Vicenza, 31/08/06 – Diamonds and sales points are the two themes up for most attention at appointments during the Orogemma 2006 edition, scheduled from 9 to 13 September at the Vicenza Fair. The opening ceremony at 10.30 on Saturday 9 September, will be dedicated to the world of diamonds. Those present will include Eli Izhakoff, Chairman & CEO of the World Diamond Council, the international organisation set up in 2000 to guarantee development, implementation and oversight of a tracking system for the export and import of rough diamonds to prevent the exploitation of diamonds for illicit purposes such as war and inhumane acts. In the afternoon, Chairman Izhakhoff will also be participating in “Transparency and ethical responsibilities: how to meet possible consumer worries”, the convention involving the Diamond Trading Company in collaboration with the Vicenza Fair and the Banca Popolare di Vicenza. This debate will discuss the trade responsibilities of operators in the diamond production chain, a very topical question as increasingly more often the consumer expects sellers of diamond jewellery to work in a responsible, transparent way, inspiring maximum trust in a purchase that represents a symbol of love, emotions and long-lasting relationships. Monday 11 September will see the International Gemological Institute protagonist with the convention “How to identify a synthetic and/or treated diamond”. Set up in 1975, the IGI has offices in Antwerp, New York, Bangkok, Mumbai and Tokyo and today is the world’s biggest independent institution for certification and valuation of gems, issuing over 550,000 certificates a year.
There will be delegations from all over Italy at the Fair, coordinated by the Italian Gold Jewellery Retailers Federation – Federdettaglianti, in collaboration with the Vicenza Fair, enabling over 700 retailers to be present in representation of their sales points. Three workshops have been organised specifically for them on ranges and warehouse management, plus a talk show on “Innovation in gold jewellery retail”. The aim of this encounter is to stimulate and provoke. In the words of Fabrizio Valente, a sociologist taking part in the event, “it will be a pebble thrown into the pool of debate that is too often monopolised by a monotonous chorus complaining about crisis in consumption, only rarely with a thin veil of cautious optimism expressed in an unconvincing manner. Many analyses”, he continues, “mainly consider averages, instead of looking into all the grey areas, in other words the capacity of a number of companies to grow and prosper even during this period”. Innovation therefore enables new market opportunities to be exploited to the full. A continual search for innovative solutions to strengthen a competitive position is vital and indispensable, especially in the light of international experiences. This live talk show will be held in the Palladio Room on Sunday 10 September at 16.30 and conducted by Ernesto Hausmann, gold jewellery retailer and watchmaker and honorary president of Federdettaglianti (Federation of retailers) – Confcommercio (Association of trade, tourism and service activities).