CIBJO scheduled four hybrid seminars at Vicenzaoro

Popular jewellery industry voices on September 8, 2024 

CIBJO’s popular Jewellery Industry Voices webinar and seminar series will continue at the Vicenzaoro show in Vicenza, Italy, with four hybrid seminars – in person at the Palladio Theatre at the Fiera di Vicenza exposition centre, and simultaneously live streamed. They will take place on Sunday, September 8, 2024.  

The event is being hosted by the Vicenzaoro organizer, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), and is part of a joint CSR and sustainability educational programme for the jewellery industry, presented by CIBJO and IEG, which has been recognized by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. 

The programme is as follows: Seminar 1: Perspectives on the use of recycled gold! Organized in cooperation with the World Gold Council, the seminar will consider the increasingly scrutinized topic of recycled gold, which is gaining in prominence because of increasing consumer and regulatory demand for greater transparency in terms of provenance and origin.

The seminar will be moderated by John Mulligan, Director of Market Relations and the Climate Change Lead at the World Gold Council, who also is President of CIBJO’s Sustainable Development Commission. Panellists include Jonathan Jodry, Group Business Development Director at Metalor Technologies SA in Switzerland, who also is Chairperson of the ISO Technical Committee 174, covering jewellery and precious metals; Alice Vanni, CSR Director at Italpreziosi SPA, and Sakhila Mirza Deputy CEO and General Counsel at the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).  

Seminar 2: A look at traceability in different jewellery industry sectors. There is a growing demand, both from some of the leading brands and also from international bodies like the European Union, to be able to trace the provenance of all jewellery components as they move through the supply chain. But the ability to do is not equally achievable in all industry sectors. The seminar will consider the subject from the point of view of the diamonds, coloured gemstones and precious metals sectors.  

It will be moderated by Edward Johnson, Corporate Responsibility Director of the Gemfields Group, the world’s largest coloured gemstone miner. Panellists include Martin Leake, Special Advisor - Precious Stones at the DMCC in Dubai; John Mulligan, Director of Market Relations & Climate Change Lead at the World Gold Council and President of CIBJO Sustainable Development Commission.  

Tai Wong, Director, Global Innovation and Product Development at Platinum Guild International; Raluca Anghel, Head of External Affairs and Industry Relations at the Natural Diamond Council (NDC); and Francesca Manfredi, Head of Innovation Watches & Jewellery at the Kering group of luxury brands.  

Seminar 3: why nature matters to your business strategy; Looking at the role of the jewellery industry in protecting biodiversity. Organized in cooperation with the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, the seminar will look at sustainability and environmental responsibility in the jewellery industry, specifically in terms of meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of protecting biodiversity in the natural world.  

It will be moderated by Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030. Panellists include Francesca Manfredi, Head of Innovation Watches & Jewellery at the Kering Group; Alice Vanni, CSR Director at Italpreziosi SPA; John Mulligan, Director of Market Relations & Climate Change Lead at the World Gold Council and President of CIBJO’s Sustainable Development Commission; and Davide Tonon, Managing Director Italy of Quantis.  

Seminar 4: The growing separation of the natural and laboratory-grown diamond markets. The seminar will look at the degree to which natural and laboratory-grown diamonds are now on separate tracks, particularly in light of the growing price differential between the two products, as the cost of man-made product continues to fall. 

It also will look at the consequences for the natural diamond market and jewellery in general if the public is not educated to understand why the value propositions of natural and laboratory-grown diamonds are so vastly different. 

It will be moderated by Edan Golan, CEO of Edahn Golan Diamond Research & Data Ltd., who will make a presentation on the current state of the market before the panel discussion. Panellists include Lisa Koenigsberg, President, Initiatives in Art and Culture, who has studied the subjects of inherent and perceived value in jewellery; Martin Leake, Special Advisor - Precious Stones at the DMCC in Dubai; and Raluca Anghel, Head of External Affairs and Industry Relations at the Natural Diamond Council.