Independent Jewelry Designers Make Their Mark At VicenzaOro

For the first time in the long history of VicenzaOro, the January edition of the jewelry trade show provided a dedicated space for a dozen international designers. By all accounts it was a welcome and successful addition to the fair.

"Winged Beauty" earrings by Magerit

  
Branded as “The Design Room” and located in the main hall of the large fair, the area was defined by neutral colors and wood tones with each designer’s space being identical. Black chairs and couches lined the edges giving people a reason to linger. The finishing touch was a logo with “The Design Room” name partially enclosed on two sides by a white line to create an open-square shape. 

To fill the space the fair curated a diverse group of 12 designers from different parts of the world. Some already have an international reputation while others are either newer to the industry or have regional followings. All produce innovative designs, a well-defined aesthetic and have the potential to widespread market potential. 

18k rose gold earrings by Sutra with pink spinel, garnets and diamonds

The designers were Netali Nissim, Federica Rettore and Qayten from Italy, Rodney Rayner, Sarah Ho and Zara Simon from the United Kingdom, Nikos Koulis from Greece, Magerit from Spain, Daniela Villegas and Sutra from the USA, Fernando Jorge from Brazil who now lives in London and Elie Top from France. 

Colorful Laguna rings by Rodney Rayner

Rodney Rayner, a veteran award-winning jewelry designer, not only participated in the area but helped to curate the designers. He then worked with the trade fair to convince them to participate. 

“We have exhibited in the past at Vicenza in the main halls, but this new concept got us much more attention,” said Rayner, who specializes in colored gemstone jewelry. “Everyone walking around took the time to look in every showcase. As an example, we personally met a new customer who asked if it was our first time to exhibit at VicenzaOro. I explained that it wasn't but in previous years they had simply walked past my booth. All the designers had a very good reaction from both press and retailers.”

Lily Rose ring by Sarah Ho in 18k white gold with a 3.84 carat pear-shape rubellite center stone surrounded by brilliant and baguette diamonds and emeralds

Sarah Ho didn’t need much convincing and was happy she made the decision to exhibit.

“I love the way all the booths look the same,” said Ho, whose work tells her personal story. “We felt the buyers were generally intrigued by The Design Room and wanted to see what new and exciting products are available. They really spent time looking around.”

For Italian jeweler, Qayten, it was the first time exhibiting at Vicenza for the Bologna-based brand founded in 2012.

Qayten Happy Hours 18k rose gold and diamond earrings

“I liked the idea of sharing a space with different companies and designers from different countries and styles, said Maddalena Allegretti, Qayten marketing and sales manager. “We received the interest of many retailers and press. It definitely was a positive experience and we’d like to do it again.”

The designers were also feted by the fair organizers. They had the opportunity to participate in the Andrea Palladio International Jewellery Awards, which were presented in the auditorium inside Fiera di Vicenza, where VicenzaOro January was held and attended a dinner at a Michelin star restaurant hosted by Matteo Marzotto, executive VP of Italian Exhibition Group, the organizer of VicenzaOro.

Niki Lalioti, marketing and communications manager for jewelry designer Nikos Koulis, models one his earrings at their booth during VicenzaOro. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

One of the award winners was Greek designer Nikos Koulis.

“I believe that the creation of a dedicated space for contemporary designers to showcase their collections is more efficient for buyers, media representatives and visitors since there is a coherent approach while our styles are distinct and complementary,” he said. “The outcome for my brand was positive and we met our goals for this show.”

Parisian jewelry designer, Elie Top, demonstrates one of his spherical jewel creations in his booth during the VicenzaOro trade show

Elie Top is new to fine jewelry but his name is well known in the fashion world, particularly in Paris where he was a designer of costume jewelry for Lanvin for 15 years. He describes his first collection as Mécaniques Célestes, globe-shaped pieces that open, revealing a centerpiece set with pavé diamonds, which he compares to a sparkling sun.

“It was an honor to be chosen and invited to participate,” he said. “It was very interesting to be placed close to other talented designers. The Design Room gave a true overview of jewelry creation for today. All are very différent because they are personal and pretty radical in creative integrity. It gave us the chance for great exposure, meeting journalist from everywhere, and internationals buyers. It is an important and new step in my own story.” 

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Jewelry Fair VicenzaOro Involved In Merger Of Two Italian Companies

Matteo Marzotto, vice president (left), and Lorenzo Cagnoni, president, of the newly formed Italian Exhibition Group

Two Italian trade fair companies, Fiera di Vicenza Spa and Rimini Fiera Spa, have merged to form the Italian Exhibition Group. Fair representatives said Friday that this alliance makes the new entity a “top player in Italy” in terms of directly organized shows with 61 fairs in its portfolio (90% own by the trade fair organizations) and 160 other events and congresses. 

The company also says it is the first example of a merger between trade show enterprises in Italy. 

The new entity will be the promotion and internationalization platform for the entire “Made in Italy” production chain, meaning products will be designed in such a way that it will meet the needs of users in many countries, the companies said in a joint statement. 

Fiera di Vicenza in Italy’s Veneto region serves as the home of VicenzaOro, the Italian jewelry industry’s largest trade fair, held three times per year. It is one of the 61 trade shows the combined organization hosts at three venues in several product categories including Food & Beverage, Green Investment, Technology, Entertainment, Tourism, Transport, Wellness, and Lifestyle & Innovation.

Rimini Fiera Spa, located in the coastal city of Rimini in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, has two facilities: Rimini Fiera and Palacongressi Rimini.

There was no mention  in the joint announcement of how the merger will affect individual trade fairs. However, Italian Exhibition Group said there are no changes planned with either the names of the distinct fair venues or their operations.

The new Italian Exhibition Group logo

Perhaps the boldest statement by Italian Exhibition Group is its goal to be a publicly listed company and to act as the unifying element for other trade show organizations.

While the merger is being billed as a coming together of equals, it appears that Rimini will be the dominate player of the two. Lorenzo Cagnoni, president of Rimini Fiera will now serve as president and CEO of Italian Exhibition Group. Matteo Marzotto, president of Fiera di Vicenza, has been named vice president. In addition, the announcement was made in Rimini Friday. 

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New Italian Jewelry Designs from VicenzaOro

The subtle differences of the two tones of gold color and the texture of the precious metal are the hallmarks of Anna Maria Cammilli. The simplicity of this nature-inspired motif is used throughout the collection in complicated ways. Diamond accents enhance the design.

The recently concluded VicenzaOro Fall jewelry tradeshow may have marked a turning point for the Italian jewelry industry, which has been suffering due to the global recession, the spike in gold prices and high labor costs.

The butterfly from Damiani uses yellow gold accented by brown and white diamonds, and amethysts. Each butterfly is made with a variety of material combinations and can be worn as a pendant, brooch or set onto a ring.

At this year’s show, held September 7 -11, approximately, 1,200 Italian and foreign brands from 30 countries presented a breadth of jewelry products to more than 18,000 buyers (10,879 from Italy and 7,160 from 111 other countries).

18k yellow gold cuff with diamond pavé accent by Chimento.

Show officials were particularly excited about the “return” of some Italian retailers, seeing it as “an encouraging sign considering the much-desired end of the most critical phase of the recession.”

A silver star-shaped ring with a white pearl by Mayumi.

The show numbers coincide with data from the Italian government reporting second quarter growth for Italian jewelry exports, after two years of decline. Growth was recorded in terms of value (6%) and quantity (2.6%) over the same period of the previous year. Exports to the US, the world’s largest jewelry market, increased 12 percent in value in the second quarter.

From Fope’s Flex’it collection, patented ‘roll on’ mesh chain bracelets are crafted in 18k gold and fully flexible, without clasps. The Niue line is designed with a refined version of the classic gold mesh, enriched with black or white diamonds, multiple rondels and limited edition pink sapphire or gold cognac diamond balls.

“Among the industry players there is an atmosphere of moderate confidence,” show officials said.

Rose gold bracelet in a flowing design partially covered with white diamond pave by I Gregori Milano.

VicenzaOro, held four times a year, serves as a showcase of beautiful objects that combine artistry, international fashion trends and technical knowhow. Italian fine jewelry in terms of design and craftsmanship is unparalleled in the world of jewelry making. On this level, the show did not disappoint.

Inspired by the Boboli Gardens this collection of handmade jewellery by Nouvelle Bague uses in gold and diamonds, combined with colored enamel.

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Rings from Porrati with white pearls and rose gold; with pink sapphires set on rose gold; a rose gold ring; and a thin rose gold band set with pink sapphires.

 

I added a piece from Brazilian designer Carla Amorim who was inspired by the formation of sand dunes for these rose gold earrings.

Jaeger-LeCoultre at the 2013 Venice Film Festival

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso engraved 70 Mostra

Today I will be leaving for Venice to cover the About J luxury jewelry show, perhaps the most exclusive jewelry show in the world. About 30 luxury jewelry brands will be exhibiting. Then I will be covering VicenzaOro Fall, the most prestigious collection of jewelry tradeshows for Italian jewelry industry.

Actress Sarah Gadon wearing Jaeger-LeCoultre La Montre Extraordinaire La Rose  while attending the Emergency charity VFF 2013. Photo credit: Getty images

However, I am arriving a few days early and as luck would have it, it happens to be during the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7. Luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, which is celebrating its 180th anniversary, is a sponsoring partner of the festival and has been hosting events and creating products for the event.

British actress, Sophie Kennedy Clark was on the red carpet with Laurent Vinay debuting the Reverso Cordonnet Duetto watch made its debut on the Red Carpet as B Sophie Kennedy Clark. The actress stars in the film, Philomena, which will premiere during the Festival.

The Swiss luxury watch brand has created a personalized Reverso watch to the winners of the Best Film (Leone d’Oro, Golden Lion Award) as well as the Best Actress and Best Actor of the year (Coppa Volpi Awards). The watches will feature a lacquered engraving depicting a lion, the symbol of Venice, handcrafted in accordance with the finest traditions, and bear the inscription “70. Mostra” (top photo).

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso engraved 70 Mostra Eemergency

For the third consecutive year Jaeger-LeCoultre will use its products and brand to support the Emergency, a non-governmental organization that helps civilian victims of wars and poverty. This includes the creation of a personalized Reverso watch with the same engravings and symbol as the official Venice Film Festival watch, with the addition of “Emergency” as part of the inscription (pictured above).

La Montre Extraordinaire La Rose

Jaeger-LeCoultre will also release a new collection called Jubliee. From the opening day to closing of the festival the company is hosting events throughout Venice. I will be attending two events during my short time at the festival going attending the jewelry shows I came to see.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Cordonnet Duetto

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The Vicenzaoro ‘Italian Club’ Brings 130 Companies to JCK Las Vegas

The Vicenzaoro ‘Italian Club’ Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas.

Italian jewelry, as always, was showing its strength at the JCK Las Vegas jewelry tradeshow, led by Vicenzaoro with its section of 130 manufacturers and designers. The companies came from the jewelry production centers of Vicenza, Valenza, Arezzo, Naples, Marcianise, Torre del Greco and Milan, with 20 percent of vendors exhibiting at North America’s largest tradeshow for the first time.

Presented by Fiera di Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy, where the collection of Vicenzaoro jewelry tradeshows are held each year, the exhibitors presented high jewelry collections and more accessible items in Las Vegas. It’s the eight year that the organization had its "Italian Club" pavilion at the Las Vegas tradeshow. 

Models wearing jewelry from the Vicenzaoro exhibitors.

About 30 exhibitors were represented during fashions show held throughout the four-day tradeshow. In addition, Trend Area's "Inspirations 2014 – MUTATIONS” - made its debut at JCK Luxury, the showcase for exclusive brands, which took place prior to the JCK Show. With its own exhibition area that explored the directions in which style, materials, working methods and consumer behavior are heading and its significance on the luxury industry. 

The TrendVision stand during JCK Luxury.

Jewelry industry pros were able to preview the new trends for 2014 that the TrendVision Jewellery + Forecasting team, Fiera di Vicenza's independent international forecasting center, has identified. The four moods of jewellery trends for the coming 2014 season—“Experimental Nature,” “Shadow Reality,” “Ethno Pop,” “Visionary Structures”—were unveiled at a keynote breakfast.

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