“Historically, international crisis have been inflection points in the human experience, and the COVID-19 epidemic is likely to be one of the most transformative in living memory,” proclaimed CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri in a message he sent out to the gems and jewellery industry today. “The world we knew before March 2020 will be different to the one that emerges at the other end of the tunnel through which are travelling, and it will be incumbent upon us to adapt in order to succeed in the new environment.”\r\n\r\nHe pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is different from all others in that it is “so all-embracing”.\r\n\r\nEvery facet of life, everywhere on the globe, has been impacted, emphasises Cavalieri. At the same time, he feels, as a collective, humankind has never been better equipped to deal with its effects. “The changes that emerge, and they will be considerable, will come about both, as a result of the comprehensiveness of the experience, and also because what we have done and what we have used to cope in the challenging environment,” he said.\r\n\r\nLike many others who have echoed a similar sentiment, he recognises that the greatest lesson COVID-19 has taught us is “the infinite degree to which we are dependent upon one another”.\r\n\r\n“Such levels of co-dependency certainly apply to behaviour related to mitigating the spread of the coronavirus, but are they not relevant to other aspects of our communal existence?” he asks. “Global warming, like COVID-19, is a phenomenon that threatens humanity, as well as other living beings inhabiting our planet. Will the coronavirus crisis contribute to the understanding that if we do not all institute responsible climate standards and practices, those who choose not to follow the advice of scientists threaten more than only their own existence?”\r\n\r\nCavalieri feels that given the inevitability of substantial change and the degree to which we all have a vested interest in decisions that are and will be made, “it is imperative that we initiate a cross-industry dialogue as soon as possible”.\r\n\r\n“It is fair to assume that none of us alone fully understands the length and breadth of the myriad of challenges that we are facing, nor the full range of solutions that we already have at our disposal, or those that it is within our capacity to develop,” he said. “If we pool our knowledge and expertise, however, the picture will become clearer.”\r\n\r\nCavalieri opined that there were not only immediate issues that need to be addressed -- many of them resulting from the slowdown to practical shutdown of the retail jewellery sector – but also longer-term issues of concern. “How will the coping mechanisms that we are using change the way we do business in the years and decades ahead?” he queried.\r\n\r\nCavalieri stated: “Over the coming days, weeks and months, CIBJO will be coordinating a public dialogue and consultation, using some of tools that have kept us in close contact over the past several weeks, despite the social distancing.\r\n\r\n“I invite you to join the discussion. It is quite possibly the most important thing that we should be doing right now, other than protecting our health and that of all others around us.”