Botswana touts 24% stake in new mining companies for citizens
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The World Jewellery Confederation, expressed its great regret and sorrow upon the death of Francesco Roberto, who passed away on September 12 after a long illness, at the age of 81. Mr. Roberto was regarded and cherished as one of the pillars of the Italian and the international gem and jewellery industry and trade, and was well known and globally respected for his long years of public service to the sector.
Speaking at the Vicenzaoro gem and jewellery trade fair in Vicenza, CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri expressed his deep sorrow about Roberto’s passing. “Francesco was a very close and dear friend to me personally, as well as to many of my peers in the Italian and international gem and jewellery business. During his many years in the trade he served the public selflessly, contributing endlessly of his time and expertise,” Cavalieri stated.
The impressive career of Francesco Roberto, in the international coloured gemstone and diamond business spanned over close to 60 years. At the age of 20, he was already employed by an Italian company dealing in imitation, synthetic stones and cultured pearls. In 1975, he became the President of Capellaro & Company S.P.A. In the early 1990s, the company merged with the international Schachter-Namdar group, now Leo Schachter, one of the biggest diamond corporations in the world. While he did cut back on his work schedule in recent years, he never really retired.
Roberto’s love of and great passion for gemstones and his broad knowledge of the subject was internationally renowned. He participated in the development of the “UNI rule,” the Italian nomenclature for gemstones, and served many years on the board of directors of the Confedorafi, the Italian umbrella organization of the Italian jewelry industry.
As early as in the 1960s, he promoted the use of correct nomenclature of gemstones, and successfully fought and won a battle against the company that produced stimulant pearls that were sold without proper disclosure of their nature under the name “Mallorca Pearls.”
During the 1980s and 1990s he was an Italian delegate in CIBJO, serving as vice president of Sector III, as well as vice president of the Pearl Commission. Roberto also sat on the board of directors of the World Cultured Pearl Organization (WPO).
In recognition of his service to the World Jewellery Confederation, during the 2008 CIBJO Congress in Dubai, he was given a special award in recognition on his contributions to CIBJO. In recent years, he was closely involved in the preparation and review of the Sapphire and Ruby guides, and was he central force to propel the Emerald Guide into existence. Francesco Roberto rarely missed a CIBJO Congress where he meticulously and religiously attended all commission meetings.
Roberto served on the Board of Directors of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) from 1985 to 1991. He also served as ICA Ambassador to Italy for many years. At the Tokyo ICA Congress, he introduced the formula for the ICA disclosure nomenclature called “NET,” which received a unanimous vote of approval by attendees at the subsequent ICA Congress in Brazil.
In 1993, Roberto became president of Federpietre, the Italian association of gemstone dealers. He also is a member of the international Carat Club and of the Technical Committee of the Milano Chamber of Commerce. For several years he has had a seat on the board of directors of the Associazione Orafa Valenzana (AOV), the jewelry association of Valenza, where he was head of the Disciplinary Committee.
“People like Francesco Roberto are hard to find, and it was a privilege to have known him and to be his friend. The members of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, mourn Francesco Roberto and extend their sincere condolences to his family. I am speaking for countless friends and colleagues in saying that he will be painfully missed and warmly remembered,” Dr. Cavalieri stated.
