GemGenève goes from strength to strength

Then three years ago, two respected members of the profession - Thomas Faerber, an expert in antique jewellery and precious stones, and Ronny Totah, a connoisseur of diamonds and gemstones - decided to turn their backs on Basel once and for all Twelve months later, ably assisted by their two daughters and the experienced staff at Palexpo exhibitions centre, they cut the ribbon at GemGenève, Geneva International Gem and Jewellery Show Last year, Camille Combremont, a student at HEAD, took first place in a competition to design a piece of pearl jewellery.

Vivienne Becker, a foremost jewellery historian - her book on Lalique is considered the authoritative work on the subject - spent the past twelve months tracking down the avant-garde of young talent and designers to bring them to Geneva Exhibitors were cheerful, never condescending, and always delighted to talk about the jewellery, the designers, even hallmarks Throughout the four days of the fair, thanks to talks on a range of themes by pre-eminent speakers, visitors could learn about jewellery styles, which stones were fashionable at different periods in history, and even fill up on anecdotes to serve at their next dinner party.

The Chinese investment frenzy has yet to target antique jewellery, prompting a certain amount of speculation as to when For the two organisers, the challenge will be how to say "No" to those who, next year, would like to slip into the reassuring cocoon of a fair now hitting its stride. . More