(by Patrizia Vacalebri)
On-trend jewelry is going
'green' with new materials gaining momentum.
Aluminum is one of the metals increasingly used by designers.
Though it is hard to imagine an aluminum piece in the window
of a jeweler's shop, this highly malleable metal enables to
create innovative and complex designs and has great resilience.
Light titanium is another "alternative" material that is
increasingly popular for its light-weight quality, along with
copper, which offers great chromatic nuances for refined pieces.
Chrystal, which has long been a favorite of jewelers for its
lightness and transparency, is also gaining traction as the
setting for precious stones.
Along with platinum, gold and silver, jewelers are using new
materials to test boundaries, innovate and satisfy a younger
clientele with an eye to sustainability, a must at the last
edition of Vicenzaoro, an international jewelry trade fair that
took place this week in the northern city of Vicenza, organized
by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG).
Indeed a key theme at the trade fair on September 23-27 was
'green jewelry'.
Jewelers are becoming conscious of the social and political
responsibility in sourcing materials used by producers
worldwide, particularly in relation to new European Union
legislation aimed at stopping the financing of armed groups
through the trade in conflict minerals, which will become
effective in 2021.
The law, among other things, is aimed at stopping global and
EU smelters and refiners from using conflict minerals and
metals.
And Italian companies willing to promote sustainability will
become increasingly competitive on international markets as
Corporate Social Responsibility is taking a lead role in the
sector through the traceability of materials, ethical trade,
the preservation of the environment and the promotion of labor
rights.
Promoters of the 'green jewelry' trend in Vicenza included
Caterina Occhio, founder of the "SeeMe" brand of heart-shaped
ethical jewelry made by single mothers in the Middle East and
North Africa (Tunisia and Turkey in particular).
Jennifer Ewah was also present as the founder and creative
director of "Eden Diodati", a London-based jewelry brand which
produces its collections in cooperation with women who survived
genocide in Rwanda, and Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO,
the World Jewelry Confederation.
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