The 2019 CIBJO Congress concluded in Bahrain with the setting up of three new committees focused respectively on technology, fund raising and lab-grown diamonds, and the election of a new Board of Directors. Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman GJEPC was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents.

The confederation’s President, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri was confirmed for another two-year term in office while two new vice presidents were elected to serve along the CIBJO’s long-time Vice President Roland Naftule. Jonathan Kendall of the De Beers Group of Companies is the other new VP along with Agrawal.

The annual congress was held this year at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, from November 18 to 20, with steering committee meetings taking place on November 16 and 17. It was hosted by DANAT, Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones. The congress was attended by about 220 participants, with about 150 flying in from abroad.

Along with the setting up of a new committee on Lab-Grown Diamonds, details of which were reported yesterday, CIBJO also constituted two other new committees.

One of these will focus on the long-term impacts of new technologies on the jewellery, gemstone and precious metals sectors. It will draw on expertise from across the jewellery sector, with the goals of developing understandings of the disruptive technologies that are likely to impact the industry in coming years, CIBJO said.

A statement from the organisation cited Artificial Intelligence (AI) as one example of the new technologies that will be focused upon. CIBJO noted that AI “could be transformative for the jewellery and gemstone sector, because it takes over decision-making functions that to date have been performed by people”.

The organisation said there is “a capacity (for AI) to have positive impacts, in that it could create systems that are able to analyse consumer demand and then optimise the production of raw materials, the types, qualities and quantities of gemstones being cut, and the range of jewellery being produced”, but added that “there also are more sinister aspects, such as reduced autonomous decision-making and invasions of privacy of both members of industry and consumers”.

Dr Cavalieri said that it is imperative for the industry to “develop an understanding of where things are headed, rather than having to react to situations brought about by technological developments, when we are less informed and less prepared”.

“For a long while our industry continued to operate according to rules and systems that seldom changed, but that is no longer the case. CIBJO needs to better informed, and we must then pass that knowledge onto our members and stakeholders. This will be the role of the Technology Committee,” he elaborated.

The CIBJO Board of Directors additionally decided to establish a third new committee, which will be charged with fundraising for the World Jewellery Confederation.

Pic caption: A section of delegates during one of the sessions of the CIBJO Congress

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