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Italians Debut Collections to a Money-Conscious Market
Posted: January 21, 2004

The Vicenzaoro trade fair, held January 11-18 in Vicenza, Italy, literally and figuratively marked the start of a new year as Italian manufacturers introduced their latest jewelry collections.

As one might expect for the spring, jewelry featured a lot of pinks and blues, especially in combination, along with a fair amount of green, white, and black. The gem of the moment was mother of pearl, which appeared in all shades from its natural shimmery white to ostentatiously bright dyed blues, yellows, and pinks. Inexpensive stones like citrine, amethyst, and blue topaz were also popular, a reflection of the perilous state of the world economy.

Inexpensive stones that can offer a big look for a moderate price, something that mother of pearl excels at, were very popular. The stone appeared in everything from huge pendants to rings and brooches carved in playful animal figures to chain necklaces and bracelets where gold-backed mother of pearl formed some of the links. Big gems of all types made a comeback, especially as the centerpieces of large, flashy cocktail rings. Drama and price seemed to be the watchwords as manufacturers balanced the Italian taste for bold jewels with a need to keep the price points low.

That concern also fueled the major new design trend to emerge at the show — wire jewelry. It could be anything from wire crocheted into a web to thread-thin gold woven like fabric to flat strips curled into graceful shapes like hearts or butterflies. Some companies took the idea a step farther and wove actual cotton threads into the gold. Whatever the form, the goal was to create a light piece with a substantial look. Colored gems in this jewelry were generally used as accents, sometimes strung as beads on the wire, sometimes set in bezels on or next to the weave.

Pavé jewelry was still widely offered, but the pave craze of the past few years is fading away. Some companies are modifying pave designs by using the pavé selectively or in new and different ways, but the most fashion-conscious manufacturers have already discarded it from their lines.

In terms of sales, exhibitors seemed upbeat. As Vicenzaoro opened, the euro hit record highs against the dollar, which made for difficult sales to U.S. buyers, but the aisles were crowded, and buying was steady. Manufacturers weren't ready to hail the European market as being in recovery, but they expressed cautious optimism for the beginning of 2004.