Held by the newly formed Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), Vicenzaoro January 2017 concluded on 25 of the month under the theme of ‘Responsible Gold’. The six-day show featured nine pavilions occupying 29,000 square meters in total, showcasing 1,500 brands from 37 countries and regions. Over 18,500 buyers attended with an increase in the number of foreign buyers. New exhibition areas include The Design Room of international designers, and the Small Equipment and Tools zone.
Highlight activities of the fair included a congress jointly held by IEG and CIBJO on corporate social responsibility in the jewellery supply chain, a full-day technology forum, the 5th Andrea Palladio International Jewellery Awards and the signature consumer profile seminar offered by Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting.
Defending integrity along supply chain
On the third day of the fair a congress focusing on the practical aspects of integrity along the jewellery supply chain was held. Chaired by Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO, the meeting featured key representatives in the precious metal refining sector and the luxury jewellery sector.
In particular, Wilfried Hoerner, chairman of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) and director of refining & bank products at Argor-Heraeus SA gave an overview of the precious metal industry and explained in detail the flow of precious metals and money in the entire supply chain from mine to end consumers and identified areas of possible risks such as human rights issues, traceability of metal, employee safety, corruption, etc. Next, Andrew Bone, executive director of RJC introduced the work and member portfolio of the council and expressed his hope of reaching 1,000 members by spring 2017. According to Bone, a new membership services department will be introduced this year to provide new and improved self-assessment tools. Furthermore, he revealed that there will be a scope expansion to include coloured gemstones and silver in RJC standards in the future. Lastly, representatives from product safety testing and certification organisation UL introduced its jewellery division founded in 2009 and how they helped companies to achieve compliance along the jewellery supply chain.
Chopard wins CSR award
In line with its commitment to promoting human rights and the ethical, social and environmental aspects of the jewellery and precious metal industry, the IEG has invited Livia Firth, founder of Eco-Age and International Ambassador for Oxfam to be a guest of honour in the 5th Andrea Palladio International Jewellery Awards where she shared her view of maintaining compliance in the jewellery industry. Among the nine awards categories, the Jewellery Corporate Social Responsibility Award went to Chopard for its collaboration with Eco-Age. In design related categories, Nikos Koulis was awarded the best international jewellery designer and the best Italian jewellery brand collection award went to Siracusa of Antonini Milano.
Drawing global design talents
To introduce diverse talents to the show, the debuted The Design Room in Hall 7 was dedicated to 12 award winning designers, including Netali Nissim, Federica Rettore and Qayten from Italy; Rodney Rayner, Sarah Ho Jewellery and Zara Simon from the United Kingdom; Nikos Koulis from Greece; Magerit from Spain; Daniela Villegas and Sutra from the United States; Fernando Jorge from Brazil and Elie Top from France. Several designers viewed the fair as a good opportunity to reach potential customers though some felt that while the trade show could offer publicity, it is not the best for business.
The next Vicenzaoro, to be held from 23 to 27 September 2017, will be strategically positioned to coincide with the Milan Fashion Week to attract practitioners from the two industries. Another Vicenzaoro event, Vicenzaoro Dubai will be held from 15 to 18 November 2017 in Dubai World Trade Centre.
← Back