The latest Annual World Jewellery Federation (CIBJO) Congress took place in Shanghai, China in early November 2024. The congress hosted CIBJO’s Assembly of Delegates, organized meetings of sectoral commissions and committees as well as elections for office holders and board members. In addition, it also served as a platform for introducing amendments to the CIBJO Blue Books, the World Jewellery Federation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, coral, precious metals, gem labs, and responsible sourcing.
At the Shanghai Congress, CIBJO’s Pearl Commission, chaired by its President, Kenneth Scarratt, recommended that pearl bleaching1 should be disclosed and described in all transactions, for both natural pearls and cultured pearls.
According to CIBJO’s Special Report on Pearls 2024, the Pearl Steering Committee reassessed the manner in which the bleaching of pearls should be discussed, following recommendations made at the CIBJO Congress in Jaipur last year.
This recommendation was made with the view that disclosure of pearl bleaching is in the best interest of the trade, in that, consumers should be fully informed of treatments applied to both natural and cultured pearls.
In the past, a “grandfathered” exception had been made regarding pearl bleaching. This exception allowed for a non-specific (general) disclosure of pearl bleaching.
However, in the interest of protecting consumer trust and confidence in the long-term, CIBJO’s Pearl Steering Committee has recommended that, from now on, the practice of bleaching will be specifically declared for both natural and cultured pearls.
Pearl treatments, including bleaching, impact the value of these gems. Nevertheless, such treatments may not be permanent or may require special care by the consumer. Thus informing the consumer about such treatments protects the interests of both consumers and sellers.
This recommendation was agreed by the delegates attending the Pearl Commission meeting in Shanghai. These delegates included several experienced pearl dealers from around the world.
A Conversation About Pearl Bleaching With CIBJO Pearl Commission President Kenneth Scarratt
In my conversation with Kenneth Scarratt, I discussed the reason behind CIBJO’s recommendation and the best practices on how to make the information about pearl bleaching accessible to trade and consumers alike.
What has prompted CIBJO to recommend the disclosure of pearl bleaching in transactions?
Kenneth Scarratt: The CIBJO Commissions have been very clear for many years that all forms of treatments to gem materials, if used, shall be declared by the seller to the buyer throughout the supply chain.
However, various CIBJO Commissions have struggled with the declaration policies surrounding historic treatment methods that have been imbedded in the market over many decades – and were generally not discussed across the trade.
Initially a ‘specific’ and ‘general’ disclosure policy was enacted to cover these situations where it was allowable for some of these historic treatments be disclosed by a generalised statement on invoices, rather than a specific disclosure directly associated with the gem material being offered for sale.
Time marches on and global expectations are constantly changing. The ‘specific’ and ‘general‘ policy has been under review by the CIBJO Commissions for the last several years. It was decided, therefore, during the 2023 Congress that, going forward, all treatments of coloured gemstones, regardless of their historic significance, shall be “specifically” declared throughout the supply chain.
During the 2024 Congress, both the Coral and Pearl Commissions adopted this policy, with the following statement being made in the CIBJO Pearl Book : “It is in the best interest and responsibility of the trade for consumers to be fully informed with regards to any treatments applied to pearls. Treatments may impact a pearl’s value and are often not permanent or may require special care; the seller shall therefore inform the purchaser about the treatment and any special care requirements”.
How can the disclosure of pearl bleaching benefit both consumers and the industry?
Kenneth Scarratt: Consumer confidence and trust is everything in today’s market. This is even more so when they are spending significant amounts on pearls, be these natural or cultured.
If the consumer is ill informed and finds out later that the colour appearance of his or her pearls results from a treatment rather than being of a natural origin, the impact on confidence in the pearl industry will clearly be negative.
Education of the trade in these matters is essential going forward.
How will CIBJO ensure that this recommendation is effectively implemented by industry members?
Kenneth Scarratt: The CIBJO Pearl Book provides specific guidance to the industry in the form of its various clauses which cover all pearl nomenclature issues.
While the CIBJO Books are not a series of legal regulations in and of themselves, 2 we do expect members to follow the recommendations made.
However, in some countries, certain CIBJO Book recommendations have been used as authoritative opinions by the courts in adjudicating legal cases, including in the European Union.
Are there suggested guidelines on how to make the information about pearl bleaching clear and accessible for the trade and for consumers?
Kenneth Scarratt: Yes, these are contained within the CIBJO Pearl Book that is downloadable from the CIBJO site free of charge.
What are the long-term implications of this recommendation for the pearl industry, both for consumers and sellers?
Kenneth Scarratt: Consumer confidence is at the very heart everything. Complete transparency benefits both sellers and consumers over the long term.
Other Pearl Treatments Under Discussion: Drilling of Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls
Along with the recommendation for pearl bleaching disclosure, the CIBJO Pearl Commission also recommended the disclosure of drilling of natural pearls in all transactions. This was done following questions received internally by CIBJO members.
Weight is an important value factor for natural pearls. Drilling natural pearls can reduce the weight of these pearls, which, in turn may affect their value. In addition, holes caused by drilling can widen over time, further reducing the weight of natural pearls. Thus, the recommendation requires the presence of drill holes to be expressly stated in all transactions, especially where the drill holes are hidden from view by a setting.
For cultured pearls, size rather than weight serves as a value factor. Therefore, drilling of cultured pearls may not require such explanations.
Featured Image: CIBJO 2024 Congress, Pearl Commission, Shanghai
- Bleaching (Code B, Pearl Blue Book): Using a bleaching agent to remove or alter colour. This treatment may not be permanent regardless of special care requirements. ↩︎
- In a number of cases, however, they have been adopted as such by different national authorities ↩︎
