Call on harmonised sets of grading standards

Harmonised standards

Promote fair jewellery trade!

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 7th European Gemmological Symposium in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri called on the world's gemmological community to participate through CIBJO in the creation of harmonised sets of grading standards, practices and nomenclature, as part of an international effort to ensure the integrity of the jewellery market and to maintain consumer confidence.

"We are not a commercial organisation, but our mission is to promote a business environment in which commercial organisations can optimise their effectiveness and revenues," he stated. "And to do that over the long term, we believe it is essential that our working environment is responsible, fair and ethical. If this is not the case, in a luxury product industry like ours the viability of our business will be threatened and we will run the risk of losing consumer confidence, which in this type of market is unthinkable."

Dr. Cavalieri paid special tribute to the conference organisers, the German Gemmological Association and the German Foundation for Gemstone Research, the DSEF German Gem Lab, as well as to Dr. Thomas Lind, the association's President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of DSEF, and Dr. Claudio Milisenda, DSEF's Director.

The conference in Idar-Oberstein provided an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary since the founding of DSEF. Interestingly, when the first European Gemmological Symposium took place in 2007, it also was in Idar-Oberstein and the German Gemmological Association was celebrating the 75th anniversary of its

establishment.   

"Generally, when I am invited to address occasions like this, I take time to point out that the important work done by CIBJO is entirely dependent on it its members, and their readiness to contribute knowledge and expertise for the benefit our international community.

I usually point out that if you want to make a difference, then you need to take part in the process. 

No such call is necessary today, because individuals like Thomas and Claudio, and many other German friends have made very significant contributions, not only to CIBJO but other industry bodies, in gemmology, gemstones, diamonds, precious metals, and the development of responsible business standards, he stated.

Dr. Lind currently serves as Vice President of CIBJO's Sector A, which is the division of the organisation that oversees all activities related to gems materials, and Dr. Milisenda serves as Vice President of CIBJO's Gemmological Commission.

"To create a proper work environment, we need to need to be fully transparent in the way we operate our businesses and about what we sell, and, when that environment is international, we need to be sure that our counterparts always understand what we are saying," Dr. Cavalieri noted. This makes the harmonisation of standards and nomenclature a critical necessity. When a common business language is in place, and its rules and terms are publicly available, then we have the necessary elements to work together, to trust one another and to properly serve our consumers."