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Industry News: U.S. Jewelry Council To Address Lab-Grown Diamonds; Delegation Heads To Myanmar October 11, 2016 (0 comments)
U.S. Jewelry Council To Host Roundtable On Undisclosed Lab-Grown Diamonds
New York, NY—The United States Jewelry Council (USJC) will host an industry summit about undisclosed lab-grown diamonds, an issue it calls “the most important consumer confidence issue of the day.” A roundtable discussion will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.
“The success of the U.S. jewelry industry depends on consumer confidence in the products our members sell,” says Ronnie VanderLinden, chair of the USJC and president of the DMIA. “The U.S. Jewelry Council believes one way for the jewelry industry to inspire consumer confidence is through the discussion of important topics such as the detection and disclosure of undisclosed, lab-grown diamonds.”
Anyone interested in this pressing topic is invited to join the discussion, which will include guest speakers from gemological laboratories, producers, manufacturers, and retail. They will address opportunities to increase transparency, the continuous improvement in the integrity of the global jewelry supply chain, tools for jewelers and suppliers on how to detect and disclose lab-grown diamonds, and how partnerships can make a positive impact.
Online event registration is available here. All in the industry are welcome; however, attendees are encouraged to register early, as space is limited. A continental breakfast and lunch will be served. Signet Jewelers is sponsoring the event. In addition to the 13 U.S.-based jewelry trade associations that are members of the U.S. Jewelry Council, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association also support the event.
For comment or more information contact Ronnie VanderLinden, ronnie@jewelrycouncil.org, or David Bouffard, corporate affairs vice president, Signet Jewelers, dbouffard@jewels.com.
Top image: Along with colorless diamonds, significant blue diamonds have been created synthetically.
AGTA And JA Lead Gemstone Delegation To Myanmar
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar—Following President Obama’s announcement last month of the lifting of trade sanctions between the United States and Myanmar (Burma), a delegation representing the U.S. gemstone and jewelry industry headed to the country to discuss bilateral trade between the two nations. Led by American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) president Jeffrey Bilgore, AGTA CEO Douglas Hucker, Jewelers of America (JA) president & CEO David J. Bonaparte, and Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Dr. Jim Shigley, the main purpose of the visit is re-establishing direct lines of commerce between Myanmar and the United States. Also joining the delegation is Timothy Haake of Haake/Fetzer, senior counsel to JA, and the Inle Advisory Group, a Myanmar-centric business consulting firm.
“Our goal in coming here is to demonstrate that the gem sector in Myanmar is as worthy as any in the world, and that responsible commerce can only help all of us improve and make democracy stronger," says Bilgore.
“We are here to share with the people of Myanmar what our U.S. trade associations do to ensure product integrity, increase consumer confidence, and maintain responsible supply chains,” added Bonaparte.
The delegation met with a wide range of stakeholders from the gemstone industry, government, and civil society of Myanmar. The next stage of the trip will include visits to observe mining conditions and practices in Mogok.