Ahead of the 2018 annual congress organized by CIBJO in Bogotá, Colombia, from October 15 to 17, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has released its commissions’ Special Reports – the fourth in number. This one deals with “efforts being taken to promote responsible practices” in the colored gemstone industry.
The report, headed by Charles Abouchar, claims that the colored gemstone sector is “a tough nut to crack” because of two main factors: More than 80% of colored gemstones come from tens of thousands of artisanal miners around the world; and policies that “could economically disadvantage artisanal or small-scale miners, by restricting their ability to be fully involved in the business”.
Abouchar also outlines a project underway to produce an abridged version of the Coloured Stone Blue Book “which will be easier for retailers and their staff to understand and use”, and reports on an initiative by CIBJO to “encourage gemmological laboratories to separate scientific results and professional opinions on their reports”.
The full copy of the CIBJO Diamond Commission’s special report can be downloaded here.
