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Our expert buyers return from the largest show in Europe for the gold and jewellery industry. Brimming with enthusiasm and excitement , they share all the latest news and views that will shape our industry, and your jewellery collections.
The doors to Vicenzaoro 2022 opened on Thursday 17 to Monday 21 March, welcoming over 1,000 exhibitors from 27 countries and hosting buyers from over 50 countries. Our Head of Jewellery Buying, Michelle Aherne, and her fabulous team were hot on the heels of Vicenzaoro, travelling to the show in Vicenza, Italy, to discover new trends, industry developments and to meet with key brand partners.
The show brings together some of the most authoritative players in the jewellery industry and is a privilege to attend. It was without doubt that our team from the Watches of Switzerland Group would attend. Keeping our fingers on the pulse, understanding, and embracing new trends and innovations, and meeting our brand partners face to face is key to us continuing to elevate our offering in the jewellery industry.
We invited our team of expert jewellery buyers to share their key learnings from the event.
With many trade shows and exhibitions over the last 2 years being cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, you must be hugely excited to be able to visit Vicenzaoro in person this year! What does being able to physically attend Vincenzaoro mean to you, and to your role as a jewellery buyer?
It has been great to physically be able to see the product and try it on rather than looking at images, you just can’t see the beautiful detail and sparkle of the products via images alone. We’re also able to gauge up and coming trends from across the world which helps us direct our ranges. Of course, it goes without saying that it’s fantastic to finally catch up in person again with people in the jewellery industry.
As well as the presentation of new products and new collection previews at the show – were there any new trends that you saw the emergence of, or existing trends that are set to continue?
There were a lot of coloured gemstones, even more so than previous years, as well as new up and coming stones including different shades of garnets and topaz. We also viewed a lot of pieces with several different coloured stones in one item, presenting a rainbow effect, and multiple layers of chains which is a growing trend within yellow gold. Within diamond jewellery we have seen a growing trend, over the last few years, of mixed shaped diamonds and a scatter effect which continues to develop this year with the emergence of a floral theme.
Did you see many exhibitors embrace sustainability in terms of new product and technological innovation?
All of the exhibitors we spoke to are members of the RJC (Responsible Jewellery Council), like ourselves, so we are consistently monitoring our supply chain to ensure that we are all achieving a high standard of environmental and ethical practices. We know as an industry this is more relevant for our customers now in the current climate, however we, along with our suppliers discuss this in every meeting, as we always have done.
Who or what made the biggest impact on you at the show?
The increase in coloured gemstones across a range of styles and colours had the biggest impact on us and presents a great opportunity to develop our coloured stone range over the next year. With our clients wanting an impactful bolder look, this can be achieved through the use of coloured Gemstones.
Was there anyone who particularly surprised you?
I can’t say that there were any huge surprises, but what was wonderful to see was the resilience and enthusiasm of the industry, united as one. The jewellery craftsmanship continues to be meticulous, and our brand partners continue to reimagine core designs and add to collections that we know our clients will just love.
Whilst at the show, our team were delighted to meet with our key brand partners, FOPE and Roberto Coin. With Head Offices based in Vicenza, our team embraced the opportunity of exploring the newness and key collections for 2022 from these globally renowned brands with whom we have partnered for 18, and 13 years respectively, and here’s what you’ve got to look forward to…
The New Collections of FOPE 2022
The first newness from Italian jewellery brand FOPE is a series of must-have bracelets that seize the brand’s DNA.
We have enriched the plain gold rondel of our iconic Flex’it bracelets with a single diamond set on the “o” of the FOPE logo. This precious accent is available in white or black appealing to both men and women. These re-designed styles belong to our five core collections - Prima, Solo, Eka, Vendôme and Panorama. Valentina Bertolda, FOPE
FOPE’s new Aria collection consists of 18 carat gold multi-functional earrings and necklaces. Aria is made from a new delicate, fine gold mesh chain and is aimed at emerging luxury consumers, tapping into the athleisure fashion trend.
Finally there is Luna, a contemporary, heavy mesh gold chain that features Flex’it bracelets and, for the first time ever, Flex’it choker style necklaces that simulate the look of a rigid choker with all the comfort of a flexible gold mesh that FOPE’s fine jewellery collections are best known for.
The New Collections of Roberto Coin
We are extremely happy with the success of Princess Flower, Venetian Princess, and Love in Verona collections, together with their new line extensions. The Navarra Collection has been launched during the show, with its fascinating design and story, and has been strongly appreciated by all our international clientele.Brand representative, Roberto Coin
We were all very excited to finally be boarding our flight to the beautiful city of Vicenza, to be able to attend one of the year’s most prestigious jewellery trade shows. The show had an exciting atmosphere, and it was brilliant to finally be able to set our eyes on a non-virtual world and explore all that Vicenzaoro had to offer. From unbranded production to high-end jewellery brands, it was great to connect again with the people who have been behind our screens for far too long. We’re really excited about the amazing trends and products displayed and even more excited to be able to showcase these to all our clients in the next few months. Michelle Aherne, Head of Jewellery Buying
Explore the exciting collections of FOPE and Roberto Coin and look out for this year’s new collections here at Mappin & Webb online or in our boutiques, where our experts will be delighted to help.
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