100 Years of CIBJO: The Organization Behind the Rules of the Jewelry World
Hardly any jewelry buyer has heard of CIBJO. Yet for 100 years, the organization has influenced how diamonds, gemstones, pearls, and precious metals are described, tested, and traded.
Cover image: (C) CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation
Last weekend, CIBJO celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Centenary Congress 2026 in Vicenza. Before we take a look at the congress itself, it’s worth taking a look at the organization’s history:
When buying a diamond, a colored gemstone, or a pearl necklace, people usually focus on quality, origin, craftsmanship, and price. However, there’s one question that hardly anyone asks: Who actually determines the exact meaning of terms like “natural,” “synthetic,” “treated,” or “cultured pearl”?
One of the most important organizations behind this is CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation. In 2026, it will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Her work mostly takes place behind the scenes. Nevertheless, it is of great importance to the jewelry industry.
It all began in 1926
The history of CIBJO began in Paris in 1926. At that time, the organization was founded as BIBOA, initially with the goal of representing the interests of the European jewelry trade. In 1961, it was restructured into CIBJO—marking the transition from a European advocacy group to a globally oriented organization.
Today, CIBJO is a non-profit foundation registered in Switzerland that brings together national jewelry associations from more than 45 countries, as well as companies and international organizations across the entire value chain—from the mine to the market.
Why does jewelry need common rules?
A diamond does not reveal to the buyer whether it is natural or lab-grown. A ruby does not show at first glance whether its color has been altered by treatment. And even with pearls, jade, or other gemstones, different designations can indicate significant differences in quality and value.
That is why an international market needs a common language.
This is precisely one of CIBJO’s core missions: to harmonize technical standards, terminology, and principles, thereby strengthening trust in the industry. Today, this is complemented by issues such as sustainability, responsible sourcing, and supply chains.
That sounds technical. Ultimately, though, it boils down to something very simple: Anyone buying jewelry should know as precisely as possible what they’re buying.
The Blue Books: A Common Language for the Industry
Arguably the most important result of this work is the Blue Book system.
The Blue Books contain definitions, nomenclatures, and recommendations for various sectors of the jewelry industry and are intended to establish internationally uniform standards and terminology. CIBJO describes this system as the most widely used set of rules of its kind in the industry. There are Blue Books covering, among other topics, diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls, precious metals, coral, gemmological laboratories, and responsible sourcing.
In simple terms, they can be understood as shared dictionaries and sets of rules.
For example, it describes which terms should be used, how to distinguish between natural and synthetic materials, and how to specify treatments applied to gemstones.
The Blue Books are revised on a regular basis. After all, the world of jewelry is constantly changing: new production methods are emerging, treatments are being refined, and new materials are entering the market.
From Natural Diamonds to Lab-Grown Diamonds
The current debate over lab-grown diamonds illustrates just how important such definitions can become.
Technically, these can have the same chemical composition and crystal structure as natural diamonds. However, their formation is fundamentally different.
This makes the name crucial.
“Synthetic,” “laboratory-grown,” “laboratory-created”—which terms are acceptable and internationally understood is by no means just a linguistic question. They influence product descriptions, certificates, advertising, and sales pitches.
It is precisely these kinds of questions that are discussed within CIBJO and incorporated into standards.
The same applies to synthetic rubies and sapphires, treated colored gemstones, and new methods for identifying materials.
Influence Beyond One’s Own Rules
CIBJO’s influence extends beyond its own Blue Books. The organization has also contributed to international ISO standards for the diamond trade.
ISO 18323 (2015) primarily addresses nomenclature. It defines how natural, treated, and synthetic diamonds, composite stones, and diamond imitations should be designated.
ISO 24016:2020 specifies terminology, classification, and testing methods for the grading of natural, loose, polished diamonds. These include weight, dimensions, color, clarity, and cut.
This also clarifies terms that many buyers are familiar with from diamond certificates. Clarity grades such as VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, or SI2 describe how easily inclusions can be seen under 10x magnification. Furthermore, the term “brilliant” is not simply another word for “diamond,” but refers to a specific round brilliant cut.
This illustrates what standardization is all about in practical terms: terms such as “diamond,” “brilliant,” “VVS1,” or “SI1” should mean the same thing everywhere, as much as possible.
2006: Relationship with the United Nations
An important step beyond the actual work within the industry followed in 2006.
CIBJO was granted official consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). That same year, the organization also joined the UN Global Compact. This gave the international jewelry industry, through CIBJO, an institutional link to the work of the United Nations.
In the years that followed, this collaboration was further expanded. In 2008, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation was established to support companies in the diamond, gemstone, and jewelry industries in the areas of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The program was developed in collaboration with experts from the United Nations.
In 2011, CIBJO also played a leading role in establishing a UNITAR Center of Excellence in Antwerp dedicated to CSR training in the international jewelry and gemstone industry. This was followed in 2013 by an initiative to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the jewelry industry.
Sustainability and responsible sourcing are therefore not new topics at CIBJO, but rather part of a trend that began many years ago.
Now with a much broader range of offerings
Over time, CIBJO’s scope of responsibilities has expanded significantly.
Today, the organization operates in specialized fields such as gemstone materials, trade and laboratories, jewelry distribution, manufacturing, technology, and precious metals. It also has commissions and committees dedicated to topics such as diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls, gemmology, precious metals, ethics, and responsible sourcing.
Once a year, these sectors come together at the CIBJO Congress. There, existing rules are reviewed, new topics are discussed, and changes are prepared.
Standardization does not stop at new technologies. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly being used in the testing, analysis, and evaluation of gemstones. CIBJO is therefore addressing the question of what rules should apply in this context. The principle is clear: If AI systems are used in gemmological laboratories, the same requirements for quality assurance, control, and verification should apply as for conventional testing methods. A laboratory therefore remains responsible for the result even if technology was involved in the analysis.
This essentially raises the same question as 100 years ago: How can we ensure that information about a stone remains traceable and reliable—regardless of the technology used to obtain it?
The topics change. The task behind them remains surprisingly similar.
Voluntary Rules with a Major Impact
CIBJO is not a government agency and does not enact laws.
The Blue Books and many other standards are, first and foremost, recommendations. Nevertheless, they wield considerable influence because they are used as references by associations, companies, gemological laboratories, and experts worldwide.
Ideally, this work remains invisible to the individual jewelry buyer. Because then its impact becomes evident quite naturally: A stone is correctly identified. A treatment is disclosed. A lab report uses clear terminology. A dealer can explain what he is selling.
It is only when this common language is missing that we realize how important it is.
After 100 years, the significance of CIBJO therefore lies not so much in the fact that everyone knows the name, but rather in something else:
Anyone who buys jewelry should know what they’re buying. And for that, an international industry needs common rules.
