Bonding With CIBJO

By Morgan Beard, Editor-in-Chief

Related Links

• In Search of the Yellow Brick Road (2001 ICA Congress in Australia) • The Australian Sapphire Blues

Gaetano Cavalieri, the new president of the International Confederation of Jewellery, Silverware, Diamonds, Pearls and Stones (CIBJO), is on a mission. He wants to raise the profile of CIBJO, which represents the interests of the jewelry industry on an international level, and in the meantime promote all aspects of the industry.

To help his cause, he made a visit to the ICA congress to propose that the two organizations work more closely together.

One of Cavalieri's goals was to convince ICA members to use CIBJO's Blue Book, its book of jewelry industry standards, as their guide for disclosure and description of gemstones. Many members agreed as individuals, and the ICA board of directors said they would encourage it among the membership.

Cavalieri also asked the ICA to become an associate member of CIBJO - with CIBJO reciprocating by becoming an associate member of the ICA - a proposal that was approved by the board of directors in a post-congress meeting. The partnership could help to raise the public profile of colored gemstones.

"I offer to the president of the sector and the [colored stone] commission inside CIBJO to raise money for what they want to achieve," said Cavalieri in an open session on the future of the ICA. "Accept what I can do as [the leader of] CIBJO - I am ready to build what you need; please let me know what you want."

He ended his talk with a direct appeal to ICA President Israel Eliezri to work together, which was accepted. Said Eliezri, "I promise we are going to cooperate like brother associations."

• For more information on Australian Sapphire, see The Australian Sapphire Blues.
• Read about the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) congress in Sydney this past spring in In Search of the Yellow Brick Road.