The seventh edition of GemGenève, the tradeshow especially for jewellery professionals and enthusiasts and open to the public, finished on Sunday evening. A total of 3,218 visitors came to Palexpo to discover the outstanding gemstones and new releases on display at GemGenève. Throughout the four-day event, exhibitors closed new deals and the general public had the opportunity to find out all about the many different aspects of jewellery, resulting in a unique experience for first-time buyers and seasoned collectors alike. GemGenève is a showcase featuring a range of exceptional gems and numerous treasures alongside a high-level cultural offering devised by GemGenève Director Mathieu Dekeukelaire.

The tradeshow brought together 144 professional dealers among a total of 172 exhibitors including Emerging Talents & New Designers, schools, Arts & Crafts, The Pearl Odyssey exhibition and the LetuBooks and Gem Collectors Bookshops to name but a few, as well as laboratories and the exhibition’s other partners.

During the opening ceremony for this seventh edition of GemGenève, the event’s co-founder Ronny Totah alluded to the symbolic nature of the figure 7 and the film The Seven Year Itch (entitled ‘Seven years of thinking’ in French): years of careful thought and maturity have enabled the GemGenève team to improve and build up all sorts of links with exhibitors, cultural contributors and partners from the world of education.

As he explained, “During these difficult times, I very much hope that the four days of this seventh edition will provide a measure of respite and wellbeing for all of us and be an opportunity for us to deepen our relationships still further”.

Geneva’s State Councillor for the Economy and Employment Delphine Bachmann delivered an upbeat speech on the expertise of the profession, stressing her admiration for the innovation and creativity hubs featured at the exhibition as part of its stunning programme.

As Ronny Totah emphasised: “the slight decrease in traffic compared to last November doesn’t appear to have had an impact on sales volumes. The exhibitors benefited from a favourable environment for business, discussions, and networking opportunities with connoisseurs and amateur enthusiasts alike.” He added: “The fine jewellery market and the upper echelons of the antique and collectors’ jewellery market are in good shape overall. Natural pearls, high-quality coloured stones and signed jewels remain highly sought-after. While it’s difficult to gauge the volume of sales and analyse trends, it would appear that things are just as they were in previous editions.”

While exhibitors were clearly tired at the end of a four-day marathon, everyone appeared to be satisfied with the result. Indeed, word has it that some excellent deals were completed for certain high-quality pieces.

Thomas Faerber had this to say: “Market conditions remain healthy, buoyed by inflation in many regions of the world, adding to the appeal of high-quality pieces as safe investments.”

Visitors travelled from 92 countries to attend the seventh edition of the Geneva International Gem & Jewellery Show. In terms of geographical breakdown, most came from Switzerland (1,211), followed by France (over 700), Italy (197), Belgium (149), the UK (120) and the USA (84).

As a unique platform dedicated to coloured gemstones, outstanding diamonds, pearls, antique and contemporary pieces of jewellery, recognised designers and emerging talents, GemGenève’s reputation for quality has gone from strength to strength with each new edition; the event is becoming increasingly popular with exhibitors, buyers and the international media, who now make sure the event is down in their editorial diaries. Purchasers ranging from international retailers and leading jewellery houses to collectors and private buyers displayed a keen interest in making new acquisitions and concluding business deals.

Led by Nadège Totah, the event hosted nine talented designers in the ‘Designer Village’: five Emerging Talents and four New Designers. For the fourth time running, GemGenève set aside a very special place for the Strong & Precious Art Foundation: Ukrainian Jewellers bringing together six Ukrainian designers.

www.gemgeneve.com