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Milan, Italy—The Diamond Commission of CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, has released its special report ahead of the 2011 CIBJO Congress, which began March 14 in Porto, Portugal.                                                                             

After discussions at the 2009 and 2010 congresses regarding nomenclature for synthetic diamonds, CIBJO now is mostly in agreement with International Diamond Council (IDC), and will focus on fine-tuning the definitions of its Diamond Book to ensure that consumers are protected from misleading nomenclature.

The report includes comments from French CIBJO delegate Gerard Grospiron about introducing the term "natural" when referring to a mined diamond, as well as to set guidelines for the use of the terms "artificial," "assembled," and "composite" stones.

Also on the agenda for Porto is the issue of lighting and its effect on color grading colorless diamonds. Click here to download a complete copy of the CIBJO Diamond Commission Special Report.

Separately, CIBJO, along with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the City of Antwerp [Belgium] have announced that a UNITAR-affiliated Centre of Excellence for Corporate Social Responsibility in the jewelry and diamond industry will be formally declared in Antwerp on May 23. These “Centres of Excellence” aim to advance the U.N.’s social and economic development goals. To date, most of the U.N. Centres of Excellence have been national or regional; the Antwerp facility is planned to address the needs of a business sector worldwide.

CIBJO director Gaetano Cavalieri, left, is congratulated by Jocelyn Fenard, chief of partnerships and resource mobilisation at UNITAR. (Photo: MDBC)  

CIBJO is the international confederation of national jewelry trade organizations. Its purpose is to encourage international cooperation in the jewelry industry and to consider issues which concern to the trade worldwide. CIBJO's chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry. Click here to go to the CIBJO website for more information.