Colors, gold, optimism – an account from September’s Vicenzaoro fair

Vicenzaoro is the jewelry world’s fashion week. A trip to the city of Palladio for this trade fair is a permanent part of my professional agenda, however, I don’t think of it as a chore. With a head bursting with inspiration and a phone full of photos and videos, I write down for you, dear jewelry lover, my account of this year’s edition of VO – a full of color, optimism, and energy meeting of the “golden community.” And instead of a fridge magnet or some prosciutto I brought back a really great surprise for you from Italy – but I’ll get to that later. 

 

VO Highlight N^o1: face to face with an icon 

 

 

As I swipe through my photo gallery in an attempt to somehow put my all my VO fair memories in order, I smile when I see the photo of Lynn Yaeger. She’s an American journalist for Vogue, known from her wit, skillful writing, and extravagant style. She’s an icon to me. On the VO stage, Lynn shared many anecdotes with the audience: One time, I was on the subway when a little boy sitting opposite me exclaimed “Look mom, a clown!” pointing at me. This reminded me of how the sons of Diana Vreeland would beg her to change for the parent-teacher meetings at school. That’s the life of a colorful odd bird. You need a certain degree of courage when you boldly express yourself through fashion. These words really stuck in my mind – you know, dear jewelry lover, how much I adore experimenting with fashion and putting together daring outfits. Hats off to Paola De Luca, who chaired the trend panel during the fair, for inviting such an inspiring person to Vicenza. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VO Highlight N^o2: optimism!

 

The fall edition of Vicenzaoro was positively bursting with energy and optimism. After two tough pandemic years, the VO organizers managed to draw in a record number of visitors, living up to their status of a truly global event. As it turns out, industry professionals and media from 124 countries attended the fair this year – a true melting-pot of jewelry aficionados! But let’s not forget that these events are primarily business-oriented – thanks to the incredible attendance and large-scale of the fair, the brands present were able to not only showcase their new collections but also make new business connections or enter new markets. Even such industry powerhouses such as Faberge or Rue des Mille admit that presence at VO will positively contribute to their expansion and profits. In general, such events benefit the entire jewelry world – including us, dear jewelry lover – facilitating growth and development. The success of VO comes as no surprise – perfect organization, warm hospitality, and an impressive program make Vicenzaoro “the place to be” for any jewelry professional and afficionado. So, grazie mille to the Italian Exhibition Group team. Outstanding work!

 

 

VO Highlight N^o3: a cocktail of colors 

 

Ok, now it’s time to get into the good stuff, i.e., all the glittering stuff! Let’s take a quick look at the numbers: over a thousand brands presented at Vicenzaoro, which means that during the 3 days of the fair I got to admire several thousand brilliant accessories. Wow!  And, of course, there was my beloved VO Vintage section, with its stunning selection of archival jewelry pieces. Just strolling among the various stands gives great insight into what jewelry lovers will obsess over in the coming seasons and this fall VO was bursting with color. Like at FW’22/23, the showcased jewelry pieces resembled a fruity cocktail. Colorful gems and enamel ruled the stands of international jewelry makers and niche brands alike. These colorful pieces perfectly highlighted the positive energy of the fair. 

 

VO Highlight N^o4: IG takeover

 

I’m one of those people who are able to give themselves a pat on the back and say “well done” when they feel they’ve done a good job and that’s exactly what I did when Katarzyna and I were invited to take over Vicenzaoro’s Instagram profile for a day. The opportunity to show the world Vicenzaoro from our point of view is another Blingsis success we proudly add to our resume. This self-admiration is backed up by the great feedback we’ve received from both the organizers and exhibitors, who were captivated by our pictures and the quality of our stories. Our phone and camera lenses were working overtime as we tried to capture all the beautiful jewelry, international jewelry-bloggers, and the sensational scenography prepared by the organizers. And speaking of scenography, there was a stunning golden installation placed just before the fair’s entrance. You could step inside and suddenly feel as if you were in a fairytale goldmine! It made for an ideal backdrop for group pics with the many friends we encounter during VO (particularly during the aperitivo and afternoon “golden hour”). With a glass of aperol in hand, surrounded by all these amazing things, networking just sort of happened (haha). The organizer’s attention to photogenic event scenery paid off – the SoMe content on VO’s profile reached over 20 million views, therefore Katarzyna and I are extremely proud of having contributed to that. If you missed our stories from Vicenzaoro, don’t worry – you can find them in the saved stories on our profile @blingsiscom

 

 

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VO Highlight N^o5: SURPRISE!

 

Finally, it’s time for the surprise I promised you at the beginning! I told you about the meeting with Lynn Yaeger – the journalist was a guest of the panel accompanying the premiere of The Jewellery Trendbook 2024 – a publication which will be a work companion for designers and jewelry makers around the world. It’s a definite guide to bijoux trends created by the TRENDVISION JEWELLERY + FORECASTING team – a group of experts, trend searchers, and consultants from jewelry-related areas. The Jewellery Trendbook 2024 is a goldmine of inspiration and analyses; on the one hand, showing aesthetic directions and stirring creativity and, on the other, raising awareness of how accessories can be objects full of with cultural and social meaning. The purchase of this trendbook is an investment we highly recommend to any jewelry afficionado or industry professional. So, the surprise souvenir we brought back from golden Vicenza just for you is a 10% discount for this glittering guide. You can activate the discount during purchase using the code BLINGSIS. But remember to let us know what you think of this wonderful trendbook afterwards! 

LINK for shopping

 

All that is left to do now is to start counting down to the next edition of the fair. See you at Vicenzaoro in January 2023!

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Pictures: Katarzyna Jankowiak