special session organised by the Gemmological Commission that looked at the problem of inconsistencies in coloured gemstone laboratory reports produced by different organisations. It focussed specifically on the colour descriptions “Pigeon’s Blood” for ruby and “Royal Blue” for sapphire, which when awarded often raise the price of relevant gemstones.

-An update in the Pearl Commission on the status of CIBJO’s yet-to-be released Guide for Classifying Natural and Cultured Pearls.

-A discussion in the Coral Commission of the first set of amendments to the Coral Blue Book, which is the most recent addition to CIBJO’s set of industry standards and nomenclature, having been ratified for the first time in 2015.

-A decision in the Diamond Commission to add definitions to the section of the Diamond Blue Book that defines diamond treatments and simulants, including descriptions of imitations, annealing, artificial products which are not crystallised and artificially crystallised stones.

-A discussion in the Coloured Stone Commission about moving towards uniform treatment disclosure for coloured gemstones. Here it was decided to formulate a proposal for such disclosure, and that likely will be tabled at the CIBJO Congress in 2017. There also was a discussion about creating an opal guide, which would cover all types of the gemstone from all regions of the world.

-A discussion in the Precious Metals Commission on changes to regulations governing acceptable levels of nickel in jewellery, so as to prevent adverse reactions caused by jewellery when it comes in direct and prolonged contact with the skin.

-Reports in the Ethics Commission on the online Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course, developed by CIBJO together with Branded Trust of Australia, which is accessible through the CIBJO website, and on the Jewellery Industry Summit, which took place in New York City in March as an open forum for discussing sustainability in the jewellery business.

The 2016 CIBJO Congress celebrated the 90th anniversary of CIBJO’s founding in 1926, confirming its status as the longest established representative body serving the international industry.