Vicenzaoro Highlights January 2026: Business, Passion, and Culture Win Out

The first edition of the VO Awards ceremony took place on Sunday evening in Vicenzaoro’s Palladio Theater, attended by representatives from the 24 finalist companies, the press and an audience of around 200 people, including buyers, visitors and possible future candidates for these new prestigious sector awards. The atmosphere was charged with emotion, which could be summed up in the closing speech of last to be awarded Alessio Boschi, a Roman designer and winner of the “Best in Icon, one of a kind jewelry” category. Now an internationally renowned figure, he recalled his first visit to the show some 25 years ago as a simple student, adding how proud he is now to be a mentor to young students from the art schools selected as part of the Design Room’s “The 8” project, organized by Italian Exhibition Group specifically to support future generations of master goldsmiths. A recap of these business matching days could start right from the Design Room, where five brands made their debut, each bearing a company story and a highly personal creative style that further enriched the Vicenzaoro area dedicated to independent brands: New Italian Art from Valenza, Vitale Jewelry from Abano Terme, the award-winning German designer Annelie Fröhling, the collective from the Beijing School of Design, and Lobortas Classic Jewelry House from Ukraine, known to insiders for having created the “Swan Princess” ring, adorned with 2,525 diamonds and recognized by Guinness World Records as the jewel with the most diamonds in the world. As always, the Boutique Show halls gave the over 560 buyers hosted from 65 countries, and all the other visitors, plenty of food for thought with a tour of more than 1,300 brands, with 170 companies from TGold and 55 exhibitors at VO Vintage, a "niche" which alone recorded 25% more exhibitors than the September 2025 edition. Undoubtedly, enthusiasts and experts were also attracted by the numerous educational and cultural moments flanking the event: vintage timepieces, for example, were the stars of Laboratorio’s live podcast recording hosted by Dody Giussani, director of L'Orologio, with Pietro Pannone, co-author of the podcast, and Giorgia Mondani, founder of Mondani Web, who, amid passions, rituals and the dynamics of the vintage market, defined the profile of the contemporary collector. Movement and liveliness of ideas intercepted at Vicenzaoro also reflect an adjustment phase in the sector after two years of growth, which can be expressed by an estimated +5.8% of revenues in 2025. Two globally renowned spokespersons also talked about market dynamics: Martin Rapaport, founder in 1978 of the Rapaport Diamond Report, aka the international list of official diamond prices, and Feriel Zerouki, President of the World Diamond Council, both exceptional guests invited by Cibjo together with all the speakers of 7 seminars focused on sustainability and the industry’s future. A symbol of the direction in which the global jewelry system is heading could be the famous 709-carat The Peace Diamond, the 14th largest in the world, mentioned by Mr. Rapaport: found in Sierra Leone in 2017, it was sold on the market on the condition of donating part of the proceeds to the village of Koryardu where drinking water and schools were a mirage. A message which, in these current times, takes on greater value and is an indication of a strong and common will.