IEG’s jewellery and goldsmithing trade fair Oroarezzo opens 45th edition

At Oroarezzo, more than 400 exhibitors across seven exhibition areas are offering a comprehensive showcase of Italian know-how, creativity, and innovation in the gold and silver jewellery sector. Against this backdrop, the 45th edition of the Italian Exhibition Group’s international show dedicated to gold- and silversmithing manufacturing, will take place from May 9 to 12 at Arezzo Fiere e Congressi.

Exhibiting at Oroarezzo 2026 are Italian market leaders in gold- and silversmith manufacturing and product customisation: the Arezzo-based Unoaerre, Giordini, Gold Art, Richline Italy, Coar, Fratelli Chini and eSilo; the Florence-based Graziella Braccialini; the Vicenza-based Alessi Domenico, Superoro, LAC, Lucchetta Armando,, and Daniela Coaro; and the Milan-based Milor. For silver production and processing: the Vicenza-based Chrysos and the Arezzo-based Croma Catene, EFC Silver, and Luiber. Among the established international presences are Spain’s Alias Concept and Turkey’s Zen Diamond and Arpas.

Marking a further step up in quality is the participation, for the first time in Arezzo, of the international associations GJEPC and HKJJA, representing two strategic global markets, India and Hong Kong. The jewellery section is being strengthened with the Vicenza-based Fratelli Bovo, Veneroso, and Caoro, the Arezzo-based Artlinea, and the Valenza-based Giloro and Moraglione.

Among the new participants, Rossano Caldaroni introduces micromosaic art to Arezzo for the first time. Major players in the components and semi-finished products sector include Fior, Itam, and OrchideaPreziosi. Alongside these are the new entries Filostil, General Preziosi, and Magù, while the area hosting machinery and technological innovations features leading national and international players thanks to the partnership with AFEMO.

To date, the hosted buyers registered for the event come from 49 countries: led by the United States, followed by Romania, Hong Kong, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, and Morocco.

Among the main highlights of Oroarezzo 2026 is the debut of the Precious Fashion section, an exhibition area dedicated to fashion accessories, with 26 companies taking part. A tangible showcase of the supply chain: from technological design to metalworking, through to the most refined finishes, including enamels, stones, and advanced treatments.

New business geographies and alternative routes will be central to the vision for this edition of the fair. “We remain firmly committed to investing in Oroarezzo,” noted Matteo Farsura, head of IEG’s jewellery fairs. “Thanks to all partners, the 2026 edition will support companies’ diversification strategies.”

“For the Italian gold sector, 2026 is presenting an extraordinarily complex international situation,” explains Maria Cristina Squarcialupi, president of Confindustria Federorafi. “Alongside record prices and the instability of precious raw materials, there have been slowdowns, for different reasons, in the capacity to export Made in Italy jewellery to the three main markets: Turkey, the UAE, and the USA. Three countries that account for more than 40% of total gold exports. Associations and institutions are committed to improving tools for internationalisation and, for these reasons, it is even more necessary to understand what opportunities already exist in new destinations and how to use public instruments to support companies in approaching both mature and prospective markets. ICE and SACE,” she continued, “have initiatives that can help us, and I also believe it is a priority to understand the great potential of some countries on the African continent. Precisely for these reasons, as Confindustria Federorafi we have supported Italian Exhibition Group in organising the international congress ‘The Global Outlook 2026 – Global Gold Markets and Concrete Tools for Business Growth,’ on Monday (4.00–6.30 pm), which I am sure will be an interesting and useful event for the Italian gold industry.”

The congress will address the prospects of the free trade agreement between the European Union and India and trade routes to France and Switzerland, as well as the US-Canada supply chain and the emergence of the African continent. These are the topics to be introduced by Roberto Corciulo, founder and CEO of IC&Partners, according to whom “for Italian companies it is not so much a matter of chasing entirely new routes as establishing a presence in markets where Made in Italy can find space with a traceable supply chain, clear positioning, a structured commercial presence and effective use of digital tools, today an essential lever for internationalisation.”

“In 2025,” Corciulo recalls, “global gold imports exceeded 800 billion euros, a strong increase compared to 2024. A figure that, together with soaring prices, confirms gold’s strengthening as a safe-haven asset in a phase marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. For the gold sector, this scenario heightens pressure on costs, pricing, and margins and makes it increasingly necessary to diversify export markets. In this perspective, the European Union’s trade agreements with India and Mercosur can open up significant opportunities for Made in Italy as well. The first,” he pointed out, “concluded on January 27, 2026, provides for the elimination or reduction of duties on 96.6% of the value of European exports to India, with estimated savings of about 4 billion euros a year. On the Mercosur front, the picture is also evolving favourably: the agreement will eliminate duties on more than 91% of European goods exported to the area, and the Interim Trade Agreement will apply provisionally from May 1, 2026 between the EU and countries that have completed the necessary procedures.”

“Arezzo is among the Italian gold districts most exposed to the current turbulence in destination markets such as the Gulf countries, Turkey, and the USA,” confirms Giordana Giordini, president of Confindustria Federorafi Toscana Sud. “We cannot think of replacing them, but we can and must equip ourselves even more to get to know the ‘new’ ones, such as Africa.”

Among the most anticipated moments of the event is the 35th edition of the Première competition conceived by Beppe Angiolini, art director of Oroarezzo and honorary president of the National Chamber of Fashion Buyers, which celebrates the excellence of Made in Italy goldsmithing. There are 53 companies from all the Italian gold districts that have submitted their creations, unique pieces created on the 2026 theme: “The Invisible Weight of Sweetness”, a concept that invites the design of jewellery in harmony with the body, capable of combining lightness, wearability, and design quality. Schools and institutes are also participating, submitting in the Talents category the sketches of the best talents and aspiring goldsmiths under 30. The award-winning creations will be unveiled on Sunday from 5.30 to 6.30 pm. This will be followed by an invitation-only cocktail reception hosted by jury president Beppe Angiolini at his Sugar showroom, to celebrate Première and the city of Arezzo.

Completing the show’s programme will be the usual seminars, observatories, and conferences related to the goldsmithing world, including analyses of international scenarios with Club degli Orafi, Intesa Sanpaolo, Confindustria, ICE, and institutions, and a focus on retail, digital marketing, and production processes with Confcommercio Federpreziosi and AIFM, as well as moments dedicated to networking and exchange among industry professionals, immersed in the cultural and artistic richness of the city of Arezzo, from the Opening Cocktail in Piazza Grande to the tour of the historic centre for international buyers.