‘State of the Art Jewelry Summit’ To Be Held at Harvard

Boston—A new one-day event on responsible jewelry, the ‘State of the Art Jewelry Summit,’ will take place at Harvard University on June 23.

The event is the first collaboration between the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University (MGMH).

MGMH is a development-and-preservation-focused organization possessing collections of minerals, gems and jewelry, meteorites and Earth archival materials for research, education, and public display.

“I’m excited that the MGMH at Harvard University is hosting its first summit on responsible jewelry in collaboration with RJC and GIA,” said Raquel Alonso-Perez, curatrix at the MGMH.

“Our mission is to unite art, science and industry so that we might tackle the future together. Growth must be more than economic.”

The summit invites leaders from all sectors of the gem and jewelry industries to explore challenges, opportunities, and the future of responsible practice. The event centers around the collective future of the industry and ensuring it continues to thrive and stay relevant, said organizers.

Event hosts are Melanie Grant, RJC executive director, Susan Jacques, GIA president and CEO, and Raquel Alonso-Perez.

Their welcome thoughts will be followed by keynote speaker Dan Schrag, professor of environmental science and engineering at Harvard.

Speakers include jeweler, artist and inventor Wallace Chan and President and CEO of Lucara Diamond, Eira Thomas.

On the schedule is a variety of panel discussions and presentations by global experts, academics and artists highlighting business, technology, political sciences, mining, research, education, and art, as well as the value and desire powering responsible jewelry.

Other topics to be covered include climate change and its implications on the supply chain, the business of technology and the evolution of consumer expectation, human rights, risk and conflict.

The full list of speakers and complete agenda is available on the event website.

Also at the event, RJC will launch its ESG toolkit, offering it free to all attendees. The guidelines are intended by the council to be “a blueprint for applying environmental, social and governance to jewelry businesses globally.”

The closing event will feature a discussion by members of the Young Diamantaires on the future of the industry from their perspective.

Following the summit, a cocktail reception will be held at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

The cost of the event is $495, and registration is open now.