Footfall brisk on opening day of VICENZAORO Winter
VICENZA, Italy, January 18, 2014 – Footfall was strong on the opening day of VICENZAORO Winter, the first major international jewellery trade fair of the year and a barometer of the health of the global jewellery industry.
According to the latest available figures made available by Vicenza fair, Italian jewellery exports recorded an increase in value terms of 6.9 percent, and a drop in terms of quantity of 1.4 percent, in the first nine months of 2013.
Vicenza Fair noted that the increase in value of Italian jewellery exports coincided with a period when gold prices fell.
“The increase in the value of exports is particularly noteworthy, taking into consideration the fact that gold prices were falling sharply during the nine-month period,” Vicenza fair said in a statement.
“These data show that Italian exports, even if experiencing a drop in quantity, can be placed in markets characterized by high added value.”
The United Arab Emirates is the top export market for Italian gold and silver jewellery, followed by Switzerland.
In a presentation about product directions in Spring-Summer 2014, trend expert Paola De Luca singled out new design themes including the impact of digital technology on design.
She said that the digital age had ignited a trend for coloured metals and electric colours.
De Luca referred to the “Pixel effect” – a blaze of powerful colours in cutting-edge designs.
“The new aesthetic sits on the intersection between the virtual and the physical, exploring the physical language of the technology,” De Luca said.
Jewellery designer Sarah Ho, who attended the presentation and is showcasing a new line of jewellery for Valenza-based ititoli at VICENZAORO Winter, told Jewellery Outlook that the new technologies were an essential element inspiring jewellery designs in 2014.
She was referring to technologies such as augmented reality.
The Diamond XL line of ititoli incorporates a patent which gives the visual impression via a mirror that a diamond is larger than it is in reality, which boosts the perceived value of the diamond.
UK-based designer Rodney Rayner presented new pieces at VICENZAORO Winter, where he was exhibiting for the first time.
“We are very pleased to be exhibiting at the Vicenza January show for the first time,” Rayner said.
“We enjoyed a great deal of interest at the Vicenza Fair last September and this gave us the confidence to exhibit here again.
“At the Vicenza September show we received a lot of interest in our Via Roma collections, so for this show we have introduced a new colour version in 18ct rose gold set with peach colour faceted moonstones and champagne diamonds.
“We have also introduced new pieces in rose gold set with faceted moonstones and icy and white diamonds.”
VICENZAORO Winter continues until January 23, 2014.
