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Italian Design Weak at Vicenza Fancy Colors, Shapes Strong - Feb.2003
The idea that there’s nothing new under the sun rang true at the VicenzaOro
show in January. Designers, their hands tempered by global economic and
political fears, largely showed simple designs, and many manufacturers, in
response to buyers’ demand for lower pricepoints this year, created
smaller versions of their usual designs.
In diamond fashion, too, designs were decidedly smaller, with fewer
diamond-intense creations. Among the trends that did continue were brown
diamonds—ranging in color from "champagne" to "chocolate"
which are a steadily growing category—used both in pave creations and as
center stones. The Italian designers, meanwhile, shied away from the heavy use
of pave that was prevalent in past years. This year, diamond accents on
pieces were frequently in the form of small, clusters of stones set into
beehive-like bezel structures.
The hottest shape--in both stones and as a general design element--are ovals.
Faceted oval diamonds and colored stones were shown in great number.
Other fancy shapes--especially nostalgic cuts like cushion, rose and Asscher
cuts — are also a definite presence on the fashion radar.
In other fashion news, more designers are showing their creations in
yellow--rather than white--gold. Platinum, meanwhile, seems to have a shrinking
presence in design in general. Similarly, designers are adding lower-priced
semi-precious stones to precious diamonds and sapphires to add sparkle to their
designs. v
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