Since the time of the ancient Etruscans, jewelry made in Italy has been highly valued for its design aesthetic, noble materials and artisanal excellence. Embodying the radiance of gold and other precious metals, made in Italy jewelry designs may also glitter with the brilliance of diamonds, colored gemstones– and it might even shimmer with organic gems like pearls or coral. During the recent four-day Oroarezzo trade show in Arezzo, an array of new and highly refined made in Italy jewelry designs featured all of the above. The brands showing here presented new jewelry forms and concepts while also upholding Italian jewelry culture’s commitment to design integrity, beauty and mater craftsmanship.
The Mirror Of Time
Proposing that jewelry serves as “the mirror of time,” Oroarezzo’s art director Beppe Angiolini, owner and creative director of Arezzo’s high concept boutique SUGAR, dreamed up this poetic theme, and also headed the jury for the Première design competition. This show-within-a-show presented 58 companies from Italy’s most productive, artistically and technically advanced; hence internationally important jewelry districts. (These include Arezzo, Vicenza and Alessandria.) In his introductory notes to Première, Angiolini noted that Time is fluid, ever-changing, and jewelry, worn over lifetimes and handed down across generations, often serves as a kind of mirror or microcosmic memento of one’s time on Earth.
Organized by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), the 44th edition of the Oroarezzo show presented jewelry as a literal embodiment of emotion, and as a metaphorical mirror of time, by placing a massive, mirrored cube in front of the Arezzo Fiere e Congressi convention center. This mirrored sentinel greeted visitors with shimmering reflections of themselves as they entered and exited the event. Once inside the exhibition halls, Oroarezzo attendees encountered smaller mirrored cubes in the walkways between the exhibitor booths. These were variously inscribed with philosophical musings about life, beautiful sensations and majestic moments that, according to Angiolini, embody the essence of jewelry.
Première Awards
Upon entering the convention hall, visitors viewed the competition’s 58 entries in the carefully illuminated display case in the Oroarezzo welcome lounge. Award winners in eight categories were decided upon by an international jury of jewelry experts, journalists and opinion leaders. The award ceremony was presided over by Silvia Grilli, editor-in-chief of the eminent Italian fashion magazine, Grazia.
When Marianna Maddaluna, a young art school student from Sansepolcro’s G. Giovagnoli Institute was announced as the winner of the “Talents” category, she accepted the Première mirrored cube award weeping tears of joy. (Thanks to a collaboration between Oroarezzo and an Arezzo jewelry manufacturer, Maddaluna will see her rendering fashioned into a piece of jewelry by master artisans.) This wonderful opportunity will come to full flower when Maddaluna’s finished jewel is unveiled at the Italian Jewelry Summit that IEG is presenting in Arezzo in December 2025.
In Angiolini’s conception, the “Mirror of Time” category of the competition refers to those jewels that are keepers and markers of memories, as well as precious adornments; emotional talismans. Awards in this realm went to a bracelet by Maria De Toni and a ring by Moraglione 1922.
In the “Infinite Light” category, light was understood by Angiolini to be an optical, physical and emotional force that we all experience, yet light is also an element to be employed with artistry and technical savoir-faire in jewelry. The jury chose to award bracelets by Luiber and Mosca Guido.
The “Precious Reflections” category referenced how mirrors can reflect light and shadows, as well as the thoughts of jewelry creators and jewelry wearers. As Angiolini noted in conversation with this writer, “Every reflection is a fragment of life.” Première’s jury selected bracelets by Gold Art and Graziella Braccialini for this category.
For the “Past, Present and Future” category, jewelry designs that express strong emotions were requested. As Angiolini explained, “A jewel is more than an adornment, it is a refined object that contains narrative elements, which include the past from which it takes inspiration, the present time in which it is created, and the future it imagines.” Awards went to bracelets by Anima, Biz and Patros.
The “Glamour” category focused on jewelry that most keenly interprets the fashion world’s mood of the moment. The winning design was an intriguing and utterly timeless necklace by Arezzo-based Kitty Jewellery that featured five tiny, heart-shaped mirrors stationed on fine gold chain; separated by amethyst beads.
The “Iconic Design” category awarded innovative aesthetics, artisanal brilliance and novel contributions to jewelry culture. A massive 18-karat gold cuff by Femar, founded by brothers Pasquale and Santi Barneschi in 1991, received this prize, and deservedly so, as this gracefully sculpted form is an iconic form and concept.
Appropriately, the “Art and Sculpture” category concerned itself with architectural jewelry that continues the “wearable sculpture” trend. The jury chose a gold ring by Giordini. As Giordana Giordini explained to this writer, ” Giordini jewels are made with electro-forming, a procedure that requires numerous steps and the use of latest-generation machinery. This technique allows us to create voluminous, yet extremely light jewelry that is highly sculptural and comfortable to wear.” As it happens, Ms. Giordini is also the District President of Confindustria goldsmiths, and thus a principal executive in the Italian jewelry industry.
The winning award in the “Timeless jewelry” category went to a gold UNOAERRE brooch. UNOARRE, which was founded in 1926, is based in Arezzo and is one of Italy’s largest producers, distributors and exporters of gold and silver jewelry.