vicenzaoro.com | People Product Places
Day three of Vicenzaoro September 2026, the event organised by IEG – Italian Exhibition Group, featuring 1,300 exhibiting brands from 40 countries, 45% of whom from abroad, and 910 buyers from 73 countries, up 33% compared with the September 2025 edition, hosted thanks to collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency.
FEDERPREZIOSI, IN 2025, FOREIGN TOURISTS SPENT 910 MILLION IN ITALIAN JEWELLERY STORES
Jewellery stores as ambassadors for Made in Italy around the world. In 2025, jewellery and precious item sales to foreign tourists reached an estimated value of 910 million euros: approximately 13% of jewellery stores’ annual revenue and 11% of the total 8.6 billion spent by international visitors on purchases in our country. These are the findings of the survey entitled “Made in Italy jewellery and precious items around the world: the contribution of Italian jewellers”, conducted by Federpreziosi Confcommercio in collaboration with Format Research , to be presented today at Vicenzaoro September 2026. 75% of Italian jewellery stores count foreign tourists amongst their customers, and almost one in five stores generates at least 10% of its sales from them. Demand is driven by craftsmanship, quality and the Italian origin of the products, while gold and silver jewellery is the most popular category. Responses from tourists reveal that, for almost 48%, buying a piece of jewellery was already on their agenda before setting off for Italy, and 84.8% of foreign buyers say they would be willing to buy Made in Italy jewellery again. The Observatory also highlights the sector’s ongoing consolidation: by 2026, 11,705 jewellery stores will be operating in Italy, employing over 30,300 people and generating an estimated turnover of close to 7 billion euros.
AI IS CHANGING JEWELLERY MARKETING
Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly significant role in purchasing decisions. A case study presented this morning at Vicenzaoro during the Confindustria Federorafi seminar entitled “Being digitally present. Jewellery between algorithms and people. Digital marketing trends for jewellery: data, channels and practical guidance” highlighted the growing role of AI in purchasing plans. The case study showed that users arriving at a brand’s website via ChatGPT have a conversion rate of 15.9%, while the rate from organic Google searches stands at just 1.76%. Rather than a generalisable statistic, this is a sign of the extent to which AI is becoming a new intermediary between businesses and customers. Meanwhile, consumers’ quest for authenticity is growing: real faces, craftsmanship and a direct relationship with the store are gaining value. And the AI Act will bring in new transparency requirements. The challenge for the jewellery sector lies in algorithms without losing the human connection.
JEWELLERY SECTOR EXPORTS: THE DROP IN EXPORTS TO TURKEY CONTINUES TO AFFECT GROWTH SIGNS
Yesterday, Vicenzaoro September 2026, ongoing at Vicenza Expo Centre, saw an event organised by Confindustria Federorafi and Intesa Sanpaolo during which the economic dynamics of the Italian jewellery sector were analysed. The picture displays significant complexities at an international level. In the first half of 2026, global demand for gold jewellery fell by 21%. The high price of gold continues to affect the sector’s costs. After years of particularly strong growth, the Italian jewellery sector saw a decline in turnover (-5% in 2025 and -2% in the first six months of 2026), while still remaining well above 2019 levels (+50%). Production has fallen (-22% in the first six months of 2026) but has returned to 2019 levels. In the first few months of 2026, Italian exports of gold jewellery reached €4.4 billion (-15%). However, when Turkey is excluded, the driving force behind the surge in 2024, exports show a 15% growth, confirming their resilience across numerous international markets, particularly the US (+29%). A climate of caution persists amongst business leaders. In July 2026, 49% said they expected investment levels to remain stable, whilst 17% anticipated an increase.
HANDS, SEA, MEMORY: ASSOGEMME TELLS THE STORY OF CORAL WITH ENZO LIVERINO
At Vicenzaoro yesterday, 5th September, a focus on coral, sustainability and protecting an ecosystem that is deeply bound to humankind and all living beings. Assogemme’s guest speaker, Enzo Liverino , who heads the historic brand founded in 1894 and is the founder of the Coral Museum in Torre del Greco, took the audience on a journey through the culture of this living material, exploring its history and highlighting the interconnection between the environment, human life and the supply chain. An essential awareness for achieving the full potential of coral, from its artistic and design value to its future prospects, linked first and foremost to the local area and its people.
ON THE AGENDA TOMORROW, 7TH SEPTEMBER
The fourth day of Vicenzaoro September 2026 will begin at 10.30 am in the Educational Hub with the talk Padparadscha: the allure of a unique gemstone. A journey to discover one of the rarest varieties of corundum, organised by the Italian Gemmological Institute. This will be followed at 11.00 am in the Smart Hub by the Jewellery Technology Forum: Design. Print. Transform, the international event on technological innovation in the jewellery and luxury sector. At 12 noon in the Educational Hub, the focus will shift to the Retail Talk: words that change value. When gemmology meets law, the market and the consumer, organised by Federpreziosi Confcommercio. In the afternoon, at 2.30 pm, the Educational Hub will be staging the session Gemmology and History at the Vicenza Jewellery Museum, organised by the Italian Association of Gemmologists. The day’s closing event at Vicenza Expo Centre will regard Artificial Intelligence and business processes. From 5 pm in the Expo’s Educational Hub, the programme will feature Babylon 9 months on: from vision to real-world cases of private AI for the jewellery industry, organised by Babylon Srl.
For further information about scheduled events:
Vicenzaoro – www.vicenzaoro.com
CIBJO Congress – cibjo.org/congress-2026/
Articles about VicenzaOro:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/vicenzaoro
Articles about IEG:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/ieg
