he ninth edition of GemGenève ended on an especially high note. Over the course of five days, the show, unlike any other at international level and open to the general public, transformed Palexpo Halls 1 and 2 into nothing less than a shrine to jewellery.
First held in 2018 at the instigation of Ronny Totah and Thomas Faerber and encompassing both commercial and cultural aspects, the latest edition of the event welcomed over 4,970 visitors, with 7,259 admissions in all over five days (including the preview) – the highest numbers in its history. “That’s a 34% increase on May 2024,” highlights GemGenève co-founder Ronny Totah.
The latest edition of the show brought together visitors of more than one hundred nationalities, dissolving the boundaries between Geneva and the rest of the world for the duration of the event. By way of comparison, the previous attendance record set at the May 2023 edition stood at 4,320 visitors, with a total of 6,487 admissions. The ninth edition thus saw 12% more visitor traffic than the previous record.
GemGenève is an international fixture, eagerly awaited all year long by collectors and professionals the world over; not only did the latest edition enchant an increasingly diverse range of visitors, it also defied predictions of a slowdown in the market. The ninth edition of the tradeshow has proved that demand for outstanding gemstones and jewellery items remains high despite a less buoyant economic environment, with Geneva emerging as a key marketplace in the jewellery industry. This edition has been an especially good one in terms of the number and calibre of transactions.
The event’s organisers successfully won over the most demanding of professionals with deliberately understated stands, luxury concierge services and flawless lighting tailored to each variety of gemstone, all contributing to ideal conditions for exhibitors – and the unique atmosphere of calm and efficiency that defines the GemGenève ethos.
As Ronny Totah recognised during the opening ceremony, “bringing together the best part of 250 exhibitors representing nearly 30 nationalities and almost every religion in the world to work side by side for five days in a unique environment where harmony and brotherhood reign supreme” was no mean feat – one that GemGenève’s organisers rose to with panache. For one hundred and twenty hours, dealers, traders, buyers, collectors, laboratories, colleges and students, designers and artists, carriers and other logistics partners, cultural institutions and museums, craftspeople, jewellery historians, specialist bookshops and scientists formed a united community committed to the promotion of jewellery arts.
Nadège Totah keeps close tabs on the work of rising stars and new names as they emerge on the international scene. For the ninth edition of GemGenève, she chose to highlight a selection of international artists – some of whom thus gained their first ever opportunity to present their work in Europe. Dubbed Le Village des Designers, the project is especially close to her heart, with this edition showcasing ten promising and inspiring new names: A.win Siu, Elsa Jin, Valérie Danenberg, Villa Milano, Bojem, William Llewellyn Griffiths, Lucas Hage, Shavarsh Hakobian, Suciyan and Richard Wu.
Created by Olga Oleksenko, the Ukrainian artists’ collective Strong & Precious was also present with a selection of ten brands and independent jewelsmiths: Jewelry Lab, Iryna Karpova, Arevik Jewellery, Oleksandra Kuzenkova, Inesa Kovalova, Olha Vynohradova, Olena Yastreb, Kleom, Anton Boyko and Agate. Ninth edition partners AJA (the Armenian Jewellers Association) were at the tradeshow for the second time with several artists in attendance: Armen Shahinyan, Karen Hovhannisyan, Vladimir Manukyan, Mike Saatji and Vasken Melikian.
Founded by Longo Mulaisho-Zinsner, the Jewellery and Gemstone Association of Africa (JGAA, the first African body bringing together jewellery professionals and stakeholders) sparked considerable interest with its display of original items crafted by students at the Masterpeace Academy and the Nsanshi Art Studio. In giving African creativity more recognition and international exposure, the ninth edition of GemGenève will go down as one of the most cosmopolitan in the history of the event.
Devised as a creativity and innovation lab for young people in training and apprenticeships, the ninth edition of GemGenève supported four educational projects involving students from the event’s partner schools; the GemGenève Awards ceremony chaired by Mathieu Dekeukelaire on Sunday 11 May honoured the winning contestants.
Jewellery for the future contest
Participants: students from Galdus School and Tarì Design School in partnership with Laura Inghirami and Swiss laboratory SSEF.
2025 winner: Claudia Gugliemelli, Libera
Elixirs contest
Participants: students from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD) with Grand Théâtre de Genève and SSEF.
2025 winner: Rose Perle Dubas
‘Borders’ Gouache contest
9th edition
8 - 11 may 2025
Participants: students from the CFP Arts Genève, École Technique de la Vallée de Joux and the CNPE Applied Arts Centre. Supported by Charles & Michel Abouchar.
GemGenève People’s Choice Award, in partnership with SSEF: Gabriel Sanchez Romandy
Jewelsmithing Crafts Association (ASMEBI) Award: Santana Mottier
Eric Horovitz Foundation ‘Foundation’s Favourite’ Award: Izar Galdo Cebrecos
Photomicrography contest
9th edition
8 - 11 may 2025
Participants: students from the Royal Belgian Gemmological Society in partnership with Marine Bouvier, founder of Gemm’Education and French-speaking gemmology association Gemmologie & Francophonie.
People’s Choice Award and Artistic Award: Isabelle de Kerchove, Messager Fugace Jury’s Special Award: Emilyne Smeets, Éclipse Fauve
Technical Award: Jonas Van Osta, Rainbow Bird
Osmium visionary contest Devised together with renowned jewellery influencer Katerina Perez, this new contest highlights research conducted by the Osmium Institute. Osmium is one of the rarest precious metals on earth, featuring unique aesthetic properties and an incomparable sparkle. Katerina Perez is keen for osmium to make fresh inroads into the world of jewellery by introducing this new material to a wider audience – and winning them over in the process.
1st Prize: Bernadette Yodia, Serenade of the Moon
2nd Prize: Berke Henny, Osmé
3rd Prize: Pasquale Rossi, Voyeur
Throughout the five days of the event, visitors were able to explore three exhibitions, meet craftspeople at the Village des Savoirs and learn more about jewelsmithing crafts from a total of fifteen talks by over forty acclaimed experts and specialists.
Curated by Mathieu Dekeukelaire, this GemGenève exhibition was made possible by loans and support from multiple partners including the Geneva Museum of Art and History (MAH Genève), fine jewellers Chaumet, the International Museum of Horology (MIH, La Chaux-de-Fonds), the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, the Boghossian Foundation, the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens, Ateliers Lison de Caunes (Paris), Maxime Flatry Gallery, Katerina Perez, IED Roma, Jean Boghossian and exhibitors Ernst Färber, Faerber Collection, Friends of Gem Books, the Golay Fils & Stahl heritage collection, Horovitz & Totah, Humphrey Butler, Morelle Davidson, Nicolas Torroni, Paul Fisher Inc., Steven Neckman Inc. and Valérie Danenberg.
