Chicago: The jewelry industry community has announced “The Jewelry Industry Summit,” an open forum to discuss sustainability and responsible sourcing. The goal of the event is to create awareness of supply chain challenges and develop tools to mutually benefit the jewelry industry and create business opportunities and new sources of value for suppliers and the consumer.

The summit, being held from August 16-19 in Chicago, will be an interactive and facilitated discussion about industry issues pertaining to business practices and the supply chain with the goal of ensuring that the jewelry industry will thrive

“Our community of individuals from all sectors in the jewelry industry seeks at the summit to develop a shared vision to meet the challenges, to sustain our business and to improve the supply chain for our products,” the organizers said.

“The goal of the summit is to discuss challenges and opportunities in the jewelry industry that can better support everyone in the supply chain.”

Participants will include members from the diamond, colored gem and precious metal industries, trade associations and financial institutions.

The planning committee members represent all facets of the diamond, colored gem and precious metal and watch Industries. They are Ann Arnold, Ann Arnold Advisory

Group; Lita Asscher, Royal Asscher; Anna Bario, Bario Neal; Robert Bentley, Robert Bentley Company; Mihir Bhansali, Firestar Diamond Inc.; Edward Boehm, Rare Source; David Bouffard, Signet Jewelers Ltd.; Eric Braunwart, Columbia Gem House, Inc.; Lisa Bridge, Ben Bridge Jewelers; Bruce Bridges, Bridges Tsavorite; Brandee Dallow, Rio Tinto Diamonds; Bill Farmer, Farmer’s Jewelry; Jeffrey Fischer, Fischer Diamonds, Inc.; Rebecca Foerster, Leo Schachter Diamonds, LLC; Karen Goracke, Borsheim’s; Stewart Grice, Hoover and Strong; Mark Hanna, Richline; Hayley Henning, True North Gems; Steve Hodgkins,Rolex USA; and Ferial Zerouki, De Beers Group of Companies.