We’d like to tell you about the trends at VicenzaOro, which ran Sept. 7–11 in Vicenza, Italy, but we’re afraid of incurring the wrath of Lauren Kulchinsky Levison, the co-owner and curator of high-end Hamptons, N.Y., jewelry retailer Mayfair Rocks.
“I f–king hate the word trend,” said Levison, appearing on a panel titled, ahem, “Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting,” alongside jewelry blogger/Instagram influencer Katerina Perez; self-described futurist Paola De Luca, known for her annual Trendbook; Alba Cappellieri, director of the Museo del Gioiello in Vicenza; and Vogue contributing editor Lynn Yaeger. “If you are selling high-level jewelry,” explained Levison, “you want to be saying words like heritage and timeless.”
As for color, the mood—to use one of Levison’s suggested subs for trend—was decidedly blue. Local brand Nanis, headquartered in Vicenza, added milky-smooth aquamarine to its brushed-gold Dancing in the Rain collection. Lapis was one of the top sellers for Torre del Greco, Italy–based Evanueva. New York City’s Cirari reported “doing very well” with Ethiopian opals, tanzanites, and sapphires. Les Georgettes by Altesse, the customizable French fashion jewelry company, pointed to the popularity of its reversible deep-blue and mustard leather cuff. Houston-based Sutra Jewels stunned buyers with Mozambican paraiba pieces that shimmered like pools of crystal-clear blue water.
According to the German-born beach-loving designer Tamara Comolli, “blue topaz in all shades never goes out of fashion.”
Also having a moment (another proposed alternative for the dreaded T-word): rose gold. French label Marie Mas debuted an 18k rose gold Wave ring studded with undulating diamond pins. Every piece in Parisian designer Lydia Courteille’s La Vie en Rose collection—which mixed soft blush-toned gems such as morganite with sexy black diamonds—was set in rose gold. Comolli, whose jewels come in all colors of gold, confirms that customers are definitely thinking pink: “Rose gold wins over white gold,” she says. Just don’t call it a you-know-what.
Top: Candy India Dream pendant in 18k rose gold with 0.44 ct. t.w. sapphires, rubies, and tsavorite; $7,720; Tamara Comolli; lk@tamaracomolli.com; tamaracomolli.com
