It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first edition of JD Mine, the International Guide, the first publication and on-line database that aims to offer the most detailed, global and interactive source for information about the international jewelry, gemstone and precious metals industries.

Why is CIBJO subscribing to this endeavor? CIBJO is the world’s single, not-for-profit, vertically integrated organization that represents miners, rough gemstone and bullion traders, diamond and gemstone cutters, polished diamond and gemstone dealers, jewelry designers and manufacturers, jewelry wholesalers, jewelry retailers and variety of service industries. In short, all those industry members who should be part of this directory-should also be part of CIBJO.

As it is CIBJO’s interest to bring industry members together under one, global umbrella, we believe the creation of an international directory and database will be influential in achieving that goal.
It is for this purpose and because of the clearly overlapping interests that CIBJO is associating itself with JD Mine. The directory’s success no doubt will lead to a better understanding through all layers of the industry about its varied and various business sectors.

Most important, CIBJO’s mission is to protect the confidence of consumers in the gemstones and jewelry we sell. CIBJO’s chief task is to help defend the integrity of our industry and its products, and in so doing, we are ensuring the long-term existence of our business-your business.

If you are not-yet--a member of the national jewelry association in your own country, we urge you to become a member of that particular association that looks after your business’ specific interests. These organizations are well positioned to help us all understand what retailers need to know and do in their encounters with the new brand of consumers. It’s a changed world. Today’s consumers are well- informed, well-educated customers who come into the jewelry stores, asking endless but by no means pointless questions about our ethics and our products. At all levels, of our industry, we need to be prepared.

The JD Mine directory hopefully will help you connect with more people and business than ever before. That will be good for business. It must also be good for all those involved in making the product consumers buy. If we can succeed on both levels, we all win.

Gaetano Cavalieri, President
CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation

What is CIBJO?
CIBJO, The World Jewelry Confederation is at almost 80 years of age the oldest organization in the worldwide jewelry and gemstone sector. It does not have individual members, but rather its membership is made up of national associations from the jewelry and gemstone trades in more than 40 countries, and that number continues to grow.
CIBJO is a vertically integrated organization, meaning that we represent miners, rough gemstone and bullion traders, diamond and gemstone cutters, polished diamond and gemstone dealers, jewelry designers and manufacturers, jewelry wholesalers, jewelry retailers and variety of service industries. In short, all members who should be part of this directory!

CIBJO is essentially the United Nations of the diamond, gemstone and jewelry business, directly and indirectly looking out for the interests of literally millions of people who depend upon it for their livelihood. That includes you and your businesses, too! There is no other forum in the industry that is as inclusive and expansive as CIBJO.

CIBJO’s Mission
What is CIBJO’s mission? Essentially, it is protecting the confidence of consumers in the gemstones and jewelry we sell. By defending the integrity of our industry and its products, and in so doing protecting consumer confidence, we are ensuring the long-term existence of our business-your business.

How do we do that? CIBJO does its job on several fronts at the same time. While CIBJO has used it forums to fight against conflict diamonds and has considered means to prevent the use of gemstones, precious metals and jewelry for the purposes of money laundering, CIBJO is also actively involved in the harmonization of standards in diamond and gemstone grading and precious metal assaying. CIBJO key members have worked for years to get single, uniformly accepted systems and terminology accepted by ISO, the International Standards Organization.

Consumer Confidence
At CIBJO, we have formulated a framework set of ethical business practices and principles, designed to encompass the various codes drawn up by our member organizations. It is meant to ensure that consumer confidence can be ensured all the way along the distribution chain.

Thus, a consumer purchasing jewelry from a company affiliated to a CIBJO member will know that the rough materials that the jewelry is constructed from were obtained legitimately, that the various components are being described accurately, that at no point was child labor employed in its production, and that proper health and safety standards are being maintained in our workplaces. All of these are factors that could affect consumer confidence. Our aim is to account for each and every one of them.

To learn more about CIBJO, please go to www.cibjo.org.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation