CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has released a simplified guide to ethical and responsible practices in the handling and trading of diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls and coral, and has made it available for downloading in PDF format from the CIBJO website, in multiple languages, free of charge.

The 10-page to 13-page document, depending on the language in which it is downloaded, provides easy-to-understand guidelines for industry professionals concerning the disclosure and description of natural and treated gem materials, synthetics and other artificial products, as well as recommendations about information that should be requested from suppliers. The document is intended to support jewellery business owners and professional staff, but it is not intended to replace CIBJO’s Blue Books, which are comprehensive guides of standards, practices and nomenclature for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, coral, precious metals, gemmological laboratories and responsible sourcing, nor in any way supersede national legislation or regulations, or internationally approved protocols.

“The Do’s & Don’ts Guide is intended to serve as a quick and simple reference for industry professionals, to ensure that responsible practices are being applied,” explained Roland Naftule, President of CIBJO’s Sector A, which covers all gem materials and was responsible, along with the help and support of his vice-presidents, for producing the document. “We encourage all members of the industry to become familiar with the various Blue Books, but we appreciate that on the spur of the moment they can be overwhelming in terms of size and complexity. For that reason we produced this more concise and easily-read guide, with the goal being to promote consumer confidence through ethical trade.”

“Consumer confidence is the bedrock of the jewellery business, and to maintain and enhance this it is critical that responsible practices be applied, by all participants at every stage of the chain of distribution,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “Our new Do’s & Don’ts Guide is designed to support this objective.”