Vicenza, 13th January. The renaissance of Italian gold and jewellery begins with First. The doors to Fiera Vicenza Spa's event were opened today (Sunday, 13th January), launching the sector's first international occasion to trace the sector's trends in terms of market, style and taste.
At the same time, T-Gold was launched; the showcase of technological innovation dedicated to processing and the product.

The 1st edition of First begins with the best omens: almost 1700 exhibitors that represent every district of the Made in Italy and 30 foreign countries, 67 thousand square meters of space, 24 km that serve as a catwalk for a shimmering jewellery exhibition, precious stones, pearls, corals, hard and ornamental stone.

The Italian jewellery sector faces an important crossroads, crucial for recapturing a competitive edge on the market and the attention of consumers, said Dino Menarin – President of Fiera Vicenza – during the ribbon cut, in the presence of the Authorities and representatives of the economic categories.
“In the first 9 months of 2007, exports increased in value by 19%, at fixed volume. This figure is reflected by the markets, which interweave contrasting trends. Russia, the Arab Emirates, Eastern European countries, Hong Kong, Turkey and Australia show positive trends, while the USA is witnessing decline due to the sub-prime crisis. The Italian market confirms its backwards move, in 2007 also. There is growth, but it's not the same for everyone: the most encouraging signs come from companies that aim for an increase in the added value of the product, focusing on quality, design and the increased value of the product.”

Italy, despite recent difficulties, retains a first place on the global scale of jewellery-exporting countries.

Fiera Vicenza was launched from this very figure, beginning the new course of jewellery events with First. These have changed their names, but they've more importantly diversified in relation to the different segments of the market.

“The performance of quality jewellery – said Maurizio Castro, Managing Director of Fiera Vicenza – is a fact that has now been absorbed by global market dynamics. This is why we chose to focus on the jewellery core, aiming however for the diversification of our offers. We begin with First, which has the characteristics of a guide-event, where companies present their first collections to large purchasing groups, buyers and international wholesale dealers. They'll attend other events focusing on the higher, more exclusive segment of the market, to that most tied to fasion tendencies, to that of “trend” that ties jewellery to stylistic research and the most evolved design.”

The future of jewellery Made in Italy? Look to the two worlds that belong to it: that of fasion, in which the jewel expresses the personality of the adorner with all its evocative might. And that of luxury, seen from a new contemporary lens, in which cost is irrelevant to the intrinsic value the object can express.