The first GemGeneve show in May 2018 demonstrated the power and beauty of the jewelry world, in which antique dealers, designers and gem dealers live and work together like one big family. The list of 210 participants (last year there were 147) representatives of a wide variety of professions related to jewelry: pearl and precious stones specialists, dealers and buyers, owners of antiques galleries, reputable gemologists, collectors and jewelers themselves, in including novice designers. Among them there are participants from Russia, for example, the Alexander Laut company and the bright brand Epic Jewelery, which, in addition to regular collections of gold, titanium and precious stones, creates original jewelry to order.
Thomas Farber and Ronnie Tota © press service
The organizers and ideologists of the new jewelry salon are Thomas Farber and Ronnie Tota, owners of their own jewelry galleries in the fourth and second generations. For many decades, both participated in BaselWorld, but after an expensive reconstruction of the Messe complex in 2013, they found themselves on the outskirts of the exhibition. I had to take the initiative into my own hands and organize my own site. Small, mainly family-owned companies were invited to participate. There was no place for large corporations, huge pavilions and fierce competition for public attention - on the contrary, all participants received equal rights and stands of the same pleasant design. The pavilions of the organizers Faerber Collection and Horovitz & Totah, the stands of the renowned brand Robert Procop from Beverly Hills or the Geneva-based company Lancon SA did not stand out in the general scheme.
“The exhibition plan was drawn up with love for all participants and fully reflected the family spirit of our event,” commented Ronnie Tota. Perhaps the only ones who got special places were nine young designers, selected by jewelry historian Vivienne Becker. Her Designer Showcase project was at the very center of the exhibition space and public attention. “Ronnie and Thomas wanted to present the work of young talents, but as a curator I was interested in the distinct individual style of each of them,” explained Vivienne Becker. This year, in her Designer Vivarium corner, you can see the works of 11 outstanding masters, including the Geneva designer Nadia Morgenthaler, who works with small natural pearls, and the Belgian Tatiana Verstraten (she showed her first high jewelery collection in Paris in January). American brand Sean Gilson and Russian duo Ninotchka Jewels, founded by Evgeny Glagolev and Timur Ibragimov. The Emerging Talents section will feature the new Syz Fireworks brand Susan Sees, whose fancy titanium and aluminum jewelry can be found at major contemporary art exhibitions.
1 of 6 Ring with Paraiba tourmaline, Alexander Laut © press service Necklace, Rene Lalique (Faerber Collection) © press service Pink pear-shaped diamond, 3.5 carats (Dehres) © press service Brooch made of platinum and Australian opal (collection Paul Fisher) © Press Service Chaumet Brooch, 1970s (Faerber Collection) © Press Service Earrings, Nadia Morgenthaler © Press Service
The last year's slogan of the Seek and Find exhibition was transformed into Find and Feel, calling on the public to hold the rarest and most mysterious stones in their hands, to see in detail the jewelry with history and provenance. “In this digital age, nothing can replace the unique experience of touch and first-hand knowledge from the most knowledgeable and passionate experts,” says Ronnie Tota. The current exhibition will present an unprecedented number of unique colored stones. Among them is the famous blue diamond Shirley Temple Blue Bird (in the Windsor Jewelers collection) - a stone weighing 9.3 carats actress Shirley Temple received from her father on her 12th birthday. House of Gems will showcase a nearly 13-carat Burmese ruby, while Hong Kong-based family company Dehres will display a 3.5-carat pink pear-shaped diamond.>
