Where Design Rules

- Kunjal Karaniya

Italy is renowned for its skilled craftsmen, so it comes as no surprise that some of the world’s most beautiful and sought-after jewellery is created here. No country in the world, in fact, produces jewellery like Italy does. Whether hand-made or machine-made, jewellery makers produce an endless variety of pieces that combine superb artistry and craftsmanship. Italian designer jewellery offers outstanding craftsmanship and original design using the finest gemstones and precious metals.

The Italian jewellery industry is composed of approximately 9,000 companies employing 32,000 people, mainly concentrated in four major geographical areas - Vicenza, Valenza, Arezzo, Campania Region - with a total turnover of more than €6 billion. Most of these are highly specialised small and medium sized companies, enjoying much diversified product base and very high goods to export all over the world.

Italy today is still one of the top players in the world of fashion and design and very much for jewellery production too.

Current situation:

According to a report by Euromonitor, low consumer confidence continued to impact jewellery sales in 2016 and led to a cautious approach to non-essential spending. However, consumers still looked to treat themselves, which led to increasing demand for accessible luxury, as well as for economy references in costume jewellery. Accessible luxury refers to jewellery which crosses the border between costume and real jewellery, and mixes precious with non-precious materials, emphasising the design and craft. The manufacturers of some real jewellery collections, such as Pomellato 67 and Damiani D-Icon collections, have invested in accessible jewellery, which is also helping to contribute to an increase in sales of this niche.