Vicenzaoro, the first leg of Italy’s three powerhouse trade fairs, ended its six-day run recently, with most Italian manufacturers concentrating their efforts on creating stylish, fashionable jewelry aimed primarily at today’s self-purchasing woman. As with most fairs of late, traffic patterns were hard to predict and results for exhibitors differed greatly. For example, some suppliers said they were satisfied with the results of the show and made lots of new contacts; others reported weaker results but remained philosophical, noting this was only the first trade show of the new year.

COMPETITION TOUGH

On a few things they all agree: The market is changing rapidly, with competitors emerging from many points, including Turkey, China and a number of developing countries. Adding to the problem are escalating prices of precious metals and the strong euro, factors making Italian goods all the more expensive.

Read more about Vicenzaoro, the Italian diamond jewelry trade show, at http://www.diamonds.net.