The open session on November 18, 2021, will be the final webinar of the virtual CIBJO Congress 2021 and will feature the second of two online events hosted jointly by CIBJO's Marketing & Education Commission and Ethics Commission. Once again, it will be moderated by their presidents, respectively Jonathan Kendall and Tiffany Stevens. They will be joined by Stéphane Fischler, Chair of CIBJO's new Technology Committee. This session will focus on the jewellery business operating in an increasingly digital environment, and more specifically on the implications, opportunities and pitfalls of working with big data, particularly where it is related to consumers at the retail end of the distribution chain. With online trading platforms, artificial intelligence and experiential shopping and marketing fast being adopted by players in the industry, the jewellery business is being transformed. Consumer data has become a valuable commodity, but there has been very little discussion to date about how it should be collected, securely stored and used. These are subjects that will be considered by the expert panel. CIBJO congresses serve as the official gathering place for the World Jewellery Confederation’s global membership, and are also the venue for the annual meetings of CIBJO’s sectoral commissions, where amendments can be introduced to the organisation’s definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals, coral and responsible sourcing, known as the Blue Books. The CIBJO Congress is also where the programme of World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), relating to responsible and sustainable activities in the industry and CIBJO’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations and its development programme is reported upon.