As CIBJO enters its second century, the jewellery industry is facing another major transformation. Sustainability, responsible sourcing, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are redefining the sector, raising a fundamental question already explored at Vicenzaoro:
In the second part of our exclusive interview, CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri explains why technology should empower rather than replace human creativity, and why transparency, common standards and consumer confidence will be crucial to ensuring the future of the global jewellery industry.
In your view, what are the main sustainability challenges for the industry, from raw-material traceability to environmental impact? How does CIBJO support professionals in this transition?
Our role in the formulation of sustainable practices is multifaceted. We set standards through our Blue Books, including a Responsible Sourcing Blue Book, and guidelines devoted to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) practices. We also offer a Responsible Sourcing Toolkit at no cost via our website, as well as educational activities through the CIBJO Academy, seminars and webinars.
We also speak on behalf of the industry as its representative in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and are involved with international bodies including the UN Global Compact and OECD.
In these bodies, we have worked hard to dispel the image of the industry as a sector that mainly serves affluent consumers, demonstrating instead that it delivers real and sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits to the countries and communities in which it operates.
Sustainability is only one aspect of the profound transformation currently reshaping the jewellery industry. As we explored in our analysis of the n
Digital transformation is reshaping the industry. What is CIBJO’s position on the integration of new technologies — especially artificial intelligence — in jewellery design, manufacturing and marketing?
Jewellery cannot be produced in the same way as automobiles or washing machines, where every component can be mass-produced. Each natural gemstone is unique and has to be cut individually.
But that does not mean we are immune from technology. As labour costs increased in established cutting and manufacturing centres, production shifted to lower-cost countries, accompanied by technological developments that substantially changed the way gemstones are cut and jewellery is designed and manufactured.
Today, sophisticated technologies such as computer-aided design and manufacturing, laser cutting, robotics and 3-D printing are commonplace. AI is the latest twist in what has been a long and continuous process. But I still believe that it is a tool that is used by humans, rather than replacing humans.
Technology has also transformed jewellery marketing. We were initially sceptical that consumers would buy costly pieces online without physically handling or trying them on, but the growth of online jewellery retail proved us wrong.
All of this has increased the importance of CIBJO’s work in developing harmonized standards, principles and terminology across the supply chain. Technology has also created new challenges, such as synthetic diamonds and gemstones with physical characteristics similar to their natural counterparts.
CIBJO has therefore had to develop standards and language to ensure that industry players and consumers clearly understand what is natural and what is synthetic. If consumer confidence is undermined, the very foundation on which our industry depends will become unstable.
AI also raises ethical and economic questions. What role do you believe artificial intelligence should play within the standards and best-practice frameworks promoted by CIBJO?
AI is a tool that should enable and empower human beings, but not replace them. We already know that it can conduct comprehensive due diligence processes in a fraction of the time and effort previously required. It is not perfect and needs to be continuously checked, but it is enabling small and medium-sized companies to carry out monitoring and background checks that were previously considered too cumbersome and expensive.
I appreciate that many are concerned that AI could make certain roles currently filled by human workers obsolete, and I would be disingenuous if I said such concerns were completely unfounded.
But we would be wasting our time trying to keep AI out of the workplace. It would be like trying to hold back the sea with your bare hands. Instead of struggling, you need to learn to surf the waves.
We have been here before. Computers, the Internet, 3D printing and robotics all caused disruption, but they also provided opportunities for growth.
If the jewellery industry does not embrace technological innovation and understand how we both impact and are impacted by technology, the environment and society, we risk losing market share to other sectors of the luxury industry.
Finally, what are your priorities and ambitions for CIBJO over the next five years as the organisation enters its second century?
Our priority remains the same: protecting consumer confidence in our products and our industry, in the most open and transparent way possible.
Using the changing tools at our disposal and the collective wisdom of our global membership, we will change as we need to, develop new tools and reach new audiences to keep the wheels of this wonderful industry turning.
That is what we did for the first 100 years, and it is definitely what we will do for the second 100 years.
Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri has served as President of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, since 2001. A leading figure in the international jewellery industry, he has held several senior positions representing Italy in international trade. In 2026, he was appointed Grande Ufficiale (Grand Officer) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the country’s highest order of merit.
CIBJO celebrates its centenary at Vicenzaoro
CIBJO will conclude its centenary celebrations in Vicenza, Italy, where the CIBJO Centenary Congress will take place from September 4 to 7, 2026, during Vicenzaoro September. Hosted at the Fiera di Vicenza, the Congress will bring together leaders and experts from across the international jewellery, gemstone and precious metals industry to discuss some of the sector’s most pressing issues, from responsible sourcing and sustainability to artificial intelligence, geopolitics, diamonds, coloured gemstones and precious metals.
The event will take place alongside Vicenzaoro September 2026, held from September 4 to 8, one of the leading international meeting places for the global jewellery and goldsmith industry.
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