Gaetano Cavalieri, the president of CIBJO (The World Jewellery Confederation), has urged the Chinese jewellery industry to assume a more prominent role in the market by becoming a force in jewellery design.
Speaking in Shenzhen on Saturday (May 15) where he was a guest of honour at the inauguration of the ‘China Jewellery Culture and Creation Industry’ trade association, Dr Cavalieri said it was time for China to assert itself as a force in jewellery design.
“China has firmly established itself as a major consumer market and manufacturing centre,” he said.
“It is now time to assert itself as a force in jewellery design, and put its stamp on the industry, much in the same way that my colleagues in Italy have done for so long.
“I am confident that the new association will play a role in the injection of Chinese design and artistic perception into the international jewellery arena.”
However Dr. Cavalieri stressed that as China was already a significant force in the jewellery industry, the country also had a responsibility to others in the global jewellery sector.
“It is most important to remember that we are an international market, and that what happens here in China impacts throughout the global chain of distribution, just as what happens elsewhere will have an effect on the Chinese business,” he said.
“In our industry, it is extremely likely that any item of jewellery represents the combined efforts of literally thousands of people living in different of the world. Every single individual who was in some way responsible for the manufacture of an item of jewellery – from the miner to the refinery worker, to the diamond cutter and the jewellery designer, the manufacturer and the retailer – plays a critical role in the process.
“Fine jewellery, in so many ways, is the perfect blend of art, culture and business. It is an international language that is understood and appreciated by people regardless of their language and background. Furthermore, it is also a tool by which whole communities can create better and healthier lives for themselves.
That is our mission, and so I trust it also is the mission of the Chinese jewellery industry… I call on the Chinese jewellery community to take an active leadership role in our international industry.”