In 2026, CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, marks its centenary. In early September, it held its Centenary Congress alongside the VICENZAORO jewelry trade show in Vicenza.
CIBJO is the only jewelry industry association with global reach that spans the entire supply chain. Its series of "Blue Books" sets rigorous standards and definitions for the global jewelry industry. The international business community represented by CIBJO had an estimated total turnover of USD 250 billion in 2026 on a conservative basis, and as much as USD 409 billion on an optimistic estimate.
Ahead of the congress, CIBJO released 10 special reports in succession, covering jewelry sustainability, marketing and education, technology, gemology, ethics, and specific jewelry categories including precious metals, diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls and coral.
Notably, CIBJO will create a clear and complete comparison table for "fei cui" (jadeite), which is highly popular in the Chinese market, matching traditional Chinese terminology one-to-one with common Western terminology; CIBJO also reiterated that "laboratory-grown diamonds" should be clearly and uniformly labeled as "synthetic diamonds," and called for an end to grading synthetic diamonds using the 4C standard.
All the reports were written independently by CIBJO's 10 industry commissions, addressing the core issues facing the jewelry industry now and in the future, and were discussed and studied in depth at the VICENZAORO show in Vicenza.
——Sustainability Special Report
The report notes that the jewelry supply chain is complex and fragmented, making transparency efforts difficult. In addition, various regulations are institutionalizing sustainability-related requirements, and reporting, due diligence and traceability rules are becoming increasingly detailed and deeply tied to companies' actual operations.
Even so, the report reiterates that sustainability's central role continues to grow.
"The additional evidence now available shows that if sustainability is pursued strategically, it can not only address various risks but also drive value creation, technological innovation, and the building of reliable and adaptable value chains, promoting long-term growth," said John Mulligan, chairman of the Sustainability Commission.
——Marketing and Education Special Report
The report introduces the founding of the International Fine Jewellery Academy (IFJA).
Located in Milan, IFJA was jointly created by CIBJO, the Fondazione Mani Intelligenti in Valenza, the Confcommercio Milano chamber of commerce, and the Fondazione ITS Cosmo (the Milan fashion and tourism institute foundation). It is a hands-on jewelry-making academy dedicated to training a new generation of industry professionals.
The report also previews the release of two new gemstone guides, focusing on opal and fei cui (jadeite), respectively. Especially for fei cui, which is popular in China, CIBJO will create a clear and complete comparison table matching traditional Chinese terminology one-to-one with common Western terminology.
——Technology Special Report
The report outlines several technologies expected to fundamentally change jewelry production and sales models, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced data analytics.
Stéphane Fischler, who led the drafting of the report, said these technologies "are reshaping every link in the supply chain from mine to end market, promising to improve efficiency, strengthen traceability and enable personalization, but they also bring new risks involving data governance, cultural heritage, workforce transition and the protection of craftsmanship."
The report gives examples: virtual try-on tools using augmented reality collect biometric data such as facial contours and hand proportions, and jewelers storing large amounts of sensitive data on high-net-worth clients also creates major security risks. As for AI-assisted design, relying entirely on it would lead to design convergence, narrowing rather than broadening creative space.
——Ethics Special Report
The report focuses on intellectual property and the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on intellectual property.
The report notes that while GenAI tools can expand human creativity and increase output, they may also misappropriate, imitate or obscure human original work. The use of GenAI must not harm the intellectual property rights of designers, artisans, photographers, brands and other human creators. This cannot be achieved by law alone; companies must consistently prioritize transparency and copyright interests, and establish clear oversight and accountability mechanisms.
——Gemology and Specific Jewelry Category Special Reports
The six special reports on gemology and precious metals, diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls and coral focus on terminology naming conventions and identification standards in their respective segments.
For example, the diamond special report once again reiterates that "laboratory-grown diamonds" should be clearly and uniformly labeled as "synthetic diamonds," and calls for an end to grading synthetic diamonds using the 4C standard.
In colored gemstones, the report points out the non-standard use of "fancy names" currently on the market, such as "pigeon's blood" for ruby and "royal blue" and "cornflower blue" for sapphire, which lack a unified international standard. CIBJO is exploring ways to address this issue.
The precious metals special report discusses the supply chain performance, investment trends and market demand of gold, platinum, silver and other precious metals over the past year.
In 2025, spot gold prices hit record highs 56 times, driving new mine production and project expansion. Among major gold-producing countries, China's gold output rose 1% to 12.3 million ounces (384.3 tonnes), and Russia's rose 5% to 11 million ounces (342 tonnes). Global gold supply in 2026 is expected to rise 2.4% year on year to 125.6 million ounces (3,907 tonnes), setting another record high.
Net gold demand fell 9% in 2025 to 137.4 million ounces (4,275 tonnes). Net physical gold investment demand grew 16%, hitting a record high of 45.1 million ounces (1,404 tonnes). Demand contracted in all other segments; high gold prices suppressed jewelry consumption, with jewelry fabrication demand falling 19% to 52.9 million ounces (1,646 tonnes).
｜Source: Original report
｜Image source: Original report
｜Editor: LuxeCO
