Lauren Kulchinsky Levison at VicenzaOro

The words of one of the largest international jewelry buyers explain the importance of the VicenzaOro show


  • Lauren Kulchinsky Levison Vice President, Chief Style Officer, Curator of Mayfair Rocks

    Lauren Kulchinsky Levison Vice President, Chief Style Officer, Curator of Mayfair Rocks

«I am an international buyer of gold and jewelry and I have been coming to VICENZAORO for almost twenty years so I know well its value and the importance of coming into contact with artisan companies, including those with niche products. During the years, the show has grown to become an International point of reference, equal to the fashion weeks held around the capitals of the world. In this regard, I can say that I am a slightly particular buyer, or rather, ‘animal’. I never select new collections or even individual items before I go to the fashion shows. That’s where I carefully look at and analyze the cuffs, necklines, lengths, lines and colors proposed by leading fashion houses, and only then can I say that I know what kind of jewelry I will be betting on for that season. A necklace, a bracelet or even just a ring must, first and foremost, be wearable, and this can only be assessed in relation to the outfit. I do it because my job obliges me to select upstream in order to be able to offer my customers what will be easier to combine with the fashion trends of the moment. That’s why my first step necessarily starts from the catwalks. But there is a paradox in all of this: although a jewel is forever – if merely for the intrinsic value of the raw materials with which it is made – in reality, it is the outfit that is bought first and the jewelry, if needed, comes later. This happens even for highly important occasions. Let’s take brides-to-be, for example: I very often receive women in my New York store who are about to walk up the aisle, sometimes with less than two weeks to go to the happy event. They have organized everything, every tiny detail of their big day, the dress first of all, but they haven’t chosen the jewelry, which is usually, especially in money terms, one of the biggest investments compared to other items. A sign of how jewelry is experienced these days, unfortunately: seen as the same thing as a simple accessory. And I feel a little sorry about that. I come from a generation in which receiving or buying jewelry was an important, much-awaited and dreamed of event. Nowadays, one can shop for items that may cost thousands of Euros with a mere click, from your living room. That pleasure of an afternoon spent in the atelier to choose a special item for a special person no longer exists. I must admit that I miss those days. It was in the Eighties and at that time, I rarely saw my father as the holiday period approached. He would be inundated with appointments in the store because every customer wanted to dedicate the right attention to what would be a unique gift, one with sentimental value as well as economic worth. In these terms, the beauty of that type of choice has disappeared. Indeed, we are now often urged to buy in the wake of the choices of others. I am referring to the ever-increasing weight of influencers. But my advice is to avoid following this type of ‘fake trend’: there is a risk of buying something you cannot afford and these purchases may even prove to already be out of date in a short time. It would be better to try to express yourself, your own personality, even by affirming it through a precise style.»

N.B. – When asked if evergreen jewelry still exists, Lauren replied by pointing out the rings and earrings she was wearing. Items from twenty years ago by Kristen Farrell, worn, however, with a modern twist: two matching earrings on the left earlobe, one stud on the right, and numerous rings of varying dimensions. All in white and black diamonds.

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