On September 4, 2026, opening day of the CIBJO Centenary Congress at Vicenzaoro, Michela Amenduni, Managing Director of Museo del Gioiello, formally accepted two fine art works from CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri and Canadian visual artist Reena Ahluwalia. The artworks mark the Centenary Year of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO).
Michela Amenduni, Managing Director of Museo del Gioiello, accepts the Centenary Artworks from CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri and visual artist Reena Ahluwalia at the CIBJO Centenary Congress at Vicenzaoro, September 4, 2026.
The acquisition places both works into the permanent collection of the Museo del Gioiello, permanently housed within Vicenza’s historic Basilica Palladiana—an architectural landmark designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Established in 1926, CIBJO holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)—the sole organization in the international gem and jewelry sector to hold this United Nations distinction.
Michela Amenduni, Managing Director of Museo del Gioiello, accepts the Centenary Artworks from CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri and visual artist Reena Ahluwalia at Vicenzaoro, September 4, 2026.
The Centenary Artworks
The acquisition encompasses two masterworks created to anchor the confederation's historic legacy:
The CIBJO Centenary Icon
The first of the artworks, called “The CIBJO Centenary Icon,” is a circular painting in the Renaissance “tondo” tradition. The composition depicts molten gold as the jewelry industry's Beating Heart, navigating turbulent currents and winds of change through which CIBJO guides global trade with steadfast leadership.
Central to the canvas is a navette-shaped diamond forming the “Diamond Eye”—a living compass embodying 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, transforming CIBJO's century of institutional legacy into an indelible, historic record of resilience.
The CIBJO Centenary Icon. Painting by visual artist Reena Ahluwalia. Acrylic on canvas, 36-inch diameter tondo. Permanently accessioned into the collection of the Museo del Gioiello inside the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy.
The CIBJO Centenary Icon: The Study & Process. By visual artist Reena Ahluwalia. Developmental hand-drawn sketches and studio process for the 36-inch tondo painting.
Visual artist Reena Ahluwalia with her CIBJO Centenary Icon painting fine art exhibition at the CIBJO Congress at Vicenzaoro, Italy.
The CIBJO Centenary Medal
The second piece is a commemorative numismatic artwork, featuring a diamond-faceted field embodying CIBJO as the guiding light for industry ethics, standards, and consumer trust. On the other side a compass symbolizing CIBJO’s role in navigating integrity, ethics and standards in the jewelry industry. Together, both works serve as anchors of intellectual trust, charting the confederation’s collective trajectory into its next century. Two solid gold version of the medal were produced by the Arezzo-based refinery Italpreziosi.
The CIBJO Centenary Medal, is a commemorative numismatic artwork by visual artist Reena Ahluwalia, featuring a diamond-faceted field embodying CIBJO as the guiding light for industry ethics, standards, and consumer trust. Two solid gold medals are permanently accessioned into the collection of the Museo del Gioiello inside the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy.
The CIBJO Centenary Medal: The Hand-Drawn Blueprint & Study by visual artist Reena Ahluwalia. Original hand-drawn blueprints and 3D relief studies for commemorative numismatic art.
The CIBJO Centenary Medal, is a commemorative numismatic artwork by visual artist Reena Ahluwalia, featuring a diamond-faceted field embodying CIBJO as the guiding light for industry ethics, standards, and consumer trust. Two solid gold medals are permanently accessioned into the collection of the Museo del Gioiello inside the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy.
Known for transforming gemstones into contemporary works of fine 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.
“Jewelry 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.”
CIBJO President Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri and Canadian visual artist Reena Ahluwalia at the CIBJO Centenary Congress at Vicenzaoro, Italy. 2026
Art gives form to collective heritage,” says Ahluwalia. “I am honored to mark this historic milestone and grateful to President Gaetano Cavalieri and CIBJO for welcoming these Centenary Artworks to anchor the confederation's legacy. Entering the permanent collection of the Museo del Gioiello, the works record a century of resilience, unity, and progress, ensuring our community’s shared values are celebrated for the next hundred years.
Official release via CIBJO.
