The next shift in jewellery discovery may be moving from traditional search engines to artificial intelligence, with Raluca Anghel, Head of External Affairs, Natural Diamond Council (NDC), warning that AI search could overtake conventional online search within the next few years.
Speaking during the CIBJO Centenary Congress 2026 in Vicenza, Anghel said the industry needs to prepare for a fundamental change in how consumers seek information and engage with jewellery.
“A lot of consumers are moving from searching, using your traditional search on Google. In a couple of years, AI search is going to overtake regular searches online,” Anghel said.
Her comments came during a session examining the impact of geopolitics on the jewellery industry, where the discussion also touched on shifting consumer dynamics, market pressures and the need for the industry to communicate more effectively.
The shift towards AI-led search could change how consumers discover jewellery, diamonds and information about products. Unlike conventional search, where consumers are presented with multiple links and sources, AI platforms increasingly provide synthesised answers. This could make the accuracy and authority of the information being used by AI systems more important for jewellery companies and industry organisations.
Anghel said the industry therefore needs to take its consumer conversation into the emerging AI environment.
“That means bringing this conversation in the AI sphere,” she said.
For the diamond sector, the issue extends beyond visibility. Anghel highlighted the need to address misconceptions that can influence how consumers understand and evaluate diamonds.
“I would say tackling a lot of the misconceptions, as Ferry was also doing just now, is very important in continuing this connection that the consumers have to the right,” she said.
The emphasis on accurate consumer information is consistent with Anghel’s wider work at the NDC. CIBJO has previously highlighted her role in discussions around diamond terminology, disclosure and consumer understanding, including the importance of clearly distinguishing natural and laboratory-grown diamonds.
The rise of AI search could therefore create a new challenge for the jewellery trade: ensuring that credible industry information is not only available online, but is also surfaced accurately when consumers ask AI systems questions about diamonds and jewellery.
For the natural diamond sector in particular, this could make consumer education and terminology increasingly important as AI becomes part of the purchasing journey.
Anghel's warning points to a broader change in the industry's digital landscape. The competition may no longer be simply for visibility on Google, but for credibility within the answers generated by AI.
CIBJO's 2026 Congress itself placed AI among the key issues facing the industry, alongside geopolitics, sustainability, standards and consumer confidence.
