Press release and press kit

VICENZAORO SEPTEMBER 2025 – DAILY NEWS SEPTEMBER 8^TH
 

ASSOGEMMOLOGI, 40 YEARS OF HISTORY: “MIMIT RECOGNITION STRENGTHENS OUR ROLE”
Forty years of history and a look to the future. The Italian Gemmologists Association celebrated its anniversary at Vicenzaoro September, the international gold and jewellery show, organized by IEG, ongoing until tomorrow at Vicenza Expo Centre. «We are not a professional association, but recognition from the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT) gives us credibility and a regulated framework,» explained President Rinaldo Cusi . Among the association's strengths is the growing presence of women, who now account for 35% of associates and board members. Despite the uncertainties of the diamond market, Cusi reiterated the association's mission: «Keeping up to date is vital, from inclusions to jade and turquoise. Those who do not keep themselves informed risk becoming obsolete.» Moderated by Loredana Prosperi, vice president of the IGA and director of the Italian Gemmological Institute, the meeting saw international experts address key issues: “jade unveiled” with Guy Lalous, natural and treated turquoise with Ilaria Adamo, microphotography with Liviano Soprani, the technological revolution of “Gemtelligence” with Peter Tollan, and Rui Galopim's reflection on the role of gemmology in museums. Between research, innovation and identity, the event confirmed that Italian gemmology is still a leading player on the world stage.

TORRE DEL GRECO CAMEO: A TREASURE BETWEEN ART, HISTORY AND FUTURE
Always a star attraction at Vicenzaoro, the cameo is emblematic of a tradition that combines art and regional identity. The cultural, symbolic and economic value of this identifying jewel was discussed this morning by Assocoral, Federpreziosi Confcommercio and IGI - Italian Gemmological Institute, in a meeting that opened the fourth day of Italian Exhibition Group's international gold and jewellery show, underway until tomorrow at Vicenza Expo Centre. The focus was on Torre del Greco’s artisan workmanship and the cultural value of a kind of jewellery whose expressive power remains intact.
«Cameo carving is an age-old art form with roots in Roman glyptic art and it is preparing to obtain Protected Geographical Indication status», said Vincenzo Aucella, president of Assocoral. «To promote our tradition and the skill of our engravers, we have organized live demonstrations and targeted initiatives at Vicenzaoro, ahead of the official PGI presentation in December 2025». A heritage to be rediscovered, also in terms of communication and awareness, as highlighted by the Italian Gemmological Institute, with director Loredana Prosperi reiterating the importance of explaining the “hidden poetry” behind each carved figure in order to overcome the confusion and disinterest that often surround this type of jewellery.

JEWELLERY RETAIL BETWEEN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND STORYTELLING
At Vicenzaoro September 2025, the Retail Talks organized by Federpreziosi Confcommercio offered two training sessions dedicated to jewellery retailers. The spotlight was on two central themes: the real-world impact of Artificial Intelligence on the jeweller’s profession and the ongoing importance of mastering storytelling techniques.
The first session, “Jewelry and AI – An Unexpected Alliance”, featured Vincenzo Aucella, Deputy Vice President of Federpreziosi and President of Assocoral. Aucella described AI as «a new collaborator – a qualified assistant, ready to add value if entrusted with the right role». He was joined by Mauro Mazzetto, Agile Business Coach and Learning Experience Designer, with moderation by Federpreziosi National Director Steven Tranquilli . Companies that have already begun to integrate AI report tangible benefits: higher profit margins, lower costs, and improved efficiency across both production and sales. However, the speakers cautioned that without adequate internal expertise, AI risks remaining an untapped resource.
The second session, “Storytelling Forever – From the Showcase to the Customer’s Heart”, brought together Federpreziosi National President Stefano Andreis and Giampaolo Rossi, founder and CEO of La Fabbrica di Lampadine . Their discussion explored storytelling as a powerful tool for strengthening customer relationships. «The jewelry experience comes alive in direct contact with the object», said Andreis. «Storytelling begins the moment a customer looks at a jewel, tries it on, and feels it as their own. It grows through dialogue, empathy, and attentive listening». Rossi added: «For jewelers, being a skilled storyteller means creating resonance with each client, turning a purchase into a shared life moment. That is what sets this profession apart and makes it truly special».
 

PRESS CONTACT IEG / VICENZAORO SEPTEMBER 2025:

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri media@iegexpo.it;

TRADE PRESS CONTACT IEG

Michela Moneta michela.moneta@iegexpo.it, trade press office coordinator jewellery & fashion division

COLLECTING BECOMES SHARED CULTURE AT VO VINTAGE

At VO Vintage, the free entry exhibition and marketplace, underway until tomorrow alongside Vicenzaoro September, watch collecting is much more than a mere passion. It is a forum for discussion, growth and in-depth analysis for enthusiasts, collectors and experts. In addition to the exhibition area and the unique and ageless pieces on sale, the various topics addressed in the ongoing talks at this year's edition include turning the spotlight on collecting as a conscious critical practice. At yesterday afternoon's event entitled Independent Collecting, the audience was able to follow a multi-voiced reflection on how to build one's own collecting identity, far from fads and speculative logic. The meeting was led by Dody Giussani, editor-in-chief of L’Orologio, Pietro Pannone, founder of the Ghiera Orologi project and co-author of the Laboratorio podcast, and Jacopo Spangaro, founder of the Spangaro & Co. auction house. The event also hosted the recording of the third episode of the Laboratorio podcast on independence of taste and the growth of individual skills. Held today, Sunday 7^th September, the talk entitled The New Frontier of Expertise, addressed the challenges of authentication in the contemporary market. Nowadays, between perfect clones, invisible restorations, and reprocessed finds, recognizing an original piece requires increasingly advanced tools and knowledge. The topic was discussed by Giussani and Giovanni Varesi, CEO of GVE and partner of The Watch Boutique Milan, highlighting how technology can complement — but not replace — experience. VO Vintage thus confirms its role as a privileged meeting place for enthusiasts and professionals, where collecting is discussed, debated and transmitted as living knowledge.

EDUCATION, THE INTERNATIONAL FINE JEWELLERY ACADEMY HAS BEEN FOUNDED

The International Fine Jewellery Academy located in Milan has been founded. On the second day of Vicenzaoro September 2025, IEG's international trade show where the entire gold and jewellery supply chain gathers, the launch of a new, first-class, educational institute was announced. The institute will meet the needs of the jewellery industry and train the next generation of professionals, targeting students from all over the world. The initiative is the result of a strategic partnership between CIBJO, ConfCommercio, Fondazione Mani Intelligenti, a Valenza-based organisation whose mission is to train the next generation of goldsmiths, and CAPAC – Business and Tourism Polytechnic, a non-profit foundation that has been operating in professional training since 1961. CAPAC will provide the International Fine Jewellery Academy with premises in the centre of Milan. The Academy will offer an innovative training programme that will combine traditional craftsmanship, design and sustainability. The new Academy was launched during Vicenzaoro by Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO, Alessia Crivelli, president of Fondazione Mani Intelligenti, Umberto Bellini, president of Asseprim and vice president of Confcommercio Milan, Simonpaolo Buongiardino, president of CAPAC, Gabriele Cartasegna, Director of CAPAC, Marie Claire Daveu, chief Sustainability and International Affairs Officer at Kering.

THE CAMPANIA GOLD DISTRICT: A REFLECTION OF IDENTITY AND CULTURE

The Campania Gold District’s first Vicenzaoro September 2025 prior to placing the documentation for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognition for cameo and coral production on the desk at EUIPO, the European Union Intellectual Property Office, in Brussels on December 1^st. On the second day of Italian Exhibition Group's international jewellery show, currently underway at Vicenza Expo Centre, the Campania Gold District, which focuses on the distinctive character of coral workmanship and the art of cameo carving, made itself heard. Anna Maria Nastri, from the Ministry of Agriculture, reiterated how the PGI could also boost artistic craftsmanship, while Vincenzo Aucella, president of Assocoral and the Coral and Cameo Consortium, explained the opportunities that European recognition would open up for Torre del Greco. The institutional perspective was outlined by Antonio Marchiello, Campania Regional Councillor for Productive Activities, and Alfonso Bonavita, who support this enhancement process for over fifty companies in the sector. The District's mission is not just to promote a productive sector, but to transform it into an innovative model of aggregation capable of speaking to the world. As Campania Gold District President, Vincenzo Giannotti, pointed out, by 2026 the District will be ready to take on an international role. Between past and future, from gemmological analysis of Pompeii jewellery to global market showcases, Campania jewellery has found its ideal stage at Vicenzaoro: not only artistic creation, but a symbol of identity and enterprise, the excellence of a region that continues to shine.

VICENZAORO CELEBRATES JEWELLERY EXCELLENCE WITH THE VO AWARDS

The international jewellery exhibition organised by Italian Exhibition Group and acclaimed “Trend Show” launches the VO Awards. An official recognition of talent, innovation, manufacturing know-how and master craftsmanship with which the sector’s longest-running trade event, with over 70 years of history, aims to promote the key players in the supply chain and highlight creations that inspire and pave the way for the industry’s future.

Applications are already open: designers and exhibiting companies can submit their creations starting with this edition of VOS25. The winners of the 1^st edition of the VO Awards will be announced at Vicenzaoro January 2026. A multidisciplinary jury of experts and leading figures in the international jewellery, fashion, gemmology, and communication sectors will decide on the winners with the contribution of buyers and visitors who, during the first few days of VOJ26, will be able to vote for the finalists from among those om display at the show.

PRESS CONTACT IEG / VICENZAORO SEPTEMBER 2025:

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri media@iegexpo.it;

TRADE PRESS CONTACT IEG

Michela Moneta michela.moneta@iegexpo.it, trade press office coordinator jewellery & fashion division

TRENDVISION: JEWELLERY FROM ORNAMENT TO IDENTITY

The second day of Vicenzaoro September, IEG's international trade show, currently underway at Vicenza Expo Centre, began by taking visitors into the “quantum” era of jewellery, where everything converges and everything is transformed. The talk entitled “The Quantum Age. Jewellery and the Convergence of Cultural Transformations”, organized by Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting, IEG and Vicenzaoro’s independent observatory directed by Paola De Luca, outlined the new era: instead of an ornament, jewellery will become a new medium, a cultural, technological and modular artefact with symbolic, identity and emotional value. An era based on four pillars - culture, craftsmanship, new codes and rebirth - which were explored by four international guests. According to Lebanese artist Samar Younes, theorist of Quantum Culture™ and founder of Samaritual, jewellery is a “technology-interface” and identity prosthesis. AI, understood as a system for aggregating information, will “take possession” of jewellery to make it a device capable of communicating identity and cultures of belonging. The theme of identity expression recurred in the way young Indian women are shaping the jewellery landscape, as Archana Thani, Indian curator, journalist and jewellery editor of Vogue India, pointed out. In India, jewellery has still not abandoned its cultural roots. On the contrary, while it continues to be an expression of the self, one’s personal story and spirituality, it is now imbued with style, design and function. Meanwhile, in analysing the changes characterising the market in the Land of the Dragon, Chinese cultural consultant Helen Mao underlined how a few small consumer communities are redirecting consumption and the market towards brands that manage to communicate security and offer shopping experiences that are mediated and made unique by technology. Lastly, visionary fine jewellery designer Fabio Salini shared his radical and experimental vision in which unexpected materials and inner research transform the very concept of jewellery.

CHINA IS LOOKING AT MADE IN ITALY: JEWELLERY AMID HERITAGE, DIGITAL AND THE SHE ECONOMY

China is still a strategic market for made-in-Italy products, particularly in the gold and jewellery sector. But what is now the most effective strategy for winning over Chinese consumers? This was discussed on the second day of Vicenzaoro September 2025, IEG's international trade show, ongoing at Vicenza until Tuesday 9^th September, during the talk entitled “Strategies and success models for the jewellery world in China”. The meeting focused on the new consumer dynamics in the Asian giant, which are increasingly oriented towards authenticity, tradition and brand identity. The role of digital technology is fundamental with platforms such as WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Tmall Luxury Pavilion now key tools for communicating with a young, informed and connected audience. Heidi Cheung, Head of China Strategy at East Media, outlined the latest trends. Gold is still central due to its cultural value, but pearls are growing in popularity with a 60% increase year-on-year. Among the main drivers is the She Economy driven by a growing number of educated and independent women who are leading the way in high-end consumption. There are three key profiles of Chinese consumers: Gen Z, globalised but tied to their national identity, supported by the “4 to 1” model; urban professionals, attentive to quality and craftsmanship; and the super-rich, younger than the global average and open to bold designs. A scenario that begs Italian brands to adopt a tailored approach that can combine tradition, storytelling and digital in order to build an authentic connection with the Chinese public.

VICENZAORO, CIBJO: DESIGN AND TECHNIQUE TO TACKLE GOLD IN EXCESS OF 3,000 DOLLARS

Markets, sustainability and innovation are put to the test with gold prices exceeding three thousand dollars per ounce. Yesterday afternoon – Friday 5^th September, the opening day of Vicenzaoro September – saw the meeting organized by the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) and CIBJO, the international jewellery confederation chaired by Gaetano Cavalieri, hone in on the cost of this raw material to provide a snapshot of the current situation for manufacturers and retailers. With a focus on international markets, Matthew Piggott (Metals Focus) highlighted the leadership of India (34%) and China (24%) in jewellery production, countries that are also the largest consumer markets (28% and 24%). Italy ranks third with 7% with limited domestic consumption but considerable exports to the US, Europe and China. Faced with prices exceeding three thousand dollars per ounce, Alessia Crivelli, general manager of Crivelli, and Giorgio Villa, president of the Lombardy Goldsmiths' Association, believe that design is the key to helping the industry in terms of the consumption of raw materials, which must be used in innovative ways regarding volume and processing techniques. Sustainability was also discussed. John Mulligan (World Gold Council) recalled the need for a shared definition of “recycled gold” while, according to Alice Vanni (Italpreziosi), responsible sourcing now plays a pivotal role. On the technological front, Federico Padrono Martini (IKOI Spa) presented the “green gold” project and an innovative vacuum refining system.

JEWELLERY, CLUB DEGLI ORAFI AND INTESA SANPAOLO’S 9^TH JOINT SURVEY PRESENTED YESTERDAY

On Friday, the opening day of Vicenzaoro September 2025, Club degli Orafi Italia and Intesa Sanpaolo presented the ninth edition of their joint survey on the performance and prospects of the Italian jewellery industry. The analysis showed that, in the first 5 months of 2025, exports amounted to €5.2 billion, down 16.8% in value and 19.4% in volume, but there were also positive signs in terms of investment and international positioning with an increase in the number of companies planning to invest (from 21% to 30%) and Italy confirmed as Europe’s top exporter with a share of over 50% of total exports to EU27 countries.

For further details on the data and findings, please refer to the official press release at the following link (in Italian):https://www.clubdegliorafi.org/evento-5-settembre-2025-comunicato-stampa-presentazioni-gallery-fotografica-e-rassegna-convegno-il-settore-orafo-italiano-analisi-e-prospettive-strategiche-a-vicenzaoro/

“THERE IS NO JEWEL WITHOUT JOY”, FULVIO SCAVIA IN CONVERSATION WITH ASSOGEMME

Creativity as inner discovery, vocation and destiny. The Scavia company, four generations spanning more than a century of Milanese jewellery with roots in Valenza, is a perfect example. Fulvio Maria Scavia and son Alessandro Maria, guests on the second day of Vicenzaoro for the now traditional event organised by Assogemme entitled “Wise Forms: a chat about creativity”, provide the proof. Fulvio Maria's hands were “stolen” from emergency surgery when he began designing jewellery in order to remain with his widowed mother. He thus continued the family business, creating pieces that have left their mark, such as the iconic Sandra Dia spiral earrings, designed at the request of Liz Taylor for her sixth wedding and exhibited at the MoMa in New York. Scavia creations are jewels resulting from a creative process that respects values handed down from one generation to generation, the personality of those who wear them, and the fundamental role of the goldsmith, with whom the designer must sit down and accompany. “It's about patiently and carefully entrusting your dream to those who will create it with their own hands,” explained Scavia, “so that they don't just comply with the design.”

PRESS CONTACT IEG / VICENZAORO SEPTEMBER 2025:

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri media@iegexpo.it;

TRADE PRESS CONTACT IEG

Michela Moneta michela.moneta@iegexpo.it, trade press office coordinator jewellery & fashion division