First Major Trade Show of 2009 Opens in Vicenza

The first major trade show of 2009 got underway on Sunday with the opening of Vicenzaoro First in Vicenza Italy. The show is host to around 1,700 participating exhibitors, all hoping, but not really believing, that the new year will bring with it renewed optimism for buyers who are still recovering from the depressing end to 2008. While many exhibitors are no doubt feeling the pinch, they are putting on a brave face and trying to get on with business.

At the show's opening ceremony, Dino Menarin, president of Fiera Vicenza, talked of the continuing strength of the higher end of the sector, which he said showed the strong interest of consumers in gold jewelry. Although global demand for gold jewelry from Italy dropped some 8.16 percent in the first three quarters of 2008 compared to 2007, certain areas showed a marked increase in their consumption, including the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Turkey, Hong Kong and Poland.

These figures, said Menarin, show that there are still opportunities, despite the increasingly tough situation. "It's a question of winning or succumbing," he said. Speaking of the Italian jewelry situation specifically but with reference to the wider jewelry industry, Menarin stressed the importance of branding jewelry as a way of evolving to meet the changing needs and demands of customers who are looking for increased value in their purchases.

Out on the show floor, Lisa Martinello of Italian jewelry company Comete illustrated Menarin's concept by explaining that one of the company's growing lines is its Ambrosia collection. This low-end collection essentially brands unbranded jewelry, and has become very popular. The latest addition to the line is Ambrosia Joy, which consists of 9 karat gold jewelry for children as well as mother and child jewelry. Helping to reinforce the theme of the collection, Comete includes a packet of seeds with each purchase that are planted and grow as the child grows.

Martinello stressed that the company's size - it has 2,400 points of purchase - was insulating it from the economic downturn, at least for now. "We are quite big in Italy and so we can handle the crisis better than most. However, this might not be the most brilliant of years," she admitted. "We always try to be competitive by launching new lines or at least adding to our lines at each show. I think that because we are a brand we have it even harder than some other companies, but we try to stress the value of our brand and not just of our product."

Rosato is another Italian brand claiming to be broadly insulated from the current economic climate. Barbara Bertelli, press office manager, said that it is currently a very good moment for the company. "We don't see too many walls. We don't see to many crises. We are optimistic," she said. Contributing to her optimism is the repositioning the company recently did, replacing their brand ambassador Demi Moore with Elizabeth Hurley, a move she says that gives them more leeway to operate in the United States. Rosato has also begun to change its products with the addition of items other than the whimsical charms for which it is best known. "We are thinking positively and we are working to do even better than before," concluded Bertelli.

Designer Dada Arrigoni claimed that her small size was keeping her safe at the moment, although she did admit that it was becoming more difficult to sell her goods. One way in which she is keeping up with the increased cost of materials is by turning away from precious metals and precious stones in her use of leather and traditional millefiori glass beads for one of her newest collections. The combination, she says, not only brings down the cost but is also a more fashionable piece of jewelry that can be worn everyday.

Arrigoni was not alone in using cords of leather or silks. A number of designers, including Pippo Perez, are turning to this method, either from a cost or fashion perspective. Perez's showcases were filled with ornate paved charms - including flags, pirate motifs and fruit - strung on silks finished with gold or silver fasteners. A choice of fashion over cost it seems.

Finally, although Vicenzaoro First does not attract a large contingent of diamantaires, there are a number of representatives from both the Antwerp and Israeli diamond industries operating under the banner of the HRD and IDI respectively. While the first day of any show is always slow for diamantaires, today saw many of the traders received very few of even the general inquiries that characterize the opening days of trade fairs. For the most part, the diamantaires were sitting in empty booths looking out as visitors failed to give them a second glance. 

Vicenzaoro First runs until January 18.