Paola de Luca, jewelry prophetess, shares her vision at the Vicenzaoro trade show

The Vicenzaoro trade show brings together jewelry professionals twice a year. Conferences allow industry experts to exchange their views. One of the most eagerly awaited was undoubtedly that of Paola de Luca, who has been analyzing trends since 1992.

The Vicenza region is known for its expertise in the jewelry sector. It is home to renowned Italian brands such as Roberto Coin, FOPE, Nanis, and Marco Bicego, as well as many equipment manufacturers, workshops, and factories whose reputation extends far beyond Italy’s borders. Major French fashion houses call on their expertise. It is therefore only natural that the Vicenzaoro trade show is held there twice a year, in September and January. The last session in September brought together 1,200 exhibitors from 30 countries and 650 buyers from 63 nations. It was an opportunity for expert Paola de Luca to give a lecture on the trends shaping the future of jewelry.

Embracing the “quantum era”

“Paola the Futurist” is the nickname Paola de Luca has given herself, and it suits her perfectly. Listening to her is like letting yourself be guided by her words and her vision, with an enthusiasm that is quintessentially Italian. Paola’s crystal ball is the thousands of influences, major, minor, or invisible to the naked eye, that are changing our points of reference.

In presenting her highly coveted annual Jewellery Trendbook, Paola de Luca says she offers a “view from a drone,” examining social phenomena, artistic developments, geopolitical upheavals, and fluctuations in the price of precious metals (gold at the moment), all of which are shaping the new landscape of jewelry. “The Quantum Era,” the title of her Jewellery Trendbook 2027+, refers to the convergence of realities, culture, digital, analog, AI, and human intelligence.

For this knowledgeable researcher, everything is interactive. The past inspires the present, tribal attitudes feed modern creation, fashion infuses jewelry, and new technologies give rise to new materials and new ways of thinking. Far from creating a single path, the multiplicity of influences enriches our psyche and broadens our understanding of luxury. It is important to “build bridges between different cultures, sensibilities, and diversities” in order to co-create, while preserving our individuality and identity,“ says Paola de Luca. ”Globalization is not dilution; it should allow us to learn from each other.”

For designers, understanding developments does not mean following trends, but knowing where the world is going and anticipating it. At the same time, in an increasingly complex and even anxiety-inducing society, the search for meaning is becoming more and more important.

Here are some of the trends from the Jewellery Trendbook 2027+.