Sentiment at the September edition of Vicenzaoro, celebrating its 70th anniversary, was upbeat despite a soft global market, with little impact seen from reconstruction works now under way.
Visitors noticed that some routes inside the showground had changed, re-positioning the location of some exhibitors, but they quickly adapted to a new layout which was well signposted with frequent Information points and plentiful maps.
The ongoing 60 million euros project in the Vicenzaoro district, is expected to add 20% capacity to Italy’s premier jewellery trade event, which ran from 6th -10th September, 2024. The plan is for the T.GOLD machinery exhibition to go under the same roof as the rest of the exhibitors, organisers said.
Attendance at the September 2024 event was broadly stable and in line with the previous year’s edition, according to organisers Italian Exhibition Group.
Visitors arrived from a total of 132 countries. The number of visitors from Europe increased to 63.37% (compared to 52% in September 2023), led by Spain, France and Germany, while those from Asia and the Middle East reached 21% (17% in 2023).
Vicenzaoro is a showcase for both “Made in Italy” gold and silver jewellery exporters, and for suppliers from around the world.
The event attracted buyers from key importers of “Made in Italy” semi-finished and finished jewellery, such as Turkey, the United States and the United Emirates, and from those seeking to stock the latest jewellery designs, watches, loose gemstones and accessories.
“After a steady progression of attendances, we have now reached the new normal. The last three years of growth shows the result of the strategy that IEG is pursuing: to focus increasingly on the quality of the public at the show. An objective that sees ITA – Italian Trade Agency at our side also in the profiling of hosted buyers. An important result, if we look at the complex signals coming from the jewellery industry with international demand slightly down and the latest data on Italian exports up +60%, we could not have wished for a better way to close the 70th anniversary of gold and jewellery shows in Vicenza,” said Corrado Peraboni, CEO of Italian Exhibition Group.
India Pavilion
Highlights of the India Pavilion, organised by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), included an extraordinary selection of rainbow sapphire jewellery from Jaipur-based Jewels Park.
“We sold a lot of rainbow sapphire tennis bracelets and eternity bands set with rainbow sapphires,” said Viveka Jain of Jewels Park. She also spoke of strong enquiries by EU- and Swiss-based retailers for jewellery set with Zambian emeralds mined by Gemfields.
Another Jaipur-based jeweller, Nafees, showed off a finely handcrafted one-off contemporary necklace set with melon-cut Zambian emeralds, ending with a Mughal carved centre piece, set with white diamonds on white gold. Visiting retailers appreciated the high quality of craftsmanship used to create such pieces.
“We had focused on the Gulf Middle Eastern market. Now we are looking to the European market, too,” said Dhruv Jain, business development executive with Nafees.
Estrella Jewels received brisk enquiries for jewellery featuring laboratory-grown diamonds, notably for their Harmony collection, which uses recycled materials and adopts fair labour practices, said Sweeta Nayak, the company’s business development executive.
At the India Pavilion, UK-based designer Paul Spurgeon introduced three new collections that he designed for Indian jewellery manufacturer Arihant, including the Life Cycle collection, which aims to tackle period poverty among Indian women and girls.
Events and panel discussions
Events staged at Vicenzaoro September, included a session hosted by Paola De Luca, Creative Director of TRENDVISION, which introduced the Trend Book 2026+ and examined key drivers of future jewellery creations; and a discussion about the Heritage of Tomorrow, featuring Luca Iacomucci, a high jewellery designer at Louis Vuitton.
Digital creator Katerina Perez introduced her new book about Paraiba tourmalines at a well-attended presentation.
The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) hosted panel discussions, with a focus on themes such as competition between natural and laboratory-grown diamond jewellery, and future challenges around sustainability in jewellery.