Wendy Yue Archives

VicenzaOro show recap: my Italian jewelry adventures!

October 19, 2017

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.

Jewel hunting in Italy: VicenzaOro 2016!

September 29, 2016

As you may know, I’ve been lucky enough to attend VicenzaOro once before, in January of 2015, and I loved it even more the second time around.

It’s always easy to get more out of an experience when parts of it are familiar: I was able to dive right in instead of needing to figure out the floorplan or determine the best approach. I also didn’t mention this in my last recap, but I was actually recovering from a concussion at VicenzaOro 2015…which did not help my jet lag.

This year, I was wholly healthy and felt fresh as a daisy by the second day. The international press was lucky enough to be hosted in a scenic Italian resort town known for its hot springs, Abano Terme. It was so fun to get a real taste of Italy where I were staying, even though I didn’t have a lot of down time to explore (but I made time for gelato, don’t worry).

So my plan of attack for VicenzaOro the 2nd was to prioritize visiting amazing brands I missed last time, followed by amazing brands I already knew, and then leaving time to wander around discovering new masterpieces.

The #1 brand I regretted missing at the last VicenzaOro was Stefan Hafner. This time, they were my first stop and hooooly moly that was a good decision. Seriously mind-blowing work.

The necklace above was the very first piece of jewelry I touched in Italy. The craftsmanship is incredible; it’s bursting with diamonds but it moves like silk.

If you’ve been with me for a bit, you’ll recognize these earrings:

So fabulous!

I featured these beauties a little while ago, when I shared photos of Stefan Hafner’s Aria collection, and I was so so so excited to finally meet them in person. The colors are magnificent.

International designers can be a little more willing to experiment with color than American designers. That may have more to do with the American consumer, but whatever the reason, I love love loved seeing more color at VicenzaOro than I normally do at shows here.

This incredibly badass ring is by Mattioli, a brand I encountered for the first time at the last VicenzaOro. I spent three days trying to get in and see their jewelry but they were so busy that I didn’t manage it the last 15 minutes of the last day – I caught them in a lull and I was able to see all the pieces I’d been stalking all at once.

This ring is just the coolest thing. The pavilion-up black diamonds, the pop of color…it makes me want to be an evil queen in a fairy tale. Click here for a video.