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VicenzaOro Fall Focuses on Design Trends And Market Relevance | September 11, 2013 (0 comments)
Vicenza, Italy—VicenzaOro Fall, the third of the three annual jewelry fairs held here, closed yesterday. The fair, which opened September 7, featured 1200 brands from 30 countries and all Italian jewelry-producing districts.
The main fair was preceded by About J, an invitation-only luxury preview held September 4-7 in the Hilton Molino Stucky in Venice. There, 34 brands, both Italian and global, and exclusive buyers from 39 countries including the United States were invited.
Fiera di Vicenza, organizer of both events, is undertaking some key strategic shifts in its business model. At a press conference during the main fair, Fiera di Vicenza president Paolo Mantovani and executive director Corrado Facco outlined some of these initiatives. In particular, said Mantovani, the organization’s goal is to become a total marketing platform for Italian-made goods, offering added values and services for Italian manufacturers beyond its role as solely a trade fair organizer.
“VicenzaOro represents the whole industry from innovation to product to manufacturing.” he said. “The only way to compete in today’s economy is by quality. There is no other way. The global economic crisis has forced this change and forced companies to be flexible.” With one-third of its exhibitors in the mid- to high-end range, the fair also serves as a gateway to the European Union, Russia and eastern Europe, and the Middle East, he added.
“This is the new vision of the relationship between the Fiera di Vicenza, the industry, and the companies we serve,” said Facco. “We seek to provide useful tools to promote worldwide,” he added, citing the fair’s TrendVision service as one example, and a renewed cooperative agreement with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council as another.
Fiera di Vicenza will organize the T-Gold International Pavilion at the 2014 Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, showcasing the latest in Italian technology for jewelry production. It also will bring back its Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting exhibit.
Partnerships such as this are a clear example of the fair’s strategic plan to become a global marketing and promotion resource for Italian jewelry, said Mantovani.
From left: Corrado Facco, executive director Fiera di Vicenza, Paolo Mantovani, president Fiera di Vicenza, Benjamin Chau, deputy executive director, HKTDC, and Luigi Barettoni, president of AFEMO.
Export turnaround? For the first time following two years of contraction, the second quarter of 2013 showed positive growth in Italian jewelry exports. By value, Italian jewelry exports in Q2 of 2013 increased 6% over the same period in 2012, and by volume, there was an increase of 2.6%. Of particular note were exports to the United States, which grew 12% in value, and the United Arab Emirates, which rocketed 32% in value year on year. In terms of demand for Italian jewelry, the United States stands in third place behind the UAE and Switzerland, who together consume almost 42% of Italy’s jewelry exports. (Each accounts for just under 21%.) 8.7% of Italy’s total jewelry exports come to the United States, followed by France at 6.47%, Hong Kong at 5.13%, and China, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Spain, with less than 5% each.
The jewelry trends. The fall fair, despite its proximity to the critical fourth-quarter selling season, offered buyers some important trend direction as well as an opportunity to round out buying they didn’t have time to finish in Las Vegas or New York. Jeweler Jay Mednikow, with stores in both Memphis and Atlanta, said he’s always looking for new and interesting product year round. Other Americans present, such as Lou and Veronica Guarino of Louis Anthony Jewelers in Pittsburgh, PA and Thom and Jacki Duma of Thom Duma Jewelers in Warren, OH, were on the lookout for interesting fashion pieces, both for now and to keep in mind for later.
Here were the key trends seen at the fair:
Butterflies and flowers. Always a classic, these two themes were expressed as literal interpretations, with jewelled accents or interesting textures. Butterflies in diamonds, sapphires, and 18k white gold by Bizzotto Gioielli, top of page.
Blossom ring in 18k yellow, rose, and white textured gold by Annamaria Cammilli.
Teardrop shapes. This trend spanned both modern and classic looks; modern fashion pieces used gem slices and other non-traditional gem materials, whereas classic pieces interpreted the trend by using pear-shape diamonds and precious stones.
Three takes on the teardrop by Vianna Brasil: from left, Carrousel earrings, Cashmere earrings, and Illusion earrings.
Paisley and filigree inspirations, and other flat, laser-cut designs. While the economy in the United States is picking up steam, Europe is still soft, driving many manufacturers to find ways to create interesting, desirable design at a comfortable price point. The resulting pieces often were flat, lightweight medallions (especially round) with interesting use of negative space achieved by laser cutting the gold. Many of the designs were inspired by paisley patterns or antique filigree techniques.
Above, from the Auratam collection by Bapalal Keshavlal, these earrings feature a flat laser-cut circle motif in 18k gold with diamonds. Below, from The Fifth Season collection by Roberto Coin, silver rings plated with ruthenium or rose gold and amethyst, citrine, lemon quartz, or smoky quartz.
Multi-strand station necklaces—those with some layering built in—were the latest take on this classic. The circle remains an important motif for the stations and for the laser-cut pendants described above.
Rose gold continues, but the most modern interpretation features champagne diamonds. Color remains important in gems and metals.
Above, from the Niue Collection by Fope, classic 18k rose gold mesh with blackened details and champagne and cognac diamonds.
A nod to the Year of the Snake: Sterling silver with black or white ceramic, rose gold plating, and citrine, amethyst, topaz, or pearl ends. Chimento.
From the Petra and Pangea collections by Kara Ross, who exhibited at About J. Left to right: Petra raw hemimorphite pendant in 18k gold with diamonds, Petra raw hemimorphite and raw opal rings in 18k gold with diamonds, Pangea ring with blue topaz, peridot, opal, and diamonds in 18k gold, blue topaz ring with peridot inset, and Petra smooth contour ring with sky blue topaz and full diamond pavé in 18k gold.