While it is true that an event’s success is not measured by numbers alone, when it comes to GemGenève, numbers still say a lot about it. After years of constant growth, the edition that has just ended – the sixth – saw the participation of the highest number of exhibitors (230) and visitors (4320, almost 6500 counting repeat visits, a thousand more than the November edition) ever recorded since its launch in 2018. However, numbers cannot tell the extraordinary atmosphere of this event, which not only brings together the most prestigious dealers of antique jewellery and gems, retailers and big jewellery houses, attracting purchasing managers from major international brands, collectors, experts and enthusiasts but also turns the spotlights on young designers, students and new talents, discovered through outstanding scouting efforts.
The founders of the event, Ronny Totah and Thomas Faerber, both owners of prestigious companies, proudly claim this unique mix of past and future, ancient and contemporary, sociability, culture and business: GemGenève – they underline – is a fair created by exhibitors and designed for exhibitors. It is occasionally “touched up” based on their needs and expectations. At the fair, you can admire jewellery and gems of impressive quality and historical value in an atmosphere of maximum collaboration and the commitment to pass on to future generations the baton of a profession that is, first of all, a passion. A special report in the next issue of Huesers will deal extensively with GemGenève. Here are some of the highlights: the Designers’ Village, which hosted the six independent designers of the Designer Vivarium created by the famous jewellery historian Vivienne Becker, as well as the six Emerging talents and the five New Designers selected by Nadège Totah; the Knowledge Village, animated by the projects of the students of prestigious art and design schools; the booth reserved for the third time for the Strong & Precious Art Foundation, with creations by six Ukrainian designers. The five prizes awarded at the end of this edition:
HEAD ‘people’s choice’ award, SSEF – GTG x HEAD x GemGenève project – Valentine Stegmann (HEAD)
CFC ‘people’s choice’ award, SSEF – CFC x ASMEBI x GemGenève project – Laura Monteiro (CFP Arts Genève)
Donna Jewel Project ‘people’s choice’ award – Donna Jewel x GemGenève – Allan Paul Salazar (Galdus)
ASMEBI award – CFC x ASMEBI x GemGenève project – Lilou Magranville (CPNE Pôle Arts Appliqués)
Eric Horovitz Foundation Award – CFC x ASMEBI x GemGenève project – Éloïse Marclay (CFP Arts Genève)
Last but not least the four set up exhibitions: one devoted to Automatons and Music curated by the Geneva Museum of Art and History (MAH); another at the Grand Theatre of Geneva on The Return of Ulysses by Claudio Monteverdi; one with the Singapore Gem Museum, and a fourth with the World Diamond Museum.
