Forging a New Language of Trust: Inside CIBJO’s Quest to Define Ethical Jewelry
Imagine walking into a jewelry store, ready to purchase a piece to commemorate a life-altering moment—an engagement, an anniversary, a personal triumph. The diamonds sparkle under the lights, the gold gleams with a warm, inviting glow. But as a modern, conscious consumer, your questions go beyond the Four Cs of carat, cut, color, and clarity. You ask, “Is this piece ethical? Is it sustainable? Was it responsibly sourced?”
The salesperson, eager to assist, might respond with a cascade of reassuring terms: “Absolutely. Our collection is fully sustainable, sourced from responsible partners who adhere to the highest ethical standards.” But what do those words—”sustainable,” “responsible,” “ethical”—truly mean? Are they interchangeable? Do they refer to environmental impact, labor practices, community development, or all of the above? For the average consumer, and often for the jewelers themselves, the landscape of ethical terminology has become a dense, confusing fog.
This critical challenge was the central focus of a landmark seminar at the recent Las Vegas show, the jewelry industry’s premier gathering. In a packed room, a panel of industry leaders convened for a discussion titled, “What Does It Mean to Be Ethical? Have Your Say.” Their message was unanimous and urgent: the industry is at a crossroads, and to move forward, it must first agree on the language it uses. The solution they presented is a groundbreaking initiative: the CIBJO Blue List, a meticulously crafted guide designed to bring clarity, consistency, and accountability to the conversation around sustainability and social responsibility.
The Genesis of a Universal Dictionary
At the heart of this endeavor is CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation. Often described as the “United Nations of the jewelry industry,” CIBJO represents national trade organizations from dozens of countries, creating a global forum for addressing the sector’s most pressing issues. Its president, the venerable Gaetano Cavalieri, opened the seminar by articulating the problem with a powerful simplicity.
“We wanted to set up a committee to define the terminology used by our industry, so we can bring to the consumer the best possible meaning of the concepts we talk about,” Cavalieri explained. He painted a vivid picture of a global industry suffering from a self-inflicted communication breakdown. “Sometimes in different parts of the world, and even in the same country,” he lamented, “we talk the same language and don’t understand each other.”
The CIBJO Blue List, he clarified, is being developed to serve as a foundational tool—”a list of terminology, like a dictionary.” The ambition is not merely academic; it is profoundly practical. “It will be something that everybody may clearly and simply understand,” Cavalieri stressed, envisioning a future where a jeweler in Milan, a retailer in New York, and a consumer in Shanghai can all share a common understanding of what it means for a gemstone or a piece of jewelry to be “ethically produced.”
Five Years in the Making: A Deep Dive into the Language of Green
The creation of such a foundational document was no small undertaking. Feriel Zerouki, President of the World Diamond Council and Chief Trade and Industry Officer for De Beers, revealed that the initial draft of the Blue List was the culmination of a painstaking five-year process.
“It became a mini research project,” Zerouki said, detailing the immense scope of the committee’s work. The first step was to understand the existing chaos. “We said, ‘Let’s do a data scrape on how people are communicating with the consumer.’” This involved an exhaustive analysis of marketing materials, websites, press releases, and social media content from across the industry. The findings were stark. “If we in the trade aren’t using the same nomenclature, can you imagine what it must be like for the consumer?” she posed. “We were all using these words interchangeably: responsibly sourced, responsible, sustainable, etc. It was just super-confusing.”
This confusion doesn’t just bewilder customers; it undermines the very efforts of companies genuinely committed to responsible practices. When “sustainable” can mean anything, it ultimately means nothing, allowing bad actors to “greenwash”—making unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers—while the truly virtuous players struggle to differentiate themselves.
To build their new lexicon, the CIBJO team cast a wide net, consulting a vast array of sources. They delved into legal dictionaries and regulatory papers to understand the legal precedents. They cross-referenced international standards, such as those from the ISO, and studied existing industry frameworks. Critically, they engaged a diverse group of experts from different sectors—from mining engineers and environmental scientists to labor rights advocates and marketing specialists—to ensure every definition was robust and multi-faceted. The next crucial step, they announced, will be to test the proposed terminology with consumer focus groups, ensuring the final language is not only accurate but also resonant and easily understood by the public.
The Crucible of Debate: Forging Consensus from Contention
The process of defining these terms was far from a simple clerical task. Purvi Shah, Head of Ethical and Sustainable Value Chains for De Beers and a key member of the 12-person Blue List committee, offered a candid look behind the curtain, revealing a process marked by passionate and sometimes contentious debate.
“There were many hours of debate on various terms,” Shah recalled. Imagine the scene: a dozen of the industry’s sharpest minds, representing different geographies and corporate philosophies, dissecting a single word. What constitutes “artisanal mining”? Does it simply refer to scale, or must it involve traditional, non-mechanized methods? How do you define “traceability”? Is a batch-level certification sufficient, or does true traceability require a unique digital fingerprint for every single stone?
These were not abstract philosophical arguments; they were high-stakes discussions about the future of the industry’s credibility. Yet, despite the disagreements, Shah emphasized the profound sense of shared purpose that animated the committee. “This was one of the most dedicated committees I’ve ever seen,” she affirmed, highlighting a collective recognition that getting this right was essential for the long-term health of the entire jewelry ecosystem.
A core principle that emerged from these debates was the decision that the Blue List should guide, not dictate. “The final document tried not to be prescriptive,” Shah explained. “We didn’t want to stifle innovation, and we don’t want people to just go down one specific route.” The fear was that an overly rigid set of rules could penalize smaller, innovative companies that might be pioneering new and effective models of sustainability that don’t fit neatly into a pre-defined box. The Blue List is intended to be a framework, not a straitjacket, providing the essential building blocks of trustworthy communication while allowing for diversity in practice.
Navigating the Regulatory Maze
The Blue List arrives at a critical moment, as governments worldwide are cracking down on misleading environmental claims. Sara Yood, President and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), the industry’s legal guardian in the United States, noted the limitations of existing regulations. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) “Green Guides,” for instance, are the primary tool for policing environmental marketing claims. However, they are designed to cover all consumer products, from plastic bags to automobiles.
“They are not particularly well-tailored for what we do in this industry,” Yood observed. The jewelry supply chain—stretching from remote mines through complex cutting and polishing centers to global manufacturing hubs and finally to retail showrooms—has unique complexities that a general-purpose guide cannot fully address.
This is where the Blue List can play a pivotal role. Ronnie VanderLinden, President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, highlighted its potential influence on future regulation. With the FTC planning a revision of its Green Guides, the industry will be in a much stronger position. “Now we’re able to internationally and domestically say to the FTC, ‘Here’s a helpful handbook,’” VanderLinden said. “So they understand the language that we speak as an industry.” It is a proactive step, demonstrating the industry’s capacity for self-regulation and its commitment to providing regulators with a nuanced, expert-led framework.
However, Purvi Shah issued an important caution: adherence to the Blue List is not a legal get-out-of-jail-free card. “Following the Blue List doesn’t guarantee a jeweler would be in compliance with local laws,” she stated. But she also noted that the document was carefully designed to “incorporate the basic framework of most national laws,” which universally rest on a simple but powerful principle: any claim a company makes must be substantiated with credible proof.
The stakes are getting higher. “In this regulatory environment, it’s going to get quite serious,” Shah warned. “In the U.K., you can now receive financial penalties if you are greenwashing.”
A Living Document: The Conversation Begins
The Blue List is not being handed down from on high as a finished edict. In a move demonstrating its commitment to transparency and inclusivity, CIBJO has opened the draft document for a period of public consultation. The feedback has already begun to pour in.
Shah described the initial comments as “rich and insightful,” reflecting the global nature of the industry itself. “We’ve received feedback from across Asia, Europe, and the United States,” she said. This process is vital for stress-testing the definitions and ensuring they are culturally and commercially relevant across different markets.
Crucially, the committee is welcoming dissent. “Of course, there have been people who disagreed with us, which has been really interesting and is going to make the next few months for us interesting as we unpack that.” This willingness to engage with criticism ensures the final document will be more robust, balanced, and widely accepted.
The CIBJO Blue List is more than just a dictionary. It is an ambitious attempt to build a new foundation of trust between the jewelry industry and the consumers it serves. It is a recognition that in the 21st century, the beauty of a gemstone or a piece of jewelry is inextricably linked to the story of its journey. By creating a shared, honest, and verifiable language, CIBJO and its partners are working to ensure that when a consumer asks, “Is this ethical?” the answer can be one of clarity, confidence, and enduring value.
