Walking the aisles of the OroArezzo show, which took place at the Arezzo Fiere e Congressi exhibition center May 9–12, it’s easy to see why the Tuscan host town is called the City of Gold: You can’t take two steps without seeing a major piece of gold jewelry.

Gold in a weave so delicate it resembles a spider’s web, rolled into a whisper-light chain, or stamped into tiny squares to form sleek chain mail earrings. Gigantic beads—geometric, gumball-size, and traffic-stopping. Hoops ranging from dime-size to coffee cup–size, in shapes both traditional (round and oval) and playful (asymmetric hearts). Enough bangles to outfit every exhibitor at the show for an arm party. Openwork flower adornments in all shapes, sizes, and species. Spiky bib necklaces. Chunky, puffy pendants, statement rings, and chains.

Oh, can we talk about the chains? Box, ball, belcher, twist, snake, figaro, rope, herringbone, curb, Cuban, Venetian, paper-clip…any link you could possibly need, in any size, from dental floss–thin to Olympic medal ribbon–wide—it’s here, in any color or karat weight. Of course, there’s plenty of silver in the showcases as well, and if it’s gold-fill or gold-plate jewelry you’re looking for, non c’è problema: If you need it, someone at OroArezzo can make it.

Consider the fair—a showcase of Italian goldsmithing, craftsmanship, and manufacturing—a snapshot of the historic Arezzo district, which comprises some 1,200 companies dedicated to the large-scale production of gold and precious metal jewelry. Matteo Farsura, head of the jewelry and fashion division at Italian Exhibition Group (IEG)—the show’s organizer—summarizes OroArezzo’s mission: “We don’t have here brands, so we don’t aim to retailers. We aim to wholesalers, big chain stores, or distributors, who can order a big quantity of jewels.”

At this year’s edition of OroArezzo, 84% of the 350 exhibitors were Italian companies. The attendees, however, were a more multinational group: There were 364 foreign buyers from 59 countries—a strategic move by IEG and the Italian Trade Agency, buoyed by the triple-hit of the Iran war, tariffs, and volatile metal pricing.

According to Confindustria Federorafi (Italy’s national association of goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewelry manufacturers), the three main markets for Italian-made jewelry are Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States; together, those countries account for more than 40% of Italy’s jewelry exports. The powers that be behind OroArezzo saw it as their job to help companies “open a new door,” as Farsura says.

“Our first focus is not only the quantity of buyer, but the quality and the country. We saw that Poland performed very well last year. So we focus on Poland, and we have here many wholesalers from there,” Farsura explains. “We see the data, we speak with exhibitors, and then we are on the perfect match between exhibitor and buyer.”

Expectations before the show were “very low,” says Farsura. “But now the exhibitors are very satisfied, because they were meeting a very big variety of countries. Many buyers from different countries represent a new opportunity for them.”

Booths were buzzing on the days JCK attended, but the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed—very different from, for instance, the fast pace of the IEG-organized VicenzaOro shows, and from the widely varied, and much larger, JCK Las Vegas (where the Italia section will play host to 120+ companies, including many OroArezzo exhibitors). Farsura praised OroArezzo’s small-but-mighty environment: “Here, the manufacturer can talk without a rush, with their customer.”

 

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