Vicenza, Italy: VicenzaOro September 2026 concluded its five-day edition on September 8 with total visitor numbers rising 4% over September 2025, while international attendance grew 9%, according to organiser Italian Exhibition Group (IEG). The expanded Vicenza Expo Centre hosted 1,300 brands from 40 countries, attracting visitors from 136 nations.
India featured among the top five international visitor markets, alongside the UK, Germany, China and Romania. South Korea, Singapore, Kuwait, South Africa and Saudi Arabia recorded the strongest year-on-year increases in attendance, while US participation grew 2%.
A key highlight of the September edition was the inauguration of Hall 2, a 23,000 sq. m, two-storey facility designed by Hamburg-based GMP studio. The new hall connects Halls 1, 3, 4 and 6 and accommodates jewellery manufacturing and packaging businesses. It also enabled T.Gold, the technology and machinery exhibition, to move inside the Expo Centre for the first time, occupying Hall 4.
The show’s international buyer programme hosted 910 buyers from 73 countries, marking a 33% increase compared with September 2025. The US, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China and Spain led the hosted delegations. IEG attributed the growth partly to its network of around 70 Italian Trade Agency offices worldwide.
The September edition coincided with the 100th-anniversary congress of CIBJO, which brought together around 600 delegates, including Cartier’s Cyrille Vigneron and former De Beers CEO Gareth Penny.
Discussions focused on strengthening classification standards distinguishing natural from lab-grown diamonds and coloured stones. CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri highlighted the issue as central to maintaining consumer trust in the jewellery category.
The edition also featured the ninth edition of VO Vintage, with 53 exhibitors, while the Japan Pearl Exporters’ Association used VicenzaOro to relaunch Akoya pearls in Western markets, pointing to tightening supply linked to warming seas and rising Chinese demand.
The jewellery trade calendar now moves to the Valenza Gem Forum on October 22, JGTD Dubai from October 27–29 and the Italian Jewellery Summit in Arezzo on December 3, before VicenzaOro and T.Gold return from January 15–19, 2027.