Creativity and ethics for coloured stones

What is the situation of the market in Italy in terms of the sector you represent?

In Italy, the market is still in a recession, but producers of coloured stones are managing to make a name for themselves thanks to their ability to combine Italian creativity with a unique sensitivity to the use of colour.  Of course, strategies differ according to the segment in question: the consumer segment is happy with the freshness and originality of Italian style, while for the upper segment these qualities also need to be accompanied by fine, highly-valuable precious stones.

What is Assogemme’s plan of action for 2016?

For the past two years, together with our Ethics Commission for coloured stones, we have been developing the first ever certification protocol for this production chain. It is a very complex goal, as coloured stone production is extremely to certificate compared to diamond production, due to the enormous number of different typologies of coloured stones we have. Nevertheless, thanks to the support of Committee members such as Bulgari, Gucci and Pomellato, we are moving forward. Indeed, we intend to make agreements with institutional bodies such as universities too. Our protocol, the only one on an international level, will be a crucial tool for adhering to a concept of social responsibility which concerns us all at this point, both as an industry and as citizens