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Industry News: JVC To Address Harassment, Cybersecurity And Synthetics; Another Credit Hack; More April 04, 2018 (0 comments)
JVC 2018 Webinars To Address Synthetics, Sexual Harrassment, CyberSecurity; More
New York, NY—The Jewelers Vigilance Committee will commence a live webinar series beginning in May of 2018, addressing multiple timely legal issues both specific to jewelry and relevant to businesses in general. The series is designed to help members of the jewelry industry avoid legal risks and implement legally compliant business practices. Webinars are free to members; non-member fee is $25.
All sessions will be held from 2:00 to 2:45 p.m. Eastern time on the dates noted:
- Keeping Sexual Harassment Out Of Your Business, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, 2:00 p.m. EDT: This webinar will provide an overview of anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws, discuss the basics of what constitutes sexual harassment, how to prevent claims of sexual harassment, and how to handle employee complaints of sexual harassment. Presented by JVC’s senior counsel, Sara Yood.
- Synthetics: Decoding Your Responsibilities, Thursday, June 28, 2018, 2:00 p.m. EDT: This webinar will provide an overview of what jewelers need to understand about laboratory-grown diamonds. Use this webinar to inform your business decision around when, how and if to carry laboratory-grown diamond products. Learn about your responsibilities when it comes to advertising these products in different mediums (e.g., print, online, social media), how to ensure your suppliers are giving you the disclosures you need to conduct your business ethically, options around machine testing, and how to talk to customers about these products. Presented by JVC’s president/CEO, Tiffany Stevens.
- AML Refresher, Wednesday, October 17, 2018 2:00 p.m. EDT: This webinar will help you understand the latest news regarding AML (anti-money laundering) compliance. The IRS is stepping up enforcement of the requirement that precious metals and gem dealers have active anti-money laundering programs in their business. It may also be a requirement from your bank, your own customers/suppliers, or an external third party. We will review the basic requirements quickly, and then talk about what’s happening nationally with enforcement. Presented by JVC’s senior counsel, Sara Yood.
- New Tech In An Old World: Privacy, Data Protection & Cybersecurity Law, Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 2:00 p.m. EST: Whether you have a small brick and mortar business or a large online retail business, chances are that you are subject to U.S. and foreign privacy laws, and vulnerable to a wide range of cybersecurity threats. Tune in for a general overview of privacy laws currently in existence (both U.S. and European) and tips on how to comply with these laws. This webinar will also cover general tips on how to protect your business from privacy and cybersecurity threats. Presented by JVC’s assistant general counsel, Miya Owens.
Click here for registration & details or call (212) 997-2002.
Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor Suffer Credit Card Breaches
New York, NY—Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue department stores—both part of Canada’s Hudson Bay Company—are the latest major U.S. retailers to suffer a massive hack of customer credit card numbers. Cybersecurity firm Gemini Advisory disclosed the data breach on
Sunday, saying records for more than five million credit and debit cards used at the chains’ North American locations were compromised beginning last May. Consumer data appears to have been stolen via software implanted into in-store cash register systems. Most of the compromised cards were ones used in store branches in New York and New Jersey, though other locations also were compromised; 83 Saks locations and the entire Lord & Taylor network, according to reports. Credit cards used solely for online purchases do not appear to be impacted by this breach.
Unfortunately, the kind of purchases that often are made fraudulently also are the kind of purchases that luxury consumers make, so identifying them could be difficult.
GIA To Expand European Trade Show Presence
Carlsbad, CA—GIA (Gemological Institute of America) will participate in CARAT+ diamond show from May 6 to 8 at the Antwerp Expo in Belgium and at the Geneva International Gem & Jewellery Show from May 10 to 13 at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland.
Both shows will feature live demonstrations of the GIA iD100TM gem testing device. The new instrument can distinguish natural diamonds (mounted and loose, rough and cut) from synthetic (HPHT and CVD) diamonds and diamond stimulants in the colorless to near-colorless range, in sizes starting from 0.9 millimeters in diameter.
Show visitors will be able to talk with GIA staff about GIA’s research programs, educational offerings, and gemological laboratory services and instruments. There will be a GIA Show Service Laboratory available at the Geneva International Gem & Jewellery Show.
On May 7 at 4 p.m., GIA will host a GemFest during the CARAT+ diamond show. Tom Moses, GIA executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer, will give an update on the GIA laboratory and research.
GIA’s Show Service Laboratory will be available for colored stones at the Geneva International Gem & Jewellery Show from May 10 through May 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and May 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Show attendees can submit stones for GIA Colored Stone Identification Report, and GIA Colored Stone Identification and Origin Report services at the Show Service Laboratory. Stones are tested on a first-come, first-served basis; service time can vary depending on when items are submitted. When services are completed, clients will be notified by phone, email or text to pick up their stones and temporary reports. Final reports will be mailed within two to three weeks. For more information, click here. Diamond and pearl report services will not be available.
University of Delaware to Host Jewelry Development Impact Index
Newark, DE—The University of Delaware (UD) has invited the Jewelry Development Impact index (JDI) project to become the technological, signature project of a new graduate certificate program titled Minerals and Society. Launched from group discussions at the Jewelry Industry Summit held in Tucson, AZ in 2017, the JDI project has been spearheaded by Elizabeth Orlando, foreign service officer at the U.S. Department of State and progressed through the volunteer efforts of industry veteran Patricia Syvrud, immediate past executive director of the World Diamond Council. The concept of the JDI is that it would be a relative and comparative country score that would measure and indicate the degree to which the jewelry and gemstone industries impact the economic and social well-being of societies in the countries in which it functions.
Created within the framework of the UN indicators of Human Security, the JDI would also capture examples of responsible sourcing and transparency initiatives that can be replicated, assisting with the implementation of the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidelines. Comparative case studies serving as the groundwork of the JDI are currently being conducted by Master’s students at American University’s School of International Service.
The Minerals and Society program at the University of Delaware will be funded by the Unidel Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Amy Dupont, and will be developed under the leadership of Dr. Saleem H. Ali, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at UD. It will be the first ‘micro-Master’ of its kind in the United States which takes an interdisciplinary approach to linking mineral science, policy and human rights to affect positive change. Ali also is the lead researcher on the Tiffany Foundation-funded Sustainable Gemstone Hub project (www.sustainablegemstones.org) is also a Senior Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Sustainable Investment and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
“We are thrilled that the JDI will find a home as the anchor project of our new program,” he said. “It is a perfect fit. UD will supply the JDI with academic legitimacy, non-profit status, and an extensive network that will lead to the successful creation of the JDI. Alternatively, an annually published JDI will drive interest to the Minerals and Society program, ensuring the long-term success of both.” The inaugural publication of the JDI is planned for January 2020.
Patricia Syvrud has been named program manager at UD and will assist with curriculum development and marketing of the Minerals and Society program as well as oversee the creation of the JDI.
“The jewelry industry has a real opportunity to make a positive impact on the fragile economies from which so many of our products are sourced,” says Syvrud. “The JDI will be a concrete tool to help companies and countries make that impact, and the Minerals and Society program will supply a much-needed educational platform that stakeholders from around the world can access to help them make a difference.”
The Unidel Foundation grant covers faculty and staff but UD is seeking matching funds from interested stakeholders of $150,000 to support the entire project. For information, contact Patricia Syvrud at psyvrud@gmail.com or Dr. Ali at saleem@udel.edu. Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.