Italian Gold Jewelry the Focus of Arezzo Tradeshow

Nemesi

The city of Arezzo is a gold jewelry manufacturing center that symbolizes Italian design and craftsmanship. It’s where jewelry for the masses meets with the artistry and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of Italian jewelry design.

Unoaerre

It is in this Tucson region where the Gold/Italy jewelry trade fair was held, October 25-27. With its focus on Italian jewelry design and craftsmanship from 220 companies in the region, the show attracted jewelry industry professionals throughout Italy and from 50 countries around the world. 

Eurocatene

Fashion was a big focus of this year’s show with runway events matching jewelry to apparel ranging from street clothes to elaborate gowns. It’s not going to be a one-year theme as the officials of the local gold jewelry industry sees its future as a partner with fashion companies. 

Artur Gold

“Made in Italy jewelry is the result of excellent manufacturing skill and a historical goldsmith tradition. We have an extraordinary product which must be taken advantage of. Only those who innovate can hope to change the world,” said Andrea Boldi, president of Arezzo Fiere e Congressi, which owns Gold/Italy and Oroarezzo. “Arezzo is the home of jewelry, and in our territory, we have always been linked to another top quality and world famous excellence, fashion.”

Fratelli Chini

He added, “We are working towards having buyers from the fashion world directly at the show because, nowadays, in an increasingly dynamic and global world, we must be able to create further business links. For this show, we have managed to achieve an important result. We will have 240 top international buyers who are estimated to create over 1.5 billion dollars in Made in Italy sales.”

Fratelli Bovo

This year’s show provided a good representation of the region’s artistry, with new creative designs, more traditional solid-gold fare, mixed jewelry pieces incorporating precious and semiprecious stones, and silver jewelry.

Gruppo Eclat

One of the things these artisans do well is create designs using finely woven gold mesh, in threads that in some cases are half the thickness of a human hair, shaped and molded into elaborate necklaces, earrings, brooches, and bracelets. The same type of variety and detail is present in gold-beaded pieces. Big, bold pieces, something Italians are noted for, were also evident as well color in many of the designs.

Mulino d'Oro

Two companies, Fratelli Bovo and Fratelli Chini, provided different examples of the mesh technique, with the first shaping the fine gold threads in a corkscrew pattern for a necklace, earrings and ring set; while the latter uses crisscross patterns that extend out into a series of semicircles for a bracelet. 

New Line

Unoaerre created a fine-beaded bracelet in a woven pattern that looked like ribbon. Another bracelet by Gruppo Eclat mixed yellow gold with a brown colored gold finished for a two-color thick bracelet in a tight woven pattern. 

Prestige

A few years ago, jewelry manufacturer, Nemesi, turned to 3D printing to create its jewels and now 90 percent of its pieces are made with this technology, which has freed the company creatively, said Paolo Cerofolini. “We can do anything,” he said. “The only limit is the market.” 

Aqua

He adds that the company has been in “full production” for the past five years and business continues to pick up as the price of gold has declined. 

Nemesi’s offerings included a two-stone ring made with threads of gold in random-like patterns and topped with a Japanese cultured pearl and a round faceted citrine. 

The Graziella Group provides jewelry in gold and silver in classic, modern and fashion designs for women of all ages. Its products extend to accessories, such as leather handbags and a quartz watch line. They sell to retailers and directly to consumers. Its major markets are in the Middle East, Dubai, Russia and China. 

Serena Cutini, a sales representative with the company, said it was not affected by the global downturn.

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Two Young Italian Jewelry Brands Bring Bold New Designs to the US

Italian Design Ltd. Snow White Red Apple Ring

Even the Italian jewelry industry needs new blood to bring innovative ideas to its storied design and craftsmanship tradition. Two new companies have heeded the call and more recently brought their new designs to the US by way of Las Vegas jewelry week.

Italian Design Ltd. and Qayten J.E.T. have little in common except a desire to bring a modern approach to the great tradition of Italian jewelry craftsmanship and design.

Italian Design Ltd. Snow White Red Apple Ring opened to reveal Snow White.

Silvia and Alberto Prandoni, the sibling founders of Italian Design Ltd. are proud of their Italian design heritage. However, they are equally influenced by traditional bespoke and limited editions jewelry created by international luxury jewelry houses, such as Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. The four-year-old company produces jewelry with innovative designs and precious materials (particularly colored gems) that tell intimate stories.

Italian Design Ltd. Lava Earrings made with irregular-shaped fire opals.

“We want to go back to haute jewelry design choosing stones and materials of absolute quality, interpreted with an original design that will adapt to and reflect individual personalities,” said Alberto Prandoni, the company’s CEO. “We create unique pieces or a limited number of up to eight pieces. We propose color variations and modifications to perfectly satisfy the desires of those who turn to us for our customization capabilities.”

There's also a good bit of whimsy and versatility incorporated into their jewelry. Some pieces are designed to be worn several ways. For example, the top of the “Snow White Red Apple Ring” opens to reveal Snow White. The ring can then be converted to a necklace and other uses. 

Italian Design Ltd.  Circus Ring can be worn multiple ways.

“We design rings, bracelets or necklaces as if they were living objects with their own personal stories,” he added.

“Our approach enables us to reach the individual and to interpret his or her requests,” Silvia Prandoni said. “It is certainly a less direct path but one that gives great satisfaction.” 

Qayten Paisley Collection earrings

Qayten is a company I have written about previously. I first met the founders at Baselworld 2013. It specializes in using modern technology to create contemporary three-dimensional pieces that are both beautiful and easy to wear. In fact the name defines the company. Qayten, is Sanskrit meaning “origin” and the abbreviation J.E.T., stands for “Jewellery Estetica Technology.”

Maddalena Allegretti, marketing and sales manager, says this means its creations “fuse aesthetics, technical innovation and forward-thinking design while honoring the traditional techniques at the heart of jewelry making.”

Qayten TT Bracelet made with rare, ethically sourced Indonesian wood.

The Bologna-based jewelry brand uses all types of materials, from 18k gold and platinum, diamonds and colored gems, natural Akoya and South Seas pearls; and even with rare woods that are ethically sourced.

“Our jewelry is modern now and for years to come,” she says. “It’s sophisticated with high perceived value, high quality of materials, including rare collectible materials.”

Qayten diamond Bologna necklace.

Founded in 2012 the firm’s first trip to the US turned out to be quite fruitful in terms of exposure. Its Bologna necklace received two honors at the Couture Jewelry Show in Las Vegas: First Place in the “Diamonds above $20,000 Retail” category and First Runner Up in the “Debuting” category.

“The calling cards of this brand are invisible connections, en tremblant settings, she says. “This is jewelry that demands to be touched, turned over in the hands and admired as much for its technical mastery as it’s visual.”

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Buccellati Unveils $485,000 iPad Case at Baselworld 2014

As I noted in February, Buccellati is undergoing an image update. The Italian luxury jeweler revealed this new look at Baselworld 2014 by unveiling products for a 21st Century consumer while maintaining the traditional craftsmanship that is the hallmark of the company’s identity. It was one of the few companies that used the recently concluded watch and jewelry show to make bold product statements. 

The Italian haute jeweler unveiled its first ever engagement ring collection, a bespoke timepiece program and introduced its new logo at Baselworld 2014. The company also plans to relocate its Madison Avenue store.

The new releases were led by what the company calls the “world’s most expensive” iPad and iPhone cases. The one-of-a-kind pieces are being sold for $485,000 and $208,000, respectively. These are the first products designed exclusively by Lucrezia Buccellati, the fourth generation designer of the family operated company. 

Gold iPhone case

While expensive and made with precious materials, these are not blinged-out tech adornments that are more commonplace in the high-end marketplace. Instead, these are new products for a new generation that reflect the techniques, traditions and refinement of the Buccellati brand. 

The gold cases feature Rigato etching, one of the company’s best known metal techniques in which parallel lines are cut onto the surface of the metal to obtain a sheen effect. Atop the gold are sunburst designs made of white gold and diamonds. Lucrezia said she was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the sun. 

The new, sleeker Buccellati name logo is placed discretely on the covers as it also appears on the company’s redesigned website, which it quietly launched recently. 

These are the first cases that the company will produce for phones and tablets and perhaps other tech products under the Unica collection name. 

Buccellati one-diamond engagement ring using the company's Rigato metal technique.

The engagement ring collection, known as Romanza, is a first for the company. Again, it is an attempt to bring the traditional design and craftsmanship of the jeweler to a newer, younger audience. 

Three-diamond engagement ring using the Buccellati Oranto technique.

The pieces were co-designed by Lucrezia and her father, Andrea, who is the company’s head designer. The lead designer has always been a member of the Buccellati family. There are one-diamond and three-diamond rings that employ many of Buccellati’s best known techniques, including Rigato; and the signature Ornato patterns, which are decorations based on nature forms, such as animals, leaves and flowers. 

The most interesting rings to me are based on Buccellati’s famously delicate honeycomb patterns (pictured above), which resemble the netting of a bride’s tulle veil. It is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process in which an artisan uses a fine blade to saw pentagon-shaped holes in the gold. These rings already existed. Buccellati added diamonds in traditional bridal one-stone and three-stone settings to create the engagement rings. 

The Romanza engagement ring collection starts at $10,000. 

The company is using technology with its old-world jewelry techniques to allow men and women to create their own timepieces. Alberto Milani, CEO of Buccellati Americas, explained at Baselworld that this isn’t watchmaking in a traditional sense, but as interpreted by Buccellati. 

The day and night watch features two dials and two movements that can be worn for casual and formal events. 

For example, in traditional watchmaking the movement often dictates much of the design of the watch, so the outer design in a large sense is dictated by what’s inside. The Buccellati formula is to have their clients work with company artisans to design the watch from the outside, including case shape and size, dial designs and types of precious materials used. Then decide on the movement. To provide a great deal of flexibility, Buccellati is working with five Swiss movement manufacturers in order to create watches with any number of complications. 

The combination of the designs and movements for the service, known as Autore, provides its clients with a menu of options to build a bespoke watch. The process takes approximately six months. Not only the does the client receive the watch but it also receives the tools, which were specially made by Buccellati to build the watch. The cost starts at $160,000.

Finally, it’s pretty much decided that the luxury jeweler will relocate its New York boutique, according to several sources. It will move from 810 Madison Avenue a few blocks south to a four-story building on 714 Madison Avenue. That space is currently the home of French arts jeweler, Mauboussin. 

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New Italian Jewelry Designs from VicenzaOro

The subtle differences of the two tones of gold color and the texture of the precious metal are the hallmarks of Anna Maria Cammilli. The simplicity of this nature-inspired motif is used throughout the collection in complicated ways. Diamond accents enhance the design.

The recently concluded VicenzaOro Fall jewelry tradeshow may have marked a turning point for the Italian jewelry industry, which has been suffering due to the global recession, the spike in gold prices and high labor costs.

The butterfly from Damiani uses yellow gold accented by brown and white diamonds, and amethysts. Each butterfly is made with a variety of material combinations and can be worn as a pendant, brooch or set onto a ring.

At this year’s show, held September 7 -11, approximately, 1,200 Italian and foreign brands from 30 countries presented a breadth of jewelry products to more than 18,000 buyers (10,879 from Italy and 7,160 from 111 other countries).

18k yellow gold cuff with diamond pavé accent by Chimento.

Show officials were particularly excited about the “return” of some Italian retailers, seeing it as “an encouraging sign considering the much-desired end of the most critical phase of the recession.”

A silver star-shaped ring with a white pearl by Mayumi.

The show numbers coincide with data from the Italian government reporting second quarter growth for Italian jewelry exports, after two years of decline. Growth was recorded in terms of value (6%) and quantity (2.6%) over the same period of the previous year. Exports to the US, the world’s largest jewelry market, increased 12 percent in value in the second quarter.

From Fope’s Flex’it collection, patented ‘roll on’ mesh chain bracelets are crafted in 18k gold and fully flexible, without clasps. The Niue line is designed with a refined version of the classic gold mesh, enriched with black or white diamonds, multiple rondels and limited edition pink sapphire or gold cognac diamond balls.

“Among the industry players there is an atmosphere of moderate confidence,” show officials said.

Rose gold bracelet in a flowing design partially covered with white diamond pave by I Gregori Milano.

VicenzaOro, held four times a year, serves as a showcase of beautiful objects that combine artistry, international fashion trends and technical knowhow. Italian fine jewelry in terms of design and craftsmanship is unparalleled in the world of jewelry making. On this level, the show did not disappoint.

Inspired by the Boboli Gardens this collection of handmade jewellery by Nouvelle Bague uses in gold and diamonds, combined with colored enamel.

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Rings from Porrati with white pearls and rose gold; with pink sapphires set on rose gold; a rose gold ring; and a thin rose gold band set with pink sapphires.

 

I added a piece from Brazilian designer Carla Amorim who was inspired by the formation of sand dunes for these rose gold earrings.

Jaeger-LeCoultre at the 2013 Venice Film Festival

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso engraved 70 Mostra

Today I will be leaving for Venice to cover the About J luxury jewelry show, perhaps the most exclusive jewelry show in the world. About 30 luxury jewelry brands will be exhibiting. Then I will be covering VicenzaOro Fall, the most prestigious collection of jewelry tradeshows for Italian jewelry industry.

Actress Sarah Gadon wearing Jaeger-LeCoultre La Montre Extraordinaire La Rose  while attending the Emergency charity VFF 2013. Photo credit: Getty images

However, I am arriving a few days early and as luck would have it, it happens to be during the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7. Luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, which is celebrating its 180th anniversary, is a sponsoring partner of the festival and has been hosting events and creating products for the event.

British actress, Sophie Kennedy Clark was on the red carpet with Laurent Vinay debuting the Reverso Cordonnet Duetto watch made its debut on the Red Carpet as B Sophie Kennedy Clark. The actress stars in the film, Philomena, which will premiere during the Festival.

The Swiss luxury watch brand has created a personalized Reverso watch to the winners of the Best Film (Leone d’Oro, Golden Lion Award) as well as the Best Actress and Best Actor of the year (Coppa Volpi Awards). The watches will feature a lacquered engraving depicting a lion, the symbol of Venice, handcrafted in accordance with the finest traditions, and bear the inscription “70. Mostra” (top photo).

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso engraved 70 Mostra Eemergency

For the third consecutive year Jaeger-LeCoultre will use its products and brand to support the Emergency, a non-governmental organization that helps civilian victims of wars and poverty. This includes the creation of a personalized Reverso watch with the same engravings and symbol as the official Venice Film Festival watch, with the addition of “Emergency” as part of the inscription (pictured above).

La Montre Extraordinaire La Rose

Jaeger-LeCoultre will also release a new collection called Jubliee. From the opening day to closing of the festival the company is hosting events throughout Venice. I will be attending two events during my short time at the festival going attending the jewelry shows I came to see.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Cordonnet Duetto

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Buccellati Appoints New CEO

The Buccellati 18k “Star Collection,” necklace and earrings made of more than 1,700 white and yellow diamonds and 20 pieces of Imperial jade.

Italian luxury jewelry brand, Buccellati, has named Thierry Andretta as its new CEO, according to reports.

Andretta, was most recently CEO of the French couture house, Lanvin, where he doubled sales to more than 236 million euros during his four-year tenure. Prior to Lanvin, he worked in senior positions at Ungaro, Céline, Moschino and Gucci Group.

Monday's announcement came less than four months after Italian private equity fund, Clessidra, took a majority stake in Buccellati, Reuters reports.

Buccellati is known for its signature lace rings and necklaces (many one of a kind) worn by monarchs and movie stars. Some of its pieces sell for more than $1 million. Members of its founding family still design many of its pieces. The company also is known for not routinely lending its jewelry to actresses on the red carpets at high-profile events such as the Cannes film festival or the Oscar ceremony.

Andretta told  Reuters the brand will develop its watch business as well as its presence worldwide, particularly in new markets such as the Middle East and Russia.

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The Vicenzaoro ‘Italian Club’ Brings 130 Companies to JCK Las Vegas

The Vicenzaoro ‘Italian Club’ Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas.

Italian jewelry, as always, was showing its strength at the JCK Las Vegas jewelry tradeshow, led by Vicenzaoro with its section of 130 manufacturers and designers. The companies came from the jewelry production centers of Vicenza, Valenza, Arezzo, Naples, Marcianise, Torre del Greco and Milan, with 20 percent of vendors exhibiting at North America’s largest tradeshow for the first time.

Presented by Fiera di Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy, where the collection of Vicenzaoro jewelry tradeshows are held each year, the exhibitors presented high jewelry collections and more accessible items in Las Vegas. It’s the eight year that the organization had its "Italian Club" pavilion at the Las Vegas tradeshow. 

Models wearing jewelry from the Vicenzaoro exhibitors.

About 30 exhibitors were represented during fashions show held throughout the four-day tradeshow. In addition, Trend Area's "Inspirations 2014 – MUTATIONS” - made its debut at JCK Luxury, the showcase for exclusive brands, which took place prior to the JCK Show. With its own exhibition area that explored the directions in which style, materials, working methods and consumer behavior are heading and its significance on the luxury industry. 

The TrendVision stand during JCK Luxury.

Jewelry industry pros were able to preview the new trends for 2014 that the TrendVision Jewellery + Forecasting team, Fiera di Vicenza's independent international forecasting center, has identified. The four moods of jewellery trends for the coming 2014 season—“Experimental Nature,” “Shadow Reality,” “Ethno Pop,” “Visionary Structures”—were unveiled at a keynote breakfast.

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Jewelry Trends at Baselworld 2013

Diamond and white gold necklace from Qayten (description below).

Whether it’s through craftsmanship, materials, artistry or innovation, the Italians always make their mark when it comes to jewelry design and this year was no different as brands large and small showcased sparkling and shimmering pieces at Baselworld 2013.

But they were not alone. The French brought its own brand of elegant and delicate designs. German creations were accessible and colorful. The U.S. and Israeli brands brought their glittering best to the party as well. New brands presented products that were competitive with established companies proving there is room for growth in the jewelry trade. And where does one place Fabergé these days? The iconic brand with the royal Russian heritage is now an international contemporary jeweler with one foot in its rich history and the other in its promising future.

There was a crazy, colorful quilt of jewelry to be seen and if only I could be cloned I could have experienced most of it. What follows is a selection of the some of the standout products in a variety of price points and materials that I had the chance to view. 

Casato
Based in Rome and led by Federico Gauttieri, the Italian jewelry brand creates jewelry made primarily with 18k gold and a variety of colored gemstones. The ruby and diamond-centric Dragon Eye is one of the lines introduced by the brand at Baselworld 2013, which includes this 18k rose gold pendant.

Charriol
Steel cable with accents of yellow or rose gold PVD are used to create modern and affordable jewelry for the Forever Young jewelry line. The standout pieces are the 69mm wide cuff bracelets in a crisscross design for a look that mixes elegance with attitude. 

Fabergé
The new Fabergé begins with its purchase by mining company Gemfields, which specializes in emeralds and amethysts from Zambia. Now the company has a direct pipeline for these colored gems. At baselworld 2013, it introduced the high jewelry collection, Les Danses Fantasques, that takes its inspiration from the Great Russian ballets. The collection features several suites, each focusing on a necklace with matching earrings and rings. An example of this is the La Esmeralda necklace pictured. Its part of suite that includes earrings and a ring covered in emeralds and diamonds, inspired by the romantic ballet of the same name. The necklace features white diamonds, suspended on a double chain of cabochon emerald beads and pear-shaped emerald drops.

Fope
The Vicenza, Italy-based company introduced new models to its “Flex’it” collection of crafted 18k gold jewelry. It is fully flexible due to tiny gold springs in the construction. The geometrical design is ehanced by squared white or black diamond paves and a range of interchangeable rondels.

Judith Ripka
The popular U.S. jewelry designer was at Baselworld 2013 showing her gold and silver jewelry collections, including these teardrop-shaped African Ruby Earrings, made of 18k gold with rose cut and full cut diamonds, and a 1.04-ct. African Ruby as a center stone.

Meissen
The 300-plus-year-old manufacturer of porcelain products has produced jewelry for a number of years. The company introduced “my little Mystery” collection, which uses a mix of diamonds and white or rose gold with pastel-colored gemstones. It includes this pendant-necklace made of hand-painted “ice green” porcelain with a diamond in the center and rose gold and diamond on its edge. 

Neelia
This is a new jewelry brand is from a Parisian jewelry manufacturer Gay Frères. Baselworld was the brand’s coming out party for its four lines of delicate, feminine jewelry based on simple motifs. As the name suggests, Twirl (pictured) is based on spiral shapes that are made with 18k pink and white gold occasionally covered in diamond pave. 

Nouvelle Bague
Florence-based jewelry designer released the Giardini Di Boboli line of hand-crafted enamel jewelry, including this earrings and ring set in black and “Bordeaux” enamel, rose gold, diamonds and carnelian.

Porrati
Among its introductions at Baselworld, this Italian brand released a series of rings with white pearls and rose gold; pink sapphires set on rose gold; rose gold; and sapphires on rose gold. These same combinations are also available on bangles.

Qayten (top photo)
This new Italian jewelry company specializes in contemporary high-end jewelry made out of a variety of materials. The necklace pictured is named Bologna, the firm’s hometown. It is made of white gold covered in diamonds that takes the shape of a wave. 

Stefan Hafner
The Bologna-based jewelry design firm introduced the nature-inspired Angelica collection of ruby and marquise diamonds jewelry, including these earrings with the rubies set in rows topped by diamonds in the form of small flowers.

Yvel
The Israeli company came to Baselworld with a flurry of new product that combines 18k yellow gold with baroque pearls in textured, organic shapes. The bracelet pictured is good example of the jewelry introduced by the firm, which in this case used three white fresh water pearls to provide a color contrast to the irregular gold shapes.  

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