In May, the tenth edition of GemGèneve will once again feature a dedicated area for designers. Here’s who they are.
At GemGenève (May 7-10), the area dedicated to established designers returns. These designers already enjoy consolidated recognition in the world of contemporary jewelry and share a common trait: a decidedly personal vision of jewelry. Some have already exhibited at the Palaexpo in Geneva, where GemGenève is held, while others are making their debut. This is the first time, for example, for Be Liza, a Lithuanian designer who conceives jewelry as a form of everyday armor for women. Her pieces are inspired by the aesthetics of Gothic fairy tales, with collections featuring carefully selected stones, crafted with high-end craftsmanship, where metal lace interacts with precision finishes, such as mirror polishing.
This is also a first-time participation for Hemera Paris, a brand founded in 2024 by Florian Pitout. It defines itself as a true house of artistic crafts, thanks to the collaboration between various artisans: leatherworkers, inlayers, and featherworkers. These are unique creations that perpetuate a certain idea of luxury inherited from the 19th century, when each piece of jewelry was conceived for a particular personality and occasion, and made to last. Hemera Paris will present a brooch resulting from the collaboration with Bernardo d’Orey, a craftsman specialized in creating straw micro-inlays.
Another debut is that of Incarnem, a brand by Marine Billet. A graduate in architecture, the designer entered the world of jewelry in 2015 as an independent model maker, collaborating with several major Parisian fashion houses, including Schiaparelli, for which she created the famous lung-shaped necklace worn by Bella Hadid at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, she founded Incarnem: using the casting technique, which she particularly loves, Marine Billet captures and fixes fragments of reality in metal.
Plah also makes her debut. Sebastián Plah, a 25-year-old Colombian jeweler, will offer jewelry in gold, titanium, and diamonds. Based in Milan, the designer revealed himself to the public in 2023 during Digital Jewelry Week. His unique style is inspired by iconic jewelers such as Jar, Fernando Jorge, Silvia Tcherassi, and Edgardo Osorio.
The Mike Joseph brand is almost making its debut. Designer Mike Saatji, born in Armenia into a family of jewelry artisans, now lives in Bangkok. In 2015, he founded his own brand, Mike Joseph. He works with classic materials such as gold and diamonds, as well as titanium, which he incorporates into his creations. Last year, he joined the Armenian Jewelers Association (AJA), a collective dedicated to promoting Armenian-born designers worldwide, which participated in GemGenève. This year, he returns with his own brand.
A.Wins Siu has already participated in GemGenève four times since 2022. The Chinese designer has found success with her pop jewelry, such as her candy-shaped ones. For this tenth edition, she will present one of her most important works, created in 2026, combining titanium, enamel, Brazilian Paraíba tourmaline, Burmese sapphire, ruby, spinel, and diamonds. She will also offer a candy-shaped brooch adorned with a Colombian emerald, expanding her iconic Something Sweet collection.
Jaqueline Powers, by American designer Vince Gerardis, is participating for the second time. Gerardis also co-produced the Game of Thrones series, and during its first participation, the Jaqueline Powers brand attracted attention for its brown and gray jewelry. Since then, it has enriched its world by developing several collections of jewelry and wearable art objects. The brand’s creations are produced in small quantities: a maximum of two pieces per month. Each piece is entirely handmade in Rome.
It’s also a return for Richard Wu. Initially specializing in jade carving, the Chinese jeweler has been creating jewelry under the Liu Guangjia brand since 2005. In 2015, he traveled to Italy to learn traditional jewelry-making techniques. Today, he masters both gold engraving and the art of gem-setting, and his creations combine Western craftsmanship and Eastern heritage with surprising harmony.
