Resilience

IAC’s 16th Annual Gold + Diamond Conference
July 13 (evening) – 15, 2026

The Cosmopolitan Club
122 East 66th Street
New York, NY

For 16 years, IAC’s Gold + Diamond Conference has been informed by two primary concerns: how to define and achieve responsible practice on the one hand, and how to preserve and celebrate artisanry and artistic vision on the other. While our perspective on these concerns is ever-broadening, our goal is unchanged: to initiate dialogue and inspire change without fear.

In this era of systemic upheaval, resilience is a critical factor/attribute. Global economic uncertainty, increasing scarcity of resources, intensified climate impacts, transformative technological change, and substantial political instability mandate that resilience be ingrained if companies, whole industries, and even geographic regions are to thrive. Resilience is particularly critical to the precious metals and jewelry sector.

What does resilience require?  Invariably, investment—in capacity, in human resources, in networks, in client development and in the communities that provide the raw material and labor that undergird everything. Investment, however, is expensive, more so in strained economic times. Therefore, it is critical that investment be strategic if it is to be effective.

At IAC’s 16^th annual Gold + Diamonds Conference we’ll ask: What does resilience mean in this moment? How do industry actors stay afloat while investing in resilience? From refineries to heritage houses, individual makers to miners—what are the strategic options available, and what actions and forward thinking are necessary to build resilience for an unpredictable future?

At IAC’s Resilience, we’ll convene a broad range of industry experts to explore through compelling talks and panel discussions, the following key topic areas:

• The ASGM sectors in the Brazilian Basin and in West Africa, and the need for agility and flexibility in designing and funding situation-specific solutions;
• Addressing human rights (writ broadly including gender) and an exploration of the moral and political dimensions;
• Education and training for the future and the need to promote constant practice, readiness, and improvement as foundational;
• Solutions for complex climate challenges that are dependent on foresight and rapid response;
• Recognizing the interconnectedness of adjacent critical ESG goals, such as gender and economics (including a living wage) and their importance to equity and a just transition;
• Cultural infrastructure and the need for strong and verifiable systems to assist in determining origin and influencing determinations regarding  “restitution”;
• Craft as a natural resource worthy of preservation with “living heritage”’ as a secure foundation for clarity and direction;
• The ethos of responsible practice to guide decision making and future proof brands against reputational challenges;
• Circularity as a concept and in practice: Do we strive for fully circular economies? If so, how is this to be achieved?
• The definition of “value” (all-encompassing) and its difference from “price”: What is precious now? 

At IAC, we understand that all the issues inherent in these complex topics cannot be resolved in one keynote or panel discussion. Rather, IAC revisits many of these topics from year to year from different angles to learn the latest thinking, explore effective case studies, and consider challenges to positive reform.  In this way, the annual Gold + Diamond Conference serves as an ongoing conversation which incorporates the latest information and relevant perspectives each year. Such conversations, which form the basis of community founded on exploration of shared commitments, also continues via IAC’s partnership with CIBJO and our ongoing webinar series with the World Gold Council.

IAC’s Gold + Diamond Conference

The preeminent global gathering of professionals in precious metals, gemstones, and jewelry, IAC’s Gold + Diamond Conference has, since 2011, brought together key players from industry, government, NGOs, academia, museums, and the collecting community, as well as jewelers, goldsmiths, and designers to discuss issues of critical importance, to seek common purpose regarding responsible practice, and to celebrate the highest standards in jewelry craft and design. Each year, key players from throughout the sector attend what journalist Kyle Roderick described in Forbes as “the gold, diamond and jewelry industry’s analogue to the World Economic Forum’s Davos summit.”

Moreover, IAC is known throughout the industry as a nonpartisan player and an ethically driven convener focused on creating an open forum for discourse, building consensus, and finding solutions. 

Over the years, IAC has built an enduring partnership with CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, in which we engage together in four activations a year. Gaetano Cavalieri President of CIBJO who provided opening remarks in 2025 and will be attending and participating in this year’s conference. President Cavalieri has said the following about IAC’s Gold+ Diamond Conference: 

Initiatives in Art and Culture’s Gold + Diamond Conference has established itself over the past several years as a milestone event on the international jewelry industry’s calendar, not only highlighting the challenges of the day, but also breaking new ground, both in terms of defining the issues about which we should be concerned and the strategies and methodologies that we should consider using to deal with them. CIBJO is a proud to have been part of the effort and is especially happy that IAC’s conference in New York has become part of a chain of brainstorming sessions, which we jointly have organized, all of which are made available to the entire industry.

Furthermore, John Mulligan, Head of Sustainability Strategy at the World Gold Council and Chair of the CIBJO Sustainable Development Commission, commented about the Conference

The World Gold Council is very pleased to sponsor Initiatives in Art and Culture’s Annual Gold & Diamonds Conference. We are happy that this event continues to grow, both in the range and depth of its content, and in the diverse and influential voices and stakeholders it attracts from across the gold and gemstone value chains.  We also welcome the opportunities this offers to engage and exchange ideas with jewellery sector leaders to explore how, together, we might address key industry challenges and ensure we make positive contributions to our shared sustainability goals.

We celebrate our conference partner CIBJO, The World Confederation of Jewellery Organizations.

We express sincere gratitude to our sponsors (as of June 30, 2026):