«Our sector is resilient but must learn to open up and to trust»: Cristina Squarcialupi, new National President of Federorafi, is not afraid of the slight decline in performance that is affecting, after two years of growth, also the jewelry supply chain. If it is true that, due to the cost of gold at historic highs and the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the sector has begun to show the first signs of fatigue, it is also true that «companies are used to the volatility of raw materials and will know how to return to balance», she states. «But a change of pace is necessary, embracing everything that is new».
Credit: Dior
First of all in the technical and technological field, with tools such as additive manufacturing and new materials that can partly replace gold and silver, which are also subject to a price increase. But the main issue is undoubtedly the evolution of the sector, mostly composed of SMEs that struggle to take leaps into the unknown: «Large groups must drive the sector. To small companies I say instead to trust and to follow the guidelines, both in terms of technological innovation and managerial renewal: structuring and working with structured companies is the key to entering the right work mindset, the one that will make you survive».
Credit: Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu
The generational turnover is one of the major themes also according to Omar Antonio Cescut, Councillor of AFEMO and Member of the Technical Group for Internationalization of Confindustria, who describes a sector penalized by a strong internal barrier: «Today the sector is led by people with great experience but limited by their age.
A very significant acceleration is needed as soon as possible, one that can understand and embrace new tools, first of all AI. It must necessarily be introduced as an active part within companies, so as not to fall behind. But to do this, the supply chain needs people who have the ability to use it in an innovative way: it is a tool that can give us many answers, but we need those who ask the right questions. At this moment, these people are lacking».
Credit: Givenchy, Chloé, Chanel
To this is added the competition from non-European countries that are beginning to match the quality of Made in Italy. The world is moving quickly and we risk standing still watching. The keys are training and communication. The first, which starts in schools and reaches companies, to understand how to implement tools such as AI in all business processes, from design to planning, from product development to production. And the second, which must start from within, building teamwork among the various trade associations, and then continue outward, as Squarcialupi says: «Communication matters a lot, too much to keep neglecting it. It is what has been missing for many years and also in recent years. It is time to change, to open up to the world».
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