CIBJO and International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) agree to collaborate in protection of consumer confidence
28 Jun 2023
The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) have agreed to work together in protecting the confidence of consumers in both jewellery products and the jewellery industry, through the transparent development of standards, operating principles and terminology.
The agreement was formalised today as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, and Joanna Park-Tonks, President of IGDA, during the National Association of Jewellers’ NAJ Summit, which is taking place in the UK city of Birmingham.
As part of the agreement, IGDA will become a member of CIBJO’s Laboratory Grown Diamond Committee, where it will be represented by Ms. Park-Tonks. The committee, chaired by Wesley Hunt of De Beers, has developed a Laboratory Grown Diamond Guidance document, the goals of which is to define universal trading and handling practices for laboratory-grown diamonds, safeguarding their identity and enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decision.
Dr. Cavalieri said
“We are delighted to be able to formalise IGDA’s association with CIBJO and the work that we do.
“We have had open lines of communication for some time already, and IGDA did participate in the public review before we released the Laboratory Grown Diamond Guidance document in 2021. Over the past several years the laboratory-grown diamonds sector has grown into a large and a prominent part of our industry, and we all have a vested interest in each other’s success. That definitely will be enhanced by having the IGDA as a permanent part of the discussion and the decision-making process. We are most pleased to welcome Joanna on board.”
Ms. Park-Tonks said,
"IGDA is simply thrilled to be so warmly welcomed by Dr. Cavalieri and we would also like to thank the Committee Chair, Mr, Wesley Hunt, for his deep industry insight, diplomacy and expertise.
“This sends a clear signal to the global jewellery industry to set personal agendas and egos aside, placing the consumer and their best interests at the heart of our work. We all agree that a strategy of deriding natural diamonds or laboratory-grown diamond products is not conducive to consumers understanding of either sector. Together we are stronger and we jointly acknowledge the necessity of communicating clearly, honestly and transparently.”
Left to right: Joanna Park-Tonks, president of IGDA, Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO and Vivien Johnston Glass, IGDA’s Sustainability Chair, during the NAJ Summit in Birmingham, UK.
A current focus of the CIBJO’s Laboratory Grown Diamond Committee, and also an element during the discussion between CIBJO and IGDA is the honest and accurate presentation of sustainability issues – an area that requires cross-industry collaboration and leadership.
Vivien Johnston Glass, a sustainability consultant and IGDA’s Sustainbility Chair, said,
“We are sensitive to the issues of ‘greenwashing,’ which can mislead consumers about the environmental impacts of LGDs, where these claims are not substantiated by evidence.
“In aligning on how sustainability is presented accurately and uniting to deliver a better future for planet and people, we can maximise the positive impacts within the jewellery industry and build strong consumer trust in laboratory grown diamonds.”
She added,
“IGDA is committed to promoting better understanding and mitigation actions among members in order to address the challenges of meeting relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals, a mandate that CIBJO has championed for many years as the jewellery industry representative to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),”
Source: CIBJO