A GemGenève Encore

The glittering Swiss jewelry fair is back for its second 2022 run, highlighting new talents and time-honored names alike.

Swiss show GemGenève will return to the city of Geneva for its fifth edition next month, following calls from its exhibitors for a second show in 2022. Having already had one edition in May, the show — which will be open to both the trade and the public — will play host to a wide range of gem and jewelry dealers from November 3 to 6. The timing will coincide with the autumn auction sales of Geneva Luxury Week, which draw an international crowd of jewelry collectors.

GemGenève held its first show in 2018 and has since garnered a reputation as a serious buying event, though the pandemic has slowed its growth. The debut show boasted 147 exhibitors and more than 3,200 visitors, but numbers later dwindled, dropping to 120 exhibitors and 2,750 visitors in 2021. Turnout swelled again at May’s show in a strong vote of confidence for the fair, with an all-time high of 201 exhibitors and more than 3,300 visitors.

The show is the brainchild of Thomas Faerber and Ronny Totah, who both have their own wholesale jewelry businesses: Faerber Collection and Horovitz & Totah. They designed GemGenève as “a space to meet and exchange views with leading specialists, discover exceptional pieces [that] can very rarely be seen in other shows, find out about new trends, learn about the best contemporary designs, and gain insider knowledge by attending the numerous conferences, workshops and roundtables,” according to official communications.

The November edition will have a new layout, moving from Hall 6 to 7 in Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition space, which also hosted the Watches & Wonders fair earlier this year. The layout of Hall 7 is more square, allowing organizers to create more central spaces, as opposed to the elongated layout of previous shows.

More than 150 companies have already signed up to exhibit, including A. A. Rachminov Diamonds, Yoko London, Ashok Jewellers, Paul Wild, Taché and Ernst Färber. There will also be a space dedicated to international designers such as Estonian jeweler Tenzo and the Strong & Precious showcase of Ukrainian jewelers, which made its debut at GemGenève’s May edition.

In addition, there will be an area for emerging talents, led by Nadège Totah of Horovitz & Totah, featuring up-and-coming creators such as Vincent Michel and Wallis Hong. Author and jewelry historian Vivienne Becker will once again curate her Designer Vivarium, which showcases original pieces of work by contemporary jewelers that she considers to have a “strong, individual creative vision.”

Education is a major focus for GemGenève. There will be a number of installations to entertain and inform both trade and consumer visitors, including an entire space dedicated to micromosaics. One exhibition sure to draw a crowd will be a showcase of Fabergé objets d’art to mark the 40th anniversary of the Fondation Igor Carl Fabergé. One particularly special piece on display will be a nephrite imperial egg. Conferences and seminars will also be a key part of the programming.

Although this second show of 2022 is a positive sign for the trade, Ronny Totah says it is unlikely to become a regular fixture; the organizers are planning ahead for just one show per year.

Main image: A dealer shows off colored gemstones at a previous edition of GemGenève. Photo: David Fraga / GemGenève.