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«The future of jewelry is only possible by following the path of ethics, sustainability and social responsibility»: Gaetano Cavalieri, president of The World Jewelery Confederation (Cibjo), who spoke at the Luxury Summit of Sole 24 Ore organized in collaboration with HTSI. «In 2000 the precious metals industry was heavily attacked by non-governmental associations – he said –: we understood that these types of attacks were not compatible with our DNA therefore we invited governments and the same associations to discuss activists deciding that it was necessary to have a control system. And from there we continued the Kimberley Process.” That was just the beginning of a journey towards transparency, a topic that is increasingly dear to those who purchase jewellery, from the nature of precious materials to their degree of traceability, consumption of resources and respect for human rights. «Like Cibjo we can control and put out of the system those who do not respect the rules and we have expelled several», added Gaetano Cavalieri.
The commitment of companies in the sector is fundamental in this sense, as is training, as explained by Eleonora Rizzuto, director of Sustainable Development of the Bulgari Group and Lvmh Italia. «Knowledge is necessary to understand the origin of what you have in your hands, because the raw material has an origin and a path. And to be effective, sustainability must enter into the decisive strategic and managerial processes of companies at all levels and in all phases, from production to budgets to relationships. For all this, increasingly broader skills are needed.”
The demand for professionals from companies “is very high” underlined Loredana Prosperi, director of the Italian Gemmological Institute (Igi) and speaker on the board of directors of the Italian Gemmologists Association, which organizes courses to obtain the gemologist diploma, but also informative and practical, thematic and personalized courses for companies. It also offers a gemological analysis service. «We collaborate with universities and make our research available to companies, which is based on advanced technologies for the analysis of gems, for example, or extraction. The training of gemologists never stops, it is constantly evolving and follows the discoveries, including of new minerals, as well as of new tools, or syntheses.”
According to Luca Solari, director of the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana, the real turning point came with the big brands and investment funds. «The great economic availability given by the latter – he said – has allowed the brands to grow by opening new points of sale all over the world. Hence the need to increase production by seeking new specialized craftsmen. We work in partnership with companies to whom we offer a tailor-made training service, bringing their DNA into the school through teachers who come directly from the brands. An example is the project with the Buccellati maison.”