For Vicenzaoro September (10-14 September 2021), Italian Exhibition Group is gathering institutions, thought leaders and key influencers to express all the many facets of the gold-jewellery and vintage watch sector, exploring the future challenges and tracing the development prospects. A veritable think tank for the benefit of the very best national and international companies, physically reunited for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Below are the highlights of the main events scheduled.

On Friday, 10th September, the opening talk entitled “The state of the art”, organized in collaboration with Club degli Orafi Italia, will take instant snapshots of the gold-jewellery industry, from mining to production, from finished product to distribution, passing through specific technologies. This moment of debate and reflection foresees contributions from the entire supply chain and will be introduced by presenting the updated results of sector studies conducted by Intesa Sanpaolo’s Research Centre and further enriched by an audience of first-rate sector representatives, including Stephen Lussier, Executive Vice-President Consumer and Brands of De Beers Group.

The event will be looking also to the future and its challenges, particularly in terms of sustainability and women empowerment.

Sunday, 12th September, Vicenzaoro will be hosting the highly-awaited seminar entitled “Sustainable Development Goals: meeting their challenge”, organized by CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation and promoted by the United Nations’ European and Social Council (ECOSOC). The aim is to provide a focus on activating and encouraging strategies in the jewellery and mining sectors and in precious stone processing regarding two of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the UN’s Agenda 2030: Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and Gender Equality (SDG 5). With CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri in attendance, the speakers will include Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), Feriel Zerouki, De Beers Senior VP Corporate Affairs, and Philipp Reisert, Managing Partner of C. HAFNER GmbH & Co. KG.

Female voices and professionalism in the limelight also with GEMOLOGY WOMEN ICONS and WOMEN IN JEWELLERY, programmed for Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September respectively. The former, organized by ASSOGEMME and the Italian Gemmological Institute, aims to promote female teamwork by involving in a debate on the intangible values of gemmological competence authoritative Italian female gemmologists including Raffaella Ascagni, Head Gemologist Buccellati, and Loredana Sangiovanni, Gemologist Director and collection Coordinator Fine Jewelry & Time Pieces Division Dolce & Gabbana. The latter, organized by IEG, draws inspiration from the imminent release of the book “Women of Jewelry” by Linda Kozloff-Turner and explores the importance of diversity, inclusion and female wisdom in the jewellery industry with interventions from women of different nationalities.

Once again in the name of sustainability values, Saturday 11th September will see the FAIRTRADE – ETHICAL FAIRTRADE GOLD TO REACH THE HEART OF CONSUMERS conference which will discuss the need for both large and small players to choose an ethical supply chain, even in the light of a consumer who is increasingly more sensitive to the origin of raw materials. Guest speaker will be Mara Bragaglia, in art Maraismara, who, in 2016, introduced Fairtrade gold into Italy. 

Also scheduled are DIGITAL TALKS, a series of 30-minute Talks and brainstorming on the hottest themes in digital innovation specifically for jewellery and watch retailers, in collaboration with Confcommercio Federpreziosi, and GEM TALKS, meetings with expert gemmologists from all over the world, organized in collaboration with I.G.I. (Italian Gemmological Institute), to take useful and in-depth looks at all the supply chain players, the producer, wholesaler and retailer.

The vintage watch programme, formulated under the directorship of Michele Mengoli, advisor for VO Vintage, IEG’s event for collectors, enthusiasts and all those interested in vintage watches and jewellery, is full of events with experts and distinguished sector professionals.

On Saturday, 11th September, the talk entitled “Independent brands and new post-pandemic scenarios” will explore the evolutionary trends of brands in the company of, among others, Mario Peserico, President of Assorologi, and Bruno Bergamaschi, founder of the forum WATCHOUSE. Sunday, 12th September, however, will be the turn of the talk entitled “The Future of Watchmaking” with topics ranging from sustainability to blockchains to timepiece collecting, moderated by Dody Giussani, Editor of L’Orologio.

On Sunday 12th September, Ugo Pancani, Professor in Mechanical and Electronic Watchmaking and Ambassador of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, will be holding “The extraordinary world of Vintage: the market, the importance of conditions at the moment of purchase, best-practice restoration and how to look after the watch over time”, a not-to-be-missed talk for all vintage watch enthusiasts.