The 14th annual Initiatives in Art and Culture’s (IAC) Gold and Diamond Conference will be held at the Bohemian National Hall from Tuesday 16 to Wednesday 17 July 2024. The conference will be attended by academics, jewelers and representatives of trade organizations and NGOs all over the world. The theme of this edition is Expanding Horizons, which aims to promote innovative perspectives and collaborative efforts in the gold, diamond and jewelery sectors. Participants include the entire jewelery supply chain.
Building on the foundations laid by last year’s Maintaining Purpose conference, IAC’s Gold and Diamond Conference 2024 will delve into the practical aspects of driving positive change in the mining and jewelery sectors. The event will address global challenges that create interconnectedness around the world, including climate change, gender inequality and the socio-economic realities of mining communities. Through building consensus and developing context-sensitive solutions, the conference aims to inspire stakeholders to embrace innovative approaches that contribute to a better future.
Gold and diamonds have always been prized for their beauty and rarity. In addition to their preciousness and decorative value, they are fundamental to many industrial applications and will always have a special place economically and socially. Responsible extraction and sourcing is now a significant improvement in their value. As in the past, Iac will explore this important mandatory added value.
Mark Hanna, CMO, Richline Group
Lisa Koenigsberg, president and founder of Initiatives in Art and Culture, will open the conference. The opening panel entitled Convergence and Cross-Sector Collaboration, moderated by Lisa Koenigsberg, will explore the feasibility and challenges of promoting collaboration between different sectors within the jewelery industry. Speakers include: Gaetano Cavalieri (President, Cibjo), Satta Matturi (Creative Director, Matturi Fine Jewellery, diamond industry expert and board member of the Responsible Jewelery Council), John Mulligan (Director and Climate Officer, World Gold Council ; President, Sustainable Development Commission, World Jewelery Confederation/Cibjo) and Iris Van der Veken (executive director, Watch and Jewelery Initiative 2030).
Initiatives in Art and Culture’s Gold + Diamond conference has established itself in recent years as a key event in the international jewelery industry calendar, not only highlighting the challenges of the day, but also breaking new ground, both in terms of defining problems we should be concerned about, and the strategies and methodologies we should consider using to address them. CIBJO is proud to have been part of this effort.
Gaetano Cavalieri
Other Topics: Gold: Single Mine, Single Source – A Closer Look, with Charlie Betts (Group Managing Director, The Betts Group), Emefa Cole (Goldsmith & Curator of the Jewelery of the Diaspora, Victoria & Albert Museum), Tony Maietta (Product Engineering + Relationship Development, C & J Fine Jewelry Matters) and Satta Matturi. Brad Brooks-Rubin (Senior Advisor in the Office of the Sanctions Coordinator at the US Department of State) will provide an update on the current US position on problematic sources and materials, such as diamonds and gold. The seventh IAC Award for Leadership in Responsible Practices in Jewelry, presented to recognize an individual or organization for outstanding contributions to ethical sourcing and responsible practices in the jewelry industry, will be presented to Torrance D. Hoover and Cristina Echavarria.
