The jewelery industry under the lens in Arezzo

The point on Italian jewellery: it was, for the third year, the objective of the Italian Jewelery Summit, organized by the Italian Exhibition Group (Ieg) with the Municipality of Arezzo, the Arezzo-Siena Chamber of Commerce and Arezzo Fiere e Congressi . The jewelery industry is one of the country’s strong points: in the first eight months of the year, exports, which account for over 80% of the sector’s business, increased by 12.8% in value, above 7 billion euros. Although, according to Giordana Giordini, president of Orafi Confindustria Toscana Sud, 2024 is characterized by stabilisation, after the record growth percentages recorded in the post-covid period. But, looking to the future, there are also shadows. Starting from the difficulty of recruiting young specialists in the goldsmith arts. And this was one of the hot points of the discussion.

The small business association Confartigianato, for example, has presented a project for the provision of scholarships worth 500 euros to the most deserving students from local middle schools who will choose training courses in the goldsmith field in 2024. Luca Parrini, National President of Confartigianato Goldsmiths and Silversmiths, underlined the need for manpower with professional skills: in the Arezzo area alone there is talk of a thousand companies. As encouragement, the Best Design 2023 award in the Talents category of the Première di Oroarezzo competition was also awarded at the event, won by Marta D’Ambrosio, student at the Margaritone Goldsmith Institute in Arezzo, with an opal necklace surrounded by rays studded with colored stones

Another focal point addressed was that of sustainability. Vincenzo Aucella, president of Assocoral and vice-president of Federpreziosi Confcommercio, talked about the latest projects and news for the coral supply chain which, until 30 years ago, was fished mechanically, scraping the rocks, while today it is collected throughout the Sea Mediterranean following specific rules: seasonality, limited number of licenses, established daily and seasonal harvest quantities, traceability. «In 2019 we set ourselves the objective of not losing this traceability. Thus the collective brand MadeinTorredelGreco was born. A brand that currently has 35 certifiers and, 14 months after launch, 1,067 certificates issued”, explained Aucella.

Finally, Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, and Marco Carniello, Global Exhibition Director Jewelery & Fashion IEG, presented the 2024 appointments of the Italian Exhibition Group for the gold and jewelery industry. It starts in January, from 19th to 23rd, with Vicenzaoro January, T.Gold and VO Vintage, at the Vicenza fair, and then moves to the Arezzo exhibition center with Oroarezzo, from 11th to 14th May 2024. From 11th to 14th July it’s SIJE’s turn, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center Singapore, while from 6 to 10 September we return to Vicenza with Vicenzaoro September and VO’Clock Privè. Last events of 2024: Valenza Gem Forum, 10 October at the Teatro Sociale of Valenza; JGT in Dubai, from 12 to 14 November at the Dubai Exhibition Center (DEC); Italian Jewelery Summit, early December 2024 in Arezzo.