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Familiar themes, evolving trends at 'First'

By Catherine Dayrit
January 14, 2009

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Designs featuring bezel-set gemstones, such as this necklace featuring rose quartz and rock crystal from Nanis, were prevalent at the VicenzaOro First show. (877) USNANIS or Nanis.it.

Vicenza, Italy--The first of the year's major jewelry trade shows, the January Vicenzaoro show, or "First" as it has been called since last year, has long been considered a bellwether for trends.

What has been quite discernible at the 2009 show, however, are the overwhelming number of designers extending their most popular collections or making tweaks to current designs.

It is an occurrence that makes sense given the current economic market, with manufacturers backlogged with inventory and consumers perhaps sticking to pieces that are already familiar to them, designs that are considered to be tried and true.

Vicenza's reputation for innovation, however, has not disappointed, with designers at the 2009 show having evolved a number of long-running trends and producing pieces that are aesthetically beautiful, technically stunning and, many times, both.

Among the returning yet evolving trends are openwork, lightweight designs; black-and-white color combinations; and pave diamonds.

While black and white diamonds have been seen at the jewelry trade shows for some time now, the most ubiquitous of designs in those colors here in Italy have been crafted from opaque stones, most often onyx and white agate. In booths owned by small, local craftsmen to large, well-known manufacturers, the style proved to be a designer darling, offering up a bold, graphic look without the bling-style flash.

Lightweight designs can still be seen in the form of flat, cutout earrings and disk-shaped charms, but they have also been prevalent in Vicenza as three-dimensional forms, including perforated spheres and laser-cut sheets of gold soldered together in voluminous shapes.

In terms of pave diamonds--a favorite for the big diamond look at a considerably less-expensive price than pieces with large, single stones--designers at the show appeared to be fond of playing up the juxtaposition between the tiny stones and the flat, smooth surface of gold. Rather than full-on surfaces of pave, many designers showed pieces largely of gold yet featuring small components or sections covered in diamonds.

Continuing trends at the show have included nature themes, rose gold, chunky chain-link bracelets and statement-making, bib-style necklaces. There has also been a prevalence of pearl designs, plus a number of designers working in lower-price metals such as bronze and steel. Colored gemstones, particularly thin, flat-cut gemstones set in bezels and positioned intermittently as stations on a necklace or bracelet, have also been a common sight.
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