Look Book

25 www.thejewelrybook.com F A L L 2 0 16 E D I T O R ' S P I C K S With the 2017 theme for the September show being "Green Jewellery" and many of the show's seminars focusing on sustainability, women's issues, and fair-trade practices, it's safe to say that VICENZAORO is on the right path when it comes to what is important to today's consumers. With special emphases on empowering women and what the Millennial generation looks for when buying jewelry, guests of the show could attend industry talks as well as roundtable discussions that included speakers like Caterina Occhio of the fair-trade jewelry brand, SeeMe, and Jennifer Ewah of Eden Diodati; a brand that is manufactured in collaboration with cooperatives of Rwandan women who survived the genocide. These discussions were not ones I was used to hearing at major jewelry trade shows and I found their truths to be enlightening and engaging. But even beyond the forward-thinking seminars and hot topic discussions, we saw a major focus on future jewelry trends and modern masculinity, with the industry's most well-known futurist – Paola De Luca – leading the way. In terms of product, VICENZAORO offered buyers a variety of genres without looking like they were trying to be too many things to too many people. The layout of the show kept luxury jewelry and big brand names such as Pasquale Bruni, Palmiero, and Fope together in one hall while combining more affordable fashion brands like Pianegonda and Pesavento in another. If you were look- ing for loose diamonds or precious gemstones, VO offered those too, in abundance, and if watches were your thing, the show's watch exhibit – called N.O.W. – featured a variety of independent watch brands for every kind of budget. One of the most impressive things about the show for me, however, was just how incredibly well attended it was. There were moments the halls were so fi lled with buyers that I couldn't get through the crowd and instead had to fi nd my way to the bar, where no one twisted my arm to have a prosecco or two (or three), which is why I wasn't surprised to hear that the show's attendance was up 20% from the year before, bringing in over 20,000 people with 14,300 of those attending being buyers. All in all, VICENZAORO offered delights beyond my wildest jewelry dreams, yet did so with its heart in the right place by choosing to focus on protecting our planet and its people. This – for me – was what made the show so special and what proved to me yet again why Italians are as envied as a society as they so often are. Life is beautiful. La vita è bella. And I thank the team at VICENZAORO for reminding me why that statement still rings true.

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