CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, will organise a virtual edition of its annual congress in November in light of existing Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions, the group announced recently. 

The congress, scheduled for November 1 to 4 and November 15 to 18, will be conducted on the new Zoom Events platform, which allows delegates to virtually interact in a common area between and during formal meetings.

The sessions are timed to enable optimal attendance by delegates linking in from multiple time zones. As such, only one or two meetings will be held on any given day. Sessions will be recorded.

“Under current conditions, a virtual congress is the safer alternative, allowing the participation of the greatest number of delegates,” explained CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “There is a great deal to report and discuss, not least of which is how our industry is being impacted and changed by the pandemic.”

CIBJO congresses gather members under one roof where its sectoral commissions can meet and discuss updates or introduce amendments to the organisation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals, coral and responsible sourcing, known as the CIBJO Blue Books.

The CIBJO Congress is also where the programme of World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation, relating to responsible and sustainable activities in the industry and CIBJO’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations and its development programme, is reported upon.

Registration for public events will begin on October 1, 2021. Other sessions will be by invitation only, according to CIBJO.