Tag: craftswomen

The tenth edition of GemGenève will be a reaffirmation of the event’s distinctive DNA combining sales, the promotion of métiers d’art and creative inspiration. At the crossroads of business and passing on knowhow, the Geneva-based show celebrates rare expertise, supports emerging artists and upholds a profoundly human-centred vision of luxury. Focusing on jewellery, gemstones, techniques, passion and the future in equal measure, the event originally devised by Ronny Totah and Thomas Faerber will once again have an unapologetically cross-cutting ethos. COMMITTED TO CRAFTSPEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD Jewellery and Gemstone Association of Africa To celebrate the very first edition of Africa Jewellery Week™ (due to be officially launched in 2026), the tenth edition of GemGenève will once again be welcoming the Jewellery and Gemstone Association of Africa (JGAA). Founded in 2022 by London-based and Zambia-born Longo Mulaisho- Zinsner, JGAA is actively engaged in combating poverty and backing economic development in Africa through training programmes for jewel smithing and gemmology. Its mission is to support the African jewellery industry by training artisans and transitioning them to sustainable business models with international prospects. Hold Everything’s ethical tote bag The GemGenève tote bag is a must-have item for exhibition regulars! This year, the organisers have approached the Hold Everything collective to produce the fabric bags for the tenth edition of the show. Founded in March 2025, the organisation supports women in Sreepur, a town in Bangladesh that’s renowned as a place of refuge for single mothers and their children facing extreme poverty. Hold Everything’s mission is to break the generation-spanning cycle of poverty by teaching women skills that can change their lives. GemGenève’s partnership with Hold Everything is helping to fund homes, education, healthcare and professional training for these craftswomen, as well as help them build a better life. Your tote bag awaits you at the media space - come and pick it up when you arrive at the exhibition! MÉTIERS D’ART TAKE PRIDE OF PLACE Celebrating all the diversity of arts and crafts expertise and techniques has become a characteristic feature of successive editions of GemGenève. At a time when performance and productivity have come to dominate even the luxury industry, I feel it’s absolutely vital for us to be promoting those with a different take on what exclusivity is all about. It’s worth pointing out that the value of some items of jewellery resides above all in the huge amount of time required to craft them and the immense number of skills brought to bear - aspects that are very much part of the mystique of jewellery. Ronny Totah, co-founder of GemGenève For its tenth edition, GemGenève will be unveiling a new Métiers d’Art Space in our ‘Knowledge Village’. GemGenève 10 will be promoting historic and artisanal knowhow by offering visitors the opportunity to meet master craftspeople from a whole range of backgrounds. In providing this overview of the incredible dexterity and rare techniques that constitute the very essence of luxury, GemGenève is supporting the kind of artisanry so dearly needed by the jewellery industry. The general public is often unfamiliar with arts and crafts expertise, frequently neglected and sometimes even being dropped from training syllabuses. However, since Covid in particular, there’s been a renewed interest - and a surge in new vocations. At a time when the desire to ‘learn a trade’ is gaining ground over simply ‘finding a job’, GemGenève is there to support those seeking to learn more about this age-old knowhow and its promising future prospects. Nurturing excellence and inspiring vocations From featherwork (with a talk by Nelly Saunier) to the arts of enamelling and micro-mosaics (featured in an exhibition) via the Masterpiece work of Alicia Stanska, GemGenève sets out to enrich visitors’ culture and general knowledge. By putting encounters, interaction and observation at the heart of our approach, we’re helping to pass on knowledge in a fun, lively environment, true to our founding principle: making the world of jewellery traditionally reserved for a select few accessible to all. Jewellery arts: patience and passion in equal measure GemGenève has produced 21 videos on the topic of métiers d’art to date; all are available free of charge at digital.gemgeneve.com and on Instagram. Offering a privileged deep dive into the most fascinating aspects of jewelsmithing, this series of short reports in the form of profiles takes the viewer behind the scenes to discover rare crafts in which artistic sensitivity and technical prowess go hand in hand. These stories are intended to encourage up-and-coming generations not to give up the pursuit of their passion. Watch (or watch again!) while you’re waiting for the exhibition to come around: Meet the pearl-threader Sabine Gyger introduces us to a skill passed down through many generations: threading pearls glue- less, a delicate method that sadly is no longer on any curriculum. Prismatica: experience creative art as it happens The organisers of GemGenève 10 have invited four independent artisans (Rim Bürki, Sonja Petschnig, Félicien Riondel and Matteo Stauffacher) to work together to craft a piece of jewellery by hand during the course of the exhibition. The idea behind this collective undertaking is to embody GemGenève’s values of expertise, passion and passing on knowledge. The jewel-setter, engraver, enameller and jewelsmith will all be in residence at Palexpo for four days as they perform every step involved in the creation of an item of jewellery - in full view of visitors. It’s a rare opportunity to see what happens in an artist’s workshop and discover the tricks of the trade used by some of the most talented craftspeople. GEMGENÈVE: WHERE PASSING ON KNOWLEDGE IS A VOCATION Right from the outset, GemGenève has served as a meeting-place for all the players in the world of jewellery. At the same time, we have a role to play in welcoming new arrivals to the industry. Throughout the year, we launch educational projects to help young people get ready to take their first steps into the business. Mathieu Dekeukelaire, director, GemGenève Future HEAD graduates in the spotlight An American in Paris: workshop collab with Grand Théâtre de Genève For the sixth year running GemGenève is giving a score of students from Geneva’s University of Art and Design (HEAD) the opportunity to present their work at what will be one of their first ever exhibitions as designers. Renowned for the excellence and demanding standards of its courses, HEAD has established itself as one of the most prestigious art and design schools in Europe. Inspired by the bill at Geneva’s Grand Theatre, this year the students have worked on the topic of costume jewellery under the guidance of artist Valentina Brugnatelli. The contestants have been tasked with offering a fresh take on a pre-war brooch, devising a contemporary piece of stage jewellery and producing it using the materials of their choice, with the best projects selected for display at GemGenève. At the exhibition, visitors will be invited to vote for their favourite piece - up for grabs is the ‘People’s Choice’ Award. GEMGENÈVE: A STATE OF MIND WE TALK TO NADÈGE TOTAH Nadège Totah has been there right from the first edition of GemGenève and is now one of its iconic figures. From her support of young artists to the stringent selection of exhibitors, she takes on all of her responsibilities as co-organiser with enthusiasm, attentiveness - and an unwavering smile. Some people in the business refer to you as ‘Madam GemGenève’; how would you describe your relationship with exhibitors? Nadège Totah: I love that nickname because it’s very much a reflection of the relational ties I maintain with our exhibitors. Over the years we’ve built up genuine relationships of trust. Many exhibitors are now more than partners; they’ve become familiar faces, with stories I know well and careers it’s been my privilege to follow. I do my best to lend a listening ear and really understand their needs, constraints and hopes. GemGenève is all about the people involved; I think that’s what gives the exhibition such a unique atmosphere. One of Gemgenève’s key strengths is welcoming younger traders alongside dealers whose origins go back several generations. How do you go about giving everyone the exposure they deserve without the established exhibitors ‘outshining’ those who are less well- known? NT: It’s all about respect and balance. Ever since first starting to think about the event, we’ve sought to ensure everyone has a place and an equal footing. All the booths follow the same design so as to make sure nobody gets a visual edge over anybody else. We’ve also put a 60 sqm cap on stand space to make sure they’re all more or less the same size and that smaller exhibitors aren’t squeezed out by huge installations. The exhibition plan itself is then designed very much as a whole: we take care to ensure visitors can move around freely, offering both guidance and surprises as they move from one area to another, without imposing any particular order. For instance, we often put stands carrying characterful merchandise with its own distinctive charm in more visible locations than more imposing displays. I think that spirit of exploration and equality is really what the GemGenève ethos is all about. How is it that you’re so keen to put the spotlight on young designers and emerging artists? What advice do you have for up-and-coming artists who dream of exhibiting at GemGenève? NT: Young designers embody daring, creativity and contemporary sensitivities; supporting them is a way of making sure jewellery doesn’t lose its heart and soul. GemGenève offers emerging artists genuine exposure right up there alongside larger players, and their fresh insights contribute to the ecosystem as a whole. To those keen to see their work on show here one day, my advice is to be sincere. Rather than setting out to please, seek to express who you really are. You can feel when something’s genuine, and that’s what makes an impact; over and above technical prowess, it’s that feeling which often leads to opportunities. Rather than restrict access solely to professionals (as some other shows do) GemGenève has deliberately chosen to open its doors to private collectors and other connoisseurs. How is it that you’re so keen to reveal all too often neglected aspects of the jewellery trade? NT: Opening GemGenève up to a broader audience allows anyone to find out what lies behind a given gemstone, item of jewellery or piece of art. It’s also a way of paying tribute to all the contributions of artistry and craftsmanship behind the scenes. We’re keen to pass on knowledge, share, and arouse curiosity: if visitors leave with their imaginations fired and a greater insight into this fascinating world, we’ll have done just what we set out to do.

Tag: craftswomen

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