What I love about Vicenzaoro is exactly that mix. You can move from discovering a spectacular natural diamond or colored gemstone, to meeting an Italian designer, trying on a completely unexpected piece, then learning something new about how jewellery is actually made. There is always another detail, another story, another jewel waiting around the corner. And no matter how much jewellery we see online, seeing it in person is completely different. The color of a gemstone, the fire of a diamond, the movement of a necklace, the proportions of a ring. Some things simply need to be experienced on the body.

But just as important as the jewellery are the people behind it. Jewellery is such a relationship-driven world, and exhibitions like Vicenzaoro remind you of that very quickly. Some meetings are carefully planned weeks in advance, others happen because you spot a familiar face across a hall, get introduced to someone new over coffee, or stop at a booth because one gemstone catches your eye. A ten-minute conversation can turn into a new discovery, a future collaboration or simply a better understanding of the person and the work behind a piece.

For me, this is one of the most valuable parts of attending in person. Over the years, many of the relationships I have built within the jewellery world have grown through exactly these encounters. You reconnect with houses you have known for years, meet the next generation of a family business, finally put a face to someone you have been speaking with online, and inevitably get introduced to someone you were not expecting to meet at all. There is a warmth to that which cannot really be replicated through emails, calls or social media.

And those conversations often change the way I see the jewellery itself. A designer may explain why they chose a particular stone. A gemstone dealer may tell you where a gem was sourced, what made it exceptional, or why they waited years to find the right one. A jeweller may show you the construction behind a necklace or the craftsmanship hidden on the reverse of a piece. Suddenly, you are no longer only looking at something beautiful. You understand more of what went into creating it.

That exchange of knowledge is also what gives Vicenzaoro its particular energy. Buyers, designers, manufacturers, gemstone specialists, retailers, press and institutions are all moving through the same halls. Business is happening, of course, but so is conversation. People are comparing ideas, sharing perspectives, discussing what they are seeing in the market and, importantly, building relationships that continue long after the show closes.

This September also brought the CIBJO Centenary Congress to Vicenza, gathering more than 600 members of the international jewellery industry. Discussions around provenance, responsible sourcing, standards and the way we communicate jewellery today added another dimension to the week. For me, the more we understand about where a gemstone comes from, how a natural diamond formed, who cut it, who set it and what went into creating the finished piece, the more meaningful jewellery becomes.

But of course, I was still there for the jewellery. Natural diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls, Italian craftsmanship, strong design and quite a few pieces that made me stop immediately and reach for my camera. That, together with the people behind them, is still the magic of Vicenzaoro. You arrive thinking you know what you are looking for and inevitably leave having discovered something, or someone, completely different.

Vicenzaoro returns from January 15 to 19, 2027. Until then, arrivederci Vicenza.