Vicenza: As a highlight of the opening day of the 2026 CIBJO Congress, that began on the 4th September, 2026 in Vicenza (Italy), two dedicated creations by the noted Canadian visual artist Reena Ahluwalia, celebrating the Centenary Year of the World Jewellery Confederation (WDC) were unveiled. Both creations were donated to the collection of the Museo del Gioiello –the jewellery museum in Vicenza’s historic Basilica Palladiana.
The first of the artworks, called “The CIBJO Centenary Icon,” is a circular painting in the Renaissance “tondo” tradition. It depicts a navette or marquise-cut diamond in a sea of molten gold.
The second piece is a commemorative numismatic artwork, “The CIBJO Centenary Medal,” which on the one side featuring the congress logo above the table of a round faceted diamond, and on the other side a compass symbolizing CIBJO’s role in navigating integrity, ethics and standards in the jewellery industry.
A solid gold version of the coin has been produced for the congress by the Arezzo-based refinery Itaslpreziosi.
Known for transforming gemstones into a contemporary works of art, the Toronto-based Ahluwalia was the first visual artist to have such a piece accepted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Her body of work also includes a diamond setting for the Legislative Mace of Ontario, a Belgian postage stamp, a GJEPC Hall of Fame induction, and a Guinness World Record watch. A pioneer at the intersection of art and technology, she was the first to integrate blockchain with diamond art, securing provenance and digital legacy.
“Jewellery is an artistic medium that expresses human ingenuity using nature’s most precious creations, so it is most appropriate that CIBJO’s Centenary be expressed though fine art,” said Gaetano Cavalieri. “We are both privileged and delighted that Reena Ahluwalia sought to honour our milestone in a way that only she can, and that this moment will be captured in time and preserved for all those who afterwards visit the Museo del Gioiello.”
Reena Ahluwalia explains, “The gemstone in the painting is the “Diamond Eye,” which embodies CIBJO’s institutional role as a protective boat, a source of light, and a global navigational vision. “Acting as the industry’s definitive North Star, it signals the active recalibration required to uphold international standards and protect consumer confidence.”
The CIBJO Centenary Artworks have officially been acquired into the permanent collection of the Museo del Gioiello – the jewellery museum in Vicenza’s historic Basilica Palladiana. On September 4, 2026, opening day of the CIBJO Centenary Congress at Vicenzaoro, Michela Amenduni, Managing Director of Museo del Gioiello, formally accepted the institutional donation on stage from CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri and visual artist Reena Ahluwalia. Together, both creations serve as a cultural record of where our industry has been and where we are heading. They now stand as a lasting record of CIBJO and our industry’s shared history, and an inspiration for the next hundred years.
