Milan has always sold itself as the capital of elegance, but from October 16 to 20, 2025, the city won’t just host another trade fair—it will stage a full-blown clash of ideologies. Milano Jewelry Week is returning with over 350 exhibitors, but the real story isn’t the volume of events. It’s the war brewing between old-world luxury and the disruptive rise of lab-grown diamond jewelry and sustainable design.
Critics argue that Milano Jewelry Week has become too much of a marketing circus, drowning in cocktail parties, influencers, and “immersive experiences.” But beneath the velvet curtains and gallery cocktails, there’s a deeper battle: who defines the future of luxury? Is it the traditional houses that still cling to mined diamonds and heritage codes, or the next-gen brands championing ethical jewelry, recycled metals, and sustainable lab-grown gemstones?
At Palazzo Serbelloni, the Jewelry Hub will set the tone. Officially recognized as a National Sector Fair, it promises a carefully staged display of high jewelry and experimental work. Yet behind the prestige is the question nobody dares answer: can mined diamonds still compete against a younger audience that sees lab-created diamonds as equally real, equally luxurious, and infinitely more ethical?
Meanwhile, Artistar Jewels at Palazzo Bovara will try to position itself as the heart of “conceptual jewelry.” The irony? These so-called avant-garde displays now risk looking like marketing strategies for relevance. Still, the “Talent Show” that places students next to established artists could be the most authentic part of the week—a reminder that the real future of jewelry won’t be dictated by boards or juries, but by a generation raised to see luxury through the lens of sustainability.
Industry jurors—Paolo Cesari, Ellen Joncheere, Joanne Haywood, and more—will hand out awards, but no trophy can answer the real question: when lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to mined stones and consumers choose ethics over extraction, what’s left for tradition to stand on?
The Experiential Journey, with boutiques, galleries, and curated talks, will again blur the lines between commerce and culture. Yet for all the talk of “exchange and growth,” many insiders whisper the same thing: Milano Jewelry Week risks becoming a showroom for disruption, not preservation.
So here’s the controversy: Is Milano Jewelry Week celebrating jewelry—or slowly dismantling its past? One thing is clear. In 2025, lab-grown diamonds are no longer the side conversation. They are the headline.