CIBJO Releases Special Report On Ethics

Prepared by the CIBJO Ethics Commission, led by Cecilia Gardner, the report looks at ethical advertising principles and standards for the gemstone and jewelry sectors.

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, is releasing the fifth of its commissions' Special Reports in the run-up to its 2014 congress in Moscow next month. 

"We cannot hope to succeed in business unless consumers have trust in our products and the public claims we make about them," Gardner writes in her report. "As we typically have done, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard, and by so doing avoid government enforcement or competitor law suits that can arise from deceptive advertising practices."

The CIBJO Ethics Commission published a guide called the "Basic Principles of Jewellery Advertising," earlier this year, explaining the generally applicable standards for fair and honest advertising in all forms of media, including the Internet and social networks.

The principles outlined are the same as those which are often enforced by consumer protection laws, or by court cases that set precedent on the subject. The goal of the guide is to instruct how clear, honest and substantiated claims should be made about jewelry products. It can be downloaded from the CIBJO website at www.cibjo.org.

To elaborate upon the guides, the Ethics Commission will host a workshop during the congress in Moscow which will be moderated by Suzan Flamm, Senior Counsel at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee in the United States.

The congress takes place from May 19 to 21.