With fewer than six weeks to go to the opening of the 2014 CIBJO Congress in Moscow, the third of the CIBJO commissions' special reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Diamond Commission, headed by Udi Sheintal, the report focuses on the challenge posed by the influx of synthetic diamonds into the pipeline and announces that on the first afternoon of the congress, on Monday, May 19, a special conference will be held to examine the issue, featuring several of the leading experts in the field and a cross section of the industry's leadership.

"To successfully position the industry, so that gem-quality synthetic diamonds can be absorbed into the product mix without threatening the integrity and status of natural diamonds, we need a panoramic strategy, which addresses a variety of elements and disciplines," writes Sheintal. These include research and technology into the methods used to create synthetic diamonds and the instruments and systems required to detect them, legal and ethical questions that are raised, including sanctions that could be imposed against those who do not disclose that diamonds are synthetic, and methods of marketing that enable consumers to differentiate between natural and synthetic diamonds.

"As is always the case in CIBJO, the ultimate yardstick as to how our industry should address the challenge of synthetic diamonds, or any other challenge for that matter, is what is the strategy that will best serve the interests of consumer confidence, both in the products we produce and sell, and in our industry itself," Sheintal writes.

The 2014 CIBJO Congress will take place in Moscow, May 19 to 21, 2014, with pre-congress meetings on May 17 and May 18. The congress will be hosted by the Russian Jewellers' Guild, whose headquarters will also serve as the main congress venue.

The official hotel is the five-star Hotel Nikol'skaya Kempinski, one of Moscow's most prestigious establishments, which is offering special low rates for attendees of the CIBJO congress. Located in an historic building that was constructed in 1870, it is located in the heart of historic Moscow, within short walking distance from the Kremlin, Red Square and the Bolshoi theater.

CIBJO is the international jewelry confederation of national trade organizations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonization, promote international cooperation in the jewelry industry and to consider issues which concern the trade worldwide. CIBJO's chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry.