Gaetano Cavalieri Addresses Gem-A Graduates

Speaking to the graduates, Dr. Cavalieri stressed the responsibility that they now have in defending the integrity of the jewellery sector and in enhancing consumer confidence.

“In the modern jewellery industry, where a single item is likely to include materials and input from a variety of countries, global standards must apply,” Dr. Cavalieri stated. “National laws and regulations must be honoured and enforced, but in the end the ultimate judge and jury is the consumer, and today we have to consider the needs of consumers at home and abroad.”

“Gem-A,” he said, “was instilled with the professional spirit of this country’s jewellery heritage, which makes you, today’s graduates, all descendants and keepers of that flame. It is both a great privilege and a great responsibility.”

Dr. Cavalieri praised the coordinated efforts of British jewellery organisations to ensure an ethical chain of supply in the industry. “In the same way that, in the past, we defended our trade through the cultivation of professional techniques and standards, which were designed to guarantee the physical integrity of the product, we need to defend our business through the development of ethical and responsible standards and practices, which will guarantee the moral integrity of our jewellery and our business community. In the world of today, the consumer should expect no less,” he said.