Okay, my darlings. I’ve been home from Europe for a couple of weeks, which means I’ve caught up on sleep, unpacked my suitcase (sort of) and, most importantly, finished preparing my photos from the VicenzaOro show!!
This was my third VicenzaOro show, which means I was twice as excited to go back as I would have been if I didn’t know what was in store. From the luxurious, colorful velvet couches of the Roberto Coin boutique to the custom chocolate truffle flight I was offered by Casato and the ever-present glasses of prosecco, the Italian trade show experience definitely involves some pampering.
And then, of course, there’s the jewelry.
This handful of pure joy is the work of Casato, a new-to-me Italian brand who really impressed with me, both with their warm welcome (which involved chocolate) and their creative, gorgeously constructed jewelry.
I loved this line for its unusual color combinations and its perfect scale: larger than most just-for-fun stacking rings, but smaller than cocktail styles. I loved looking at these rings and their coordinating earrings. Such happy, fun designs.
Last year at the VicenzaOro show, I fell in love with a carved lava dragon necklace by Italian brand Anna E Alex. This year, it was their statement earrings that knocked my socks off.
These bold beauties feature materials like silk and enamel and they’re specially made to be light as a feather, despite their size. They’re also a great price point, especially for how fabulous they are: a pair like this will set you back around $400.
Italian brand Carlo Barberis is one of the meetings I was the most excited about at this year’s VicenzaOro show, and they did not disappoint.
Can you believe this brooch??? The initial visual effect is stunning, but it gets more impressive the closer you look: the gently curving branches of this floral design are carved tourmaline, and the halo around the center of each bloom is carved hardstone. An exquisite, refreshingly creative design, gorgeously executed.
How about some swans? These two glamorous birdies are the work of Palmerio, a brand I’ve seen the VicenzaOro show but never had a chance to visit before.
I can’t look at these rings without thinking of Odette and Odile from Swan Lake. Neither of them struck me as particularly evil, but you never know.
Despite the fact that they pair perfectly, the two earrings are being offered as separate lots at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 16th. They’re listed as 
I tragically have not had the opportunity to meet these luscious, shining droplets of the divine in person, but several of my fellow jewelry Instagrammers have.
One more photo for good measure! There’s not much I can tell you about these that they don’t say themselves. Please behold them and enjoy.
What makes something cool? They’re interesting, unusual, fresh – they surprise and delight the eye in a way that’s not precisely “pretty,” but still pleasing to behold. They’re full of yes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the first pair that caught my eye. There’s a lot going on here, so we’ll take it one step at a time.
Because Dana Bronfman is a genius, she’s set these pear-shaped black rutilated quartz drops in way that makes the light shining through the quartz slices echo the Occulus design in the earrings’ surmounts.