Editor’s Note
The ninth edition of GemGenève opens in Geneva this week with expanded floorspace and cautious optimism, despite looming US tariff concerns. The fair draws international exhibitors from 22 countries, with a strong American presence of 47 companies.
The ninth edition of Swiss gem and jewelry trade show GemGenève will open its doors in Geneva on Thursday, with an enlarged floorspace and a general sense of optimism among exhibitors, even under the shadow of US tariffs.
While the fair attracts an international pool of gem dealers, vintage jewelry traders, and contemporary jewelry designers — this edition, from 22 countries and nearly every continent — the majority are American companies. At this year’s show, there are 47 American exhibitors, representing 24% of the total number. As such, the new tariffs President Donald Trump introduced were high on the agenda.
Should entry to the US market become prohibitively difficult for international gem companies, this could lead to enhanced trading within Europe, Totah noted.
Volyn Gems was exhibiting as part of the Strong & Precious Art Foundation collective of Ukrainian jewelry designers, which was also impacted by this. Missing from the stand was award-winning jewelry designer Anton Boyko, who was conscripted before he could finish a ring he was creating for the show. Strong & Precious chose to display a prototype, with founder Olga Oleksenko expressing her hopes that Boyko would soon be able to complete it.
Next door to the Ukrainians was a flagship exhibition of African jewelry designers titled “It’s All in Our Hands,” which the Jewellery and Gemstone Association of Africa (JGAA) curated. The showcase was a mix of international jewelry designers with African heritage, including London-based designers Stefania Indelicato of Ambersouk and Jo Boateng, and those based in Africa, such as Zambian maker Venasho Phiri. It also gave space to showcase the work of African jewelry schools including the MasterPeace Academy in Kenya and Nsanshi Art in Zambia.
JGAA head of strategy and president Longo Mulaisho-Zinsner, who founded the association in 2022, was at the show to promote the message that the gem and jewelry trade must do more to help support African countries develop gem-related industries.
Mulaisho-Zinsner used the opening press conference to showcase the collaboration JGAA was garnering across the industry from companies including Gemfields, the Platinum Guild International (PGI), and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), as well as GemGenève. It also received backing from the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), with president Gaetano Cavalieri lending his support.
Whether GemGenève will return for a second edition in November, as it has done in previous years, Totah thought this was unlikely now that the Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong September show is back up and running, but the final decision lies with the exhibitors, he maintained. If there is demand, Totah will provide.
The show, which runs from May 8 to 11, has expanded to take over two halls at the Palexpo for the first time. This has allowed the event to spread out, but it hasn’t led to a significantly larger number of exhibitors. Last year’s May show had 244 exhibitors, while this one has 250.
There are 15 new exhibitors taking part in GemGenève this year. Notable additions include Arizona dealer Bridges Tsavorite, Australian dealer Cody Opal, and Moizes Ferreira from Lima, which owns Paraiba tourmaline mines in Brazil, Mozambique and Nigeria.
In general, exhibitors are taking a “wait and see” attitude to the levies, yet GemGenève founder Ronny Totah, who also runs gem dealer Horovitz & Totah, spoke of a sense of unease.
He likened the trade pressures that the potential US tariffs would cause to a blocked vein in the body:
Olena Sur, sales manager for Ukrainian gemstone miner Volyn Gems, was similarly untroubled. When asked about the potential impact of not just the tariffs but the US-Ukraine minerals deal signed on April 30, Sur observed that her country and company had “other problems” to content with — the main one being its depleted workforce due to male staff being called off to war.
A jewel set with Ukrainian heliodore from Strong and Precious. (Rachael Taylor)
Jo Boateng as part of the African exhibition. (Rachael Taylor)
