The September 2024 edition of Milano Fashion&Jewels will still take place at the Rho Fair from Saturday 14th to Tuesday 17th. On Saturday, visitor entry will be by invitation only. Furthermore, the days from 15th to 17th (Sunday-Tuesday) will coincide with Micam Milano, International Footwear Exhibition, Mipel International Leather Goods and Fashion Accessories Exhibition.
In three days, in addition to the opening on Saturday dedicated to exclusive entry with invitation from the exhibitors, it will thus be possible to better concentrate all the activities and special events of the event, offering visitors, buyers and journalists present, a very aimed at knowing and appreciating the potential of Milano Fashion&Jewels. With a view to optimizing visiting opportunities, a partial overlap is also expected in September (Tuesday 17th) with Lineapelle, the international exhibition of leather, accessories, components and fabrics, scheduled for 17th to 20th February 2024.
The history of Tiffany & Co on window
It is not true that to be liked you need to be young and, perhaps, lie about your age. Tiffany, for example, is keen to underline its date of birth: 1837. A year that also occurs in its new advertising campaign: With Love, Since 1837. In short, for almost two centuries the American brand, now French-owned , with his jewels he witnesses weddings, engagements and declarations of love. And, always sinking inspiration back to its historical roots, the images that accompany the communication allude to the creativity of Gene Moore, an American designer and window dresser who joined Tiffany in 1955 as artistic director and later became vice president. In fact, the showcase is the first business card of a jewelry store.
The Maison’s most important jewelery collections, such as Lock, T, Knot, HardWear, Sixteen Stone and Tiffany Setting, were visualized by the photographer and director Dan Tobin Smith, who recalled in photos and videos a series of shop windows created by Gene Moore, between theatrical wings and allusions to the surrealist artistic trend. The campaign speaks to the heritage of the House, the origin of each collection and pieces such as the Lock bracelet, the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany & Co. Sixteen Stone ring, HardWear jewels and other creations.
Dan Tobin Smith worked with production designer Rachel Thomas, including miniature or large-scale models that flow together seamlessly through shifts in perspective. The campaign is a collaboration between Tiffany’s internal creative team and creative agency Tbwa\Chiat\Day LA.
A film for Serafino Consoli
The Serafino Consoli brand presents a video, The Shape of Life, which in addition to being a vehicle for communicating jewellery, aims to become a manifesto of the values and history of the brand. Set between Monte Rosa and the Circolo Filologico of Milan, the cultural center of the city, the video is performed by the German dancer and choreographer Anne Jung, with elements of dance and sport: she competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
The video is presented as testimony to the stylistic path undertaken by Serafino Consoli, a brand born in 1959 in a small jewelery shop in Northern Italy, in the province of Bergamo, which still bears the name of its founder today. The Brevetto and Serafino collections combine tradition and innovation: the technology introduced by the brand makes the jewelery extremely flexible, able to adapt to any size. In the Serafino collection, for example, the rings can be transformed into bracelets, with two ways of wearing the same jewel.
With The Shape of Life we wanted to create a new and innovative communication product. For its production we identified young professionals who brought their creativity and fresh ideas to overcome the concept of the classic commercial. Together we thought of this project, then shot and edited into a real film-manifesto which, in a few minutes and without unnecessary frills, speaks, interprets and transmits the concepts of nature, human relationships, changes. Because the shape of life is changeable like our rings, which last forever, adapting to the passing of time. For us The Shape of Life is not a simple and classic marketing initiative, it is a project that aims to accompany us and represent us as a company and people, because it investigates and compares the sensitivity and beauty that is in each of us.
Ivan Consoli, CEO of Serafino Consoli
The film is produced by the independent creative&production company Jumpp, written and directed by Nicola Martini, under the executive creative direction of Giovanni Verdicchio. The photographic direction is by Luca Costantini, the music is by Daniele De Virgilio.
A book and a league for Atelier VM
Atelier VM, a Milanese brand that has decided to celebrate the anniversary with a project and a book published by Corraini Edizioni, turns a quarter of a century. Atelier VM, founded by designers Marta Caffarilli and Viola Naj-Oleari, also organized a retrospective curated by Milovan Farronato, in Via Cesare Correnti 14 in Milan. The book is halfway between diary, album of memories and reflection: it retraces the history of VM from its beginnings, with the two very young friends, today at the helm of a predominantly female company made in Milan. The volume contains drawings, photos and a conversation with the two founders, including personal memories and anecdotes. Atelier VM underlines the ability to innovate the classic canons of jewelery by enhancing the emotional aspect linked to the object.
The book contains texts by Domitilla Dardi, Milovan Farronato and Alessandra Pomarico, Marta Cappellolli and Viola Naj-Oleari in conversation with Alessandra Pomarico. Furthermore, ten years after launching L’Essenziale, the idea of “jewels soldered to the body”, Atelier VM is now launching the new alloy called 3Kt, composed of gold, copper and silver.
The program of the Jewelery Museum
The 2024 program of the Vicenza Jewelery Museum begins with the cycle of guided visits to the Pop Beat Italia 1960-1979 exhibition. The visits to the rooms of the Palladian Basilica are entitled The jewel of the sixties and seventies: free to create. At the centre, the jewelery materials in that period of great creative freedom, with the phenomenon of bijou and artistic jewellery, of which the Padua school is an example. The visits will take place on Sunday afternoons between 4.30pm and 6.00pm, on 24 March, 28 April, 26 May and 30 June (to be booked). Reduced price for all visitors who show the exhibition ticket in the Basilica and discounts for residents of Vicenza and the province. The museum is the first in Italy dedicated exclusively to goldsmith and jewelery art.
In May the program also includes a series of visits organized with the Diocesan Museum of Vicenza to learn about the jewels of sacred art that are the city’s heritage: the crown and pectoral of the Madonna of Monte Berico, patron saint of Vicenza, two masterpieces of the goldsmith’s art Vicenza made in 1900 starting from pre-existing jewels of great value, donated as a sign of devotion by the families of the capital. The visits are scheduled for Sunday 5 and 19 May, at 10am, starting from the Diocesan Museum, where it will be possible to admire the treasures that inspired the two creations: the Reliquary of the Holy Thorn (13th-19th century), the Chalice of the church of Santa Corona (17th century), and the Processional Cross of the Cathedral (15th century) curated by the educational services of the Diocesan Museum of Vicenza. The group will then move to the nearby Jewelery Museum to admire the crown and pectoral, with expert commentary from Stefano Soprana, who oversaw its restoration, owner of the historic Soprana jewelery shop, located under the Palladian Basilica, where the master’s workshop once stood Angelo Marangoni, who originally created the two works.
Educational activities and workshops for all ages continue in 2024, to explore the jewelery design and creation process. Three workshops are planned for families: on Saturday 30 March everyone will discover the mysteries of stones with the interactive meeting Minerals: precious materials, on Sunday 28 April it will be the turn of My precious mosaic, while on Sunday 26 May the Eco workshop will be held -jewellery, centered on the theme of recycling and reused materials.
For adults who wish to try their hand at creating jewellery, four workshops are scheduled with the goldsmith designer Barbara Uderzo, whose jewels have been exhibited in international art galleries and museums, such as La Triennale di Milano, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin , the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The meetings, all on Sunday, will be dedicated to the different expressions of jewellery: on 23 March the workshop Repeating and joining: from the module to the necklace, on 14 April Weaving and riveting: from the metal wire to the ring, on 12 May Shaping and riveting : give shape to your bracelet and on June 23rd Fold, thread, tie: make your earrings with the colors of summer. The Jewelery Museum also participates in the Night of the Museums, Saturday 18 May, with dedicated activities.
Work has begun on the new Vicenzaoro
Ieg, the company that organizes Vicenzaoro, has decided to invest 60 million to expand the spaces of Fiera Vicenza in view of the next event, set for 6 to 10 September. The redevelopment works have begun, as evidenced by the images, commented by the architect Mario Vescovo, director of the Vicenza headquarters of Ieg, as well as director of operations of the same plant: “After the official handover of the construction site area last February 12th to the company winner of the tender called by Ieg for the demolition, the environmental remediation operations are nearing completion to begin the subsequent demolition of pavilion 2. However, the dismantling of pavilion 5 has already been completed in recent days.
The demolition of the old pavilions will be completed within the next four months, including the removal of the foundations, to prepare the land for the new construction on the same footprint as the new building of approximately 22,000 square meters, designed by Studio GMP of Hamburg. The new building will be developed on two levels and will be completed in the first half of 2026.
Sotheby’s sells a collection of 250 jewels
Great jewels return to Geneva with the Sotheby’s auction scheduled for May 14th. The auction includes an extraordinary jewelery collection of over 250 pieces of the highest quality, assembled by a passionate European collector over fifty years: it is one of the most important private collections of designer jewelery ever put up for auction. This is why the sale was entitled Iconic Jewels: Her Sense Of Style.
When you come across a jewellery collection as consistently stunning and substantial as Iconic Jewels: Her Sense of Style, it’s a heart-stopping moment – the kind you know you’ll never forget. This collection, with its many, many dazzling signed jewels from the most beloved and sought-after design periods in jewellery history, is truly one of a kind and one of the most important private jewellery collections I’ve ever seen. It is an incredibly powerful and sophisticated love letter to jewellery from an enlightened private collector which I know will inspire other collectors and connoisseurs all around the world.
Marie-Cécile Cisamolo, jewelery specialist, Sotheby’s Geneva
The collection is estimated at between 4.7 and 7.3 million Swiss francs (i.e. between 5.4 million and 8.3 million dollars) and will be offered in two sales sessions: 46 jewels will be offered on May 14th in the sale of Magnificent Jewels, during the Sotheby’s Luxury Sales in Geneva. Another 200 pieces, however, will be sold online from May 2nd with offers closing on May 16th.
The selection is a tribute to 20th century jewelry design and an encyclopedic showcase of its most iconic pieces and most influential trends, exemplified by creations from the most prestigious jewelry houses including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Boucheron, Chaumet , David Webb, Mauboussin, Marina B, Sterlé and Mellerio dits Meller. A special place, with 30 jewels, is reserved for the Maison founded by one of the designers who made the history of jewellery: René Boivin. Famous for his intricately crafted and brightly colored jewels, Boivin’s style has exerted great fascination on the private collector who, over time, has purchased what may be the largest selection of works by the French jeweller.
The most precious pieces
Among the top lots there are creations by Bulgari, including an exceptional pair of earrings, set with two Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds weighing just under 10 carats each and previously belonging to the legendary Baroness of Portanova (estimate 400,000-600,000 francs). American socialite. Presented alongside the imposing pair of earrings is a rare Serpenti Theodorus bracelet watch, accompanied by an original drawing from the Bulgari archive dated 1968 (200,000-400,000).
Other iconic pieces include those from Cartier, including a 1969 Panthère bracelet (250,000-350,000) and an exquisite Tutti Frutti bracelet (200,000-400,000), a choker and earring set by Marina B, intricately set with carved amethyst ( 30,000-50,000), as well as a transformable Passe-Partout set from the 1940s by Van Cleef & Arpels consisting of a necklace, three brooches and a pair of clip earrings (80,000-120,000).
Redefine the Jewel with a knot
Redefining Jewelery returns to the Bijou Museum in Casalmaggiore (Cremona). On display there are 43 contemporary jewels designed by Italian and foreign artists (from March 23 to June 9, 2024). The project, born in 2010 from an idea by the curator Sonia Patrizia Catena, is an annual competition that stimulates the design and creation of a contemporary jewel. For this edition, Redefining Jewelry asked artists to design a jewel that enhances the memory of the creations exhibited at the Bijou Museum, inviting them to take inspiration from the oldest knot-shaped jewels to reinterpret the structure and meaning through own contemporary language and artistic research.
The museum aims to connect different worlds, styles, eras and creations. The selected jewels offer a review based on woven thread: from the formal study of the knot to the weaves, with jewelery that mixes styles and materials. In each edition, Redefining Jewelery welcomes an artist from the world of contemporary art to talk about the theme of the competition. This year the invited artist is Marisa Iotti who has outlined an exhibition itinerary called Ànemos0 with sculptures, installations and fiber art works.
The jewels of Patrizia Giachero, winner of the Contemporary Jewelery competition organized by the Rossini Gallery in Milan in April 2023, and the drawings of Carmela Barbato from the Trame Mediterranee series will also be on display. Also for this edition the winners will receive special prizes from the cultural partners of Ridefinire il Gioiello. The winners will have the opportunity to exhibit in Milan at Marco Rossini’s Galleria Rossini and at Circuiti Dinamici for the wunderkammera project. A recommended artist will be able to obtain a period of artistic residency at La Stazione degli Artisti in Gambettola thanks to the Bosco Urban Art Project festival, while the Bijou Museum will decide a winner for a temporary exhibition point within the museum spaces.
Who participates
Andrea Benoni – Katalyxer, Atelier Effetti – Flavia Turone, Brigitta Petrovszki Lajszki, Chimajarno, Collezione Siku – Graziana Giunta, Cristina Croce, Cristina Lottero, de Cor produzioni, donidelmare gioielli di Emily DeVito e Roberto Coppola, Elena Berti Margià, Elena Ramaparelli, Elenadp Crea, Ellence, Elli Atelier Gioielleria Contemporanea, Ely Milano Jewelry, Erika Mazzola, FiloGioielli di Filomena Di Camillo, Francesca Romana Sansoni – Segni di terra, Gaia Descovich Jewels, Gianfranco Quartaroli – Circuiti Gioielli, Gioi Giulia Vignetti, La Chigi, Laetitia Autrand, Lamobijoux – Maurizio Mo, LeMari Riciclano, Luisa Capua – Z’Atelier, Maria Cristina Codecasa Conti – Le Troisième Songe, Michela Guatto, Monica Ungarelli, NearteNeparte art&craft di Anna Esposito, Oplà! Michela Deanesi, Paolacreart – Paola Marzoli, Paolella_Rakuecrochet di Paola Cisterni – Elena Ramparelli, Pasly – Pasqualina Tripodi, Patrizia Giachero, Roger Cavinatto, Rosalba Rombolà Gioielli, Rosella Catalano, Rovescio Pensieri d’arte di Roberta Pozzi, SilverStrass – Silvia Orani, Valentina Grotto, Vera Rossini – Cakes & Troubles
Tiffany Story on display in Tokyo
Tiffany Wonder is the title of the exhibition organized in Tokyo which brings together hundreds of design masterpieces from the American Maison. The exhibition is set up at the Tokyo Node gallery, inside the Toranomon Hills Station Tower, in the Japanese capital, and will continue until June 23rd. Tickets are available until June 23 on the Tiffany & Co. app, downloadable in the iOS and Google Play app stores. The exhibition is an opportunity to admire the legendary Tiffany diamonds and jewels that have marked the history of the most famous brand in the world. In the different rooms, visitors will discover exceptional objects, which tell the story of almost 200 years of Tiffany & Co.’s history, such as the first Blue Book, the first mail order catalogue, one of the first Blue Boxes.
Tiffany Wonder aims to intrigue, inform and inspire visitors with unique creations, ranging from one of the most famous pieces of high jewelry, the Bird on a Rock brooch by Jean Schlumberger, to the innovations the Tiffany Diamond system, or the Tiffany Setting to stop a solitaire diamond.
Tiffany & Co. has been inspired by Japan for decades, and the House’s authentic relationship and long history with that region of the world has only grown. Our latest exhibition showcases some of the most exceptional creations, such as the first Bird on a Rock brooch from 1965, designed by Jean Schlumberger, one of the most talented designers of the 20th century. The exhibition, which highlights Tiffany’s exceptional craftsmanship, unparalleled authority in diamonds and inventiveness, will convey the joy of the House to every visitor.
Anthony Ledru, President & Chief Executive Officer, Tiffany & Co
Tiffany & Co.’s relationship with Japan dates back to 1837, when Charles Lewis Tiffany began offering his customers selected imported Japanese goods, a rarity on the American market. Many of the House’s best designers, such as Edward C. Moore, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Elsa Peretti, have found inspiration in their work in the arts of Japan. A celebration of respect and creativity, with various points of the exhibition dedicated to Tiffany & Co.’s ties to Japan.
Villa Milano at Pad Paris
After its presence at GemGenève, Villa Milano returns to be present in a foreign event. The Milanese maison founded in 1876, also known for its vast offering of cufflinks, as well as jewellery, will be for the first time at Pad Parigi, which was the first fair, 26 years ago, to bring together in a single event featuring the best international and French galleries of historical and contemporary design. From 3 to 7 April Villa Milano will participate in the Salone (Stand 31) under the curatorship of Second Pétale, the Parisian art gallery founded by Arina Pouzoullic, an entrepreneur who founded her gallery in Paris in 2019.
Alice Villa looks to the world of art as a reference in her creations, where her cultural legitimacy can be extended, transcending the functional elements strictly linked to the use of jewellery. An example is the bracelet inspired by the architectural style of the Duomo in Milan.
Pad Paris and the collaboration with Second Pétale represent a new important step for the history of Villa Milano, I thank Arina Pouzoullic for giving me the opportunity to look into this reality. Approaching a universe that is still somewhat new represents an important challenge, but I am convinced that jewelry has every right to be able to occupy a significant space in the art world.
Alice Villa, CEO and Creative Director of Villa Milano
Marco Bicego in Shanghai
Marco Bicego’s jewels in Shanghai. The Italian fine jewelry brand continues its international expansion plan with the opening of a flagship store in the large Chinese city, in the prestigious Grand Gateway 66 complex. The shopping center is one of the largest and most popular in Shanghai and a point of reference for the Xujiahui district, one of the main commercial areas and logistics hub for the south-western area of the city. The mall’s glass dome allows maximum natural light to enter and creates a warm and inviting environment for visitors. The center boasts the presence of international luxury brands, as well as a wide choice of retailers specializing in the fashion, beauty, jewellery, watches, sports and fitness sectors. With a surface area of approximately 75 square meters, the new Marco Bicego boutique is located on the ground floor of the mall, an area that welcomes the highest number of visitors.
The design features details such as refined displays and soft, delicate lights. Inside we find brown Italian marble accents, soft beige surfaces and contrasting glass cabinets, while pink velvet armchairs create a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. The aesthetics of the boutique therefore takes up the visual identity of the Marco Bicego stores around the world, combined through the craftsmanship that distinguishes the brand’s jewels: to enrich the spaces we also find the typical brass sculpture which takes up the motif on a large scale of the coil, iconic and exclusive workmanship of the brand.
This boutique represents a great showcase at an international level and an important step forward in the brand’s growth strategy. We wanted to create a refined and luxurious environment in which to offer local and international customers the opportunity to appreciate Made in Italy creativity and craftsmanship, accompanying them in discovering the brand and collections. Especially in our sector, the physical experience with the product is still decisive: the new flagship store in Shanghai will become a crucial touch point for an ever-increasing number of people who will be able to discover the brand, touch the jewels first-hand and be inspired by our design. My heartfelt and sincere thanks go to our local partner Chow Sang Sang for supporting us, in all these years of close collaboration, in the brand building process in this key market.
Marco Bicego, founder and creative director of the brand
Competitions and prizes at GemGèneve
As always, GemGenève combines business with pleasure or, more precisely, business with moments of training. The eighth edition scheduled from 9 to 12 May at the Palaexpo in Geneva is no exception. Alongside the jewels and gems of the exhibitors, there will be meetings and educational projects developed throughout the year in collaboration with the eight partner schools. Students from Head, the Vallée de Joux Technical School, Cpne Pôle Arts Appliqués, CFP Arts Genève, and the Institut de Bijouterie de Saumur are invited to express their creativity and submit their work to professionals for the first time. , of the Société Royale Belge de Gemmologie, of the Galdus School and of the Francesco Degni Institute, who have the opportunity to exhibit their projects.
GemGenève has also developed an artistic mentoring program. The initiative, born from an idea by Mathieu Dekeukelaire, allows us to build bridges between the present and the future, federating a community that recognizes the right value in learning and transmitting know-how.
Gemgenève X Head in collaboration with the Grand Théâtre de Genève
For the fourth consecutive year GemGenève will offer around fifteen students from Head, the only school in Switzerland to offer a bachelor’s degree in product, jewelery and accessories design, the opportunity of their first exhibition based on a theme freely inspired by the programming of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Visitors to the show will be able to discover a series of projects inspired by the opera The Knight of the Rose by Richard Strauss. The idea is to imagine a jewel that symbolizes commitment, but is also a real prop. Ring, necklace, bracelet or tiara: the jewel must be visible from afar and made exclusively with recycled, recovered or unusual materials. All visitors to the exhibition will be invited to vote for their favorite project.
First photomicrography competition
This year, GemGenève offers its visitors a poetic gemological experience. In the hope of discovering the beauty of gems in an unusual way, the salon has developed an original artistic project in collaboration with gemologist Marine Bouvier, the Institut de Bijouterie de Saumur and the Royal Belgian Gemmological Society. GemGenève hosts the first exhibition of photomicrographs. Almost 20 photographic projects created by the students of the two partner training proposals will be revealed to the public for the first time, to reveal the beauty of precious and colored stones by sublimating their inclusions. By revealing the inexhaustible shapes, textures and colors of gems, Marine Bouvier has created a new way of practicing gemology. For this first competition the passionate gemologist introduced the students to the art of capturing the beauty of minerals.
For its 8th edition, GemGenève continues its collaboration with Laura Inghirami and Mathieu Dekeukelaire, who created an unprecedented competition on the mystical theme of the totem animal. Fauna creatures, an inexhaustible source of inspiration, have always stimulated the imagination of jewelers. Using the animal as a creative challenge, GemGenève offers the young prodigies of the Galdus School and the Francesco Degni Institute the chance to create their first bestiary. Some projects, investigating the symbolic link between the human world and the animal world, proved to be particularly poetic.
GemGèneve will also host six awards for the most creative projects. The awards ceremony will be chaired by Mathieu Dekeukelaire, director of GemGenève, in the presence of all the institutions that collaborated on the various projects.
To offer students the opportunity to develop their first professional project of excellence, GemGenève launched its first gouache competition in 2022. Thanks to the success of the competition, which engages students for several months, GemGenève has become a springboard. The gouache competition, supported with the Eric Horovitz Foundation Prize, is highly appreciated by operators in the sector and is organized every year with the support of Asmebi (Association Romande des Métiers de la Bijouterie). Gouache, or gouache, is a drawing technique used in jewelry and a point of reference for model makers, jewelers, gemologists, polishers and setters in every phase of the creation of a jewel.
Gold at record, will it continue to rise?
Gold has reached an all-time high: will it continue to rise? Or was it just a blaze destined to go out? The answer interests both the world of jewelry and those who invest in the yellow metal. Everyone knows that the future is unpredictable even for the most experienced analysts. However, it is possible to draw a picture that can offer some indications.
At the beginning of March, gold prices in New York exceeded 2,140 dollars an ounce, with a peak of 2,145.40 dollars. Yet the previous record had been reached only three months earlier: on 4 December the value of gold had risen to 2,135 dollars, but then fell. The fundamental point, however, according to experts, is the exceeding of the 2,000 dollar mark in mid-February: a psychological threshold, which opens up to any scenario, so much so that in a week the yellow metal has increased by around 100 dollars.
Why has the value of gold risen so much? There are two main factors: the geopolitical tensions that push towards safe haven assets and the maneuvers of large investment funds. The first factor is simple to understand: war in the Middle East, war in Ukraine, American elections which can be a factor of further uncertainty. Reasons that push many investors to bet part of their money on the solidity of gold. This factor conditions some investment funds which, also due to the algorithms that determine portfolio choices, join the trend. In this way they further fuel the rise in prices.
Warning: it is not an automatic mechanism, destined to repeat itself forever. Another aspect that affects the price of gold is, for example, the trend in interest rates. Investors expect the Federal Reserve, the American central bank, to reduce rates as inflation appears to be under control. This expectation affects the yield of American government bonds and the price of the Treasury Bond has already partly reflected these expectations. If the value of bonds falls, many investors think, an alternative is to buy gold. Of course, if the Fed were to not lower rates and the wars around the world were to end or, at least, find a truce, gold would probably lose part of its appeal, with a reduction in prices.
Dave Meleski, president and CEO of Richline Group, has been elected president of the Responsible Jewelery Council. RJC is the leading authority on global watch and jewelery standards, working with its members around the world to create a sustainable supply chain from mine to retail. It was formed in 2005 by 14 top-tier brands and financial institutions with the goal of transforming sustainability from an afterthought to a major driving force for change. Today it has over 1,800 member companies in 71 countries. Meleski replaces David Bouffard who leaves the position, after being elected in 2018 for two three-year terms.
This is a critical time for RJC to continue to grow and lead the global supply chain in setting the standards for our industry. Richline has been involved at board and committee levels since the RJC’s inception, and as a global manufacturing company with retail customers around the world, we have helped promote the importance of the RJC as our single voice for compliance standards.
Dave MeleskiIt has been an honor to serve as RJC President for six years – a truly challenging but rewarding experience of a lifetime, especially representing Signet, one of the RJC Founding Members. Companies like Signet and Richline, along with esteemed team members and boards of directors, have transformed the RJC over the past 20 years from an organization with 14 founding members when it launched in 2005 to an organization that grows stronger every month with over 1,800 members to date.
David Bouffard, outgoing RJC President and Signet Fellow of Industrial Affairs
Melanie Grant, executive director of the RJC, will report directly to Meleski. RJC would also like to thank Edward Asscher, honorary president of Asscher Diamonds, for volunteering to run for president and he will remain vice president of the organization.
Art and jewelery in Rome
Jewelery and figurative arts at the Incinque Open Art Monti gallery in Rome. The space will host the Sinopie exhibition by Emiliano Alfonsi from 16 to 30 March as part of the Incinque Jewels project curated by Monica Cecchini. The objective is to make contemporary jewelery dialogue with other forms of art. The Sinopie project, curated by art historian Carmen Bellalba, was born as an itinerant project with the intention of being disseminated nationally among museums, exhibition spaces and places of culture. Alfonsi, born in 1980, creates his works using an ancient technique dating back to 1400, egg painting, for subjects that recall the Tuscan and Flemish Renaissance, but also the Pre-Raphaelites.
During the Sinopie exhibition period, the exhibition of the winner of the Rome Jewelry Week 2023, Francesco Ridolfi, will also be inaugurated on Thursday 21 March, who will compare himself with the creations of Emiliano Alfonsi and the other resident artists of Incinque Jewels. Ridolfi was selected as first place in the Incinque Jewels Award, with a Second Life theme, for his jewel Vite parallele. «Two parallel worlds, one natural and one artificial. A new horizon that opens up to many possibilities or an alienating destiny that will change us forever? On one side there is a beating heart that is linked to two roots of a tree, on the other a binary code and microchip. The two universes will probably coexist, only man will decide that”, explains the artist.
The works, some unpublished, by Emiliano Alfonsi will be on display and for Incinque Jewels the jewels of Myriam Bottazzi, Detailsdattimi, Chiara Fenicia, Claudio and Roberto Franchi, Angela Gentile, Emanuele Leonardi, Paolo Mangano, Maria Patrizia Marra, Matuta jewels, Maria Gaia Piccini, Anna Pinzari, Francesco Ridolfi, Simone Vera Bath and Lorella Verrillo.
Ribas Jewelery PR goes to Clara Garcovich
Ribas Jewelery will be followed by the communication agency Clara Garcovich. For Ribas Jewellery, a jewelery and diamond company founded in 2002, the agency will manage all integrated and cross-media communication activities, with media relations activities, press office and PR, Digital PR, Events.
Ribas Jewelery was founded in 2002 in Tel Aviv by Patrik Ribas, thanks to his great experience in the diamond and jewelery sector it is now a company recognized worldwide. With headquarters in Vilnius, Lithuania, creative offices in Tuscany and a flagship store in Florence, Ribas Jewelery designs, creates, distributes and sells luxury gold jewelery made with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones. The brand’s objective is to make diamonds accessible to everyone, thanks to an attractive starting price positioning, despite the great quality of the product guaranteed by the Israeli Diamond Exchange of which Ribas Jewelery is a member.
Ribas Jewelery today is undergoing strong expansion, with three mono-brand stores in Vilnius, a store in Kaunas and a flagship store in Italy in Florence, a reference benchmark. We have recently finalized another four new openings in the Baltic countries, but the Italian market is fundamental above all in terms of positioning, hence the collaboration with the Clara Garcovich agency which aims to develop a new strategic communication plan.
Patrick Ribas
The agency, founded in 2002 by Clara Garcovich, deals with PR and integrated communication with a multidisciplinary and unconventional approach, specializing in the fashion, beauty, jewellery, lifestyle, travel & hospitality, food & beverage, design & architecture, automotive and finance sectors, capable of proposing and develop made-to-measure strategies thanks to a creative and innovative team of experts in the language of communication. Starting from 2023, the agency has expanded its services by adding a new consultancy branch for the strategic development of brands.
Tom Munsteiner, farewell to a gem genius
On December 28, 2023, one of the greatest artists in gem cutting, Tom Munsteiner, founder of the Atelier Munsteiner, passed away. It is a great loss: Munsteiner was not a simple carver, but a creative person capable of giving unusual shapes to precious and semi-precious stones. The Maison’s business will now be carried on by his wife Jutta and Philipp Munsteiner, their son, together with their team in Germany. Atelier Munsteiner is a family-run business of carvers and jewelery designers located in Stipshausen, Rhineland-Palatinate. The laboratory is run by the Munsteiner family and is internationally known.
The family is in its third generation in the jewelry business, which includes Bernd Munsteiner, Viktor’s son, who founded the studio in Stipshausen in 1973. In the 1960s, Bernd Munsteiner distinguished himself from the jewelers of the time with his Fantasy cuts, a new approach to lapidary art. This original style, which breaks the canons of traditional jewellery, inspired his son Tom, whose work has an unparalleled style, between the art of faceting and sculpture.
Tom Munsteiner was not only a stone carver, but also a gemologist and, among other things, he also designed windows. His wife, Jutta Munsteiner is a goldsmith, who takes care of matching the stones with rings, bracelets or necklaces.
Tiffany in New York with 70 works on display
The new Tiffany & Co. by LVMH immediately inaugurated a special relationship with the world of contemporary art. Now she does more and brings 70 contemporary works of art by 26 artists into her most prestigious store, The Landmark, the one on Fifth Avenue. The exhibition is entitled Culture of Creativity (4 March-20 May 2024). The pieces on display are those from the private collection of architect Peter Marino, the Peter Marino Art Foundation in Southampton, NY. The works are installed in Tiffany’s two-story exhibition space nestled within the ten-story flagship.
There are 26 authors of the works, to which are added Tiffany & Co. sterling silver masterpieces by Peter Marino from the 1880s. At its core, the exhibition is a tribute to the role creativity played at Tiffany & Co., made possible thanks to the Peter Marino Art Foundation and its founder’s decades of artistic patronage. Peter Marino’s personal collection of artworks has been developed for over 40 years.
We are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with Peter Marino again in a creative partnership for The Landmark’s first major exhibition. He is the visionary architect who transformed the interiors of our beloved Fifth Avenue store by filling its ten floors with art. Peter reinvented the Landmark as a world of wonder and a cultural hub. There is no better place to display your collection than him.
Anthony Ledru, CEO of Tiffany & Co
Since its foundation in 1837, art and craftsmanship have been part of Tiffany’s DNA. In 1853, the House began displaying loaned works of art for visitors to admire while shopping. In the late 19th century, founder Charles Lewis Tiffany’s son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, became the House’s first artistic director, ushering in a new era of jewelry art and design. Today considered the leader of the Art Nouveau movement, he is one of the most appreciated American artists of his time.
In addition to Louis Comfort Tiffany, the House has a long history of creative collaborations with pioneers such as Jean Schlumberger, Paloma Picasso, Elsa Peretti, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, Gene Moore, Andy Warhol, Frank Gehry among others. The Culture of Creativity exhibition features some of their works, as well as other contemporary masterpieces, highlighting Tiffany & Co.’s continued dedication to promoting artistic expression and cultural enrichment.
Culture of Creativity presents a collection of spectacular artworks in a variety of mediums by Jean-Michel Basquiat, McArthur Binion, Sarah Charlesworth, Francesco Clemente, Johan Creten, Andre Dubreuil, Roe Ethridge, Urs Fischer, Hans Hartung, Molly Hatch, Gregor Hildebrandt, Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Rashid Johnson, Y.Z Kami, Les Lalanne, Peter Marino, Vik Muniz, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Antoine Poncet, Richard Prince, Julian Schnabel, Sarah Sze, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Not Vital and Stanley Whitney.
The Culture of Creativity exhibition, hosted on two floors of the Landmark’s three additional glass floors. To visit the exhibition you need to book, but entry is free.
Oroarezzo makes room for fashion
Oroarezzo 2024 returns from 11 to 14 May, the international platform for the industrial production of jewelery signed by the Italian Exhibition Group which takes place at Arezzo Fiere e Congressi. With something new: the event opens to companies in the fashion supply chain. The 43rd edition organized as always by Ieg enhances the exhibition mix. It is also the first act of Matteo Farsura, new Global Exhibition Manager of Ieg’s Jewelery & Fashion division.
The novelty is Precious Fashion, an area dedicated to the fashion accessory production chain with particular focus on Made in Italy. Brands, designers and style offices will be able to come into contact with leading companies in technologies for high-level finishes, innovative workmanship, efficient and sustainable processes serving the fashion and luxury sector. In this section there will be space for Italian excellence in the chemical and galvanic processing of metals and the most appreciated companies producing, welding and assembling metal accessories and decorations.
The broad offer focused on the best gold and jewelery production, which meets the market needs for a quality supply for the development of unique creations and private labels, supported by the cash & carry area, is enriched with a section for the production and the processing of the fashion accessory.
Matteo Farsura, Global Exhibition Manager Jewelery & Fashion at Ieg
The incoming program for buyers, thanks to the collaboration with Ice, the Agency for the promotion of Italian businesses, aims at business matching by looking at the consolidated export markets, i.e. Eastern Europe, the USA and the Middle East, going as far as South East Asia and South America. Also expected at the fair are a selection of Italian retailers who are particularly interested in the offer of the Cash & Carry area for ready purchases aimed at the seasonal renewal of their shop windows.
Oroarezzo also provides opportunities for technical training and professional updating for companies in the sector. Some in-depth meetings on supply chain issues are scheduled to encourage the growth of sector skills and knowledge, organized with the collaboration of trade associations, leading companies, certification bodies and institutions.
Finally, Première returns, the historic competition with which Oroarezzo rewards the best goldsmith creations presented by exhibiting companies. An event that for 33 editions has valorised the technical know-how and creative capabilities of the goldsmith’s factory, called to interpret a theme proposed by the Art Director Beppe Angiolini. The Talents category has also been confirmed this year, reserved for students and young designers under 30.
Pianegonda still has the face of Anna Cleveland
Anna Cleveland returns to wear Pianegonda jewels. The American model is the face of the new 2024 advertising campaign of the Italian brand specializing in designer silver jewellery. Anna Cleveland had already been chosen for the debut of the new sculptural collections of the brand which is part of the Bros Manifatture group designed by the artistic director Betony Vernon. The model has now been called to pose with the creations of the Assoluto collection made of silver, leather, stones, and the Assoluto Gold ones in 18 carat gold and gems, inspired by cosmic energy and the essence of the universe.
The jewels, in addition to being designer pieces, represent symbols such as infinity, life, love and luck. The images of the new communication campaign use shots by the French photographer Guillaume Thomas, with Anna Cleveland portrayed in more or less daring poses, between refinement and sensuality.