The artists all have very different styles and techniques, and one thing in common: the meaning, message, and role of jewels, over and above their purely decorative function. First and foremost, precious stones are and always have been talismans, offering protection and good fortune; talismans are kept close at all times, reminding us to live in harmony in mind, body and spirit.
Emerging Talents and New Designers
Five emerging talents
Capucine H, France
Capucine H is a French jeweller and designer who seeks to raise our awareness of the fragile nature of our planet through her creative output. She works hand in hand with scientists, even if it involves travelling to some of the remotest places on earth, to understand the issues at stake and reflect them in her jewels, each of which has its own story. Each jewel is designed by Capucine Has an invitation to join the conversation about the need to save our planet.
Capucine H’s sensitivity to environmental issues has led her to build up her brand around responsible use of resources and preserving an appropriate balance between humankind and nature in terms of the materials used and how they are fashioned.
Celeste Wu, China
It was in 2009, while she was living in Paris, that Celeste Wu discovered that the best form of artistic expression for her was jewellery. Over the past fifteen years, Celeste (who hails from China) has brought all her passion to her chosen craft. Through her jewellery, Celeste seeks to share joy and happiness, inspiring others to dream and find light in every circumstance of life.
Celeste’s artistic career embodies a constant quest for knowledge and wisdom. She designs her jewels to reflect her own sensitivities, her insatiable curiosity acting as her guide.
CELESTE WU – Ruby Brooch Camellia & Snow Flakes 
CELESTE WU – Singapore Impression Earrings
Wu’s works are a combination of abstract and geometric shapes forming harmonious, poetic compositions, resulting in a subtle balance of simplicity and complexity.
In her creative process, Celeste explores every area of her artistic freedom, drawing inspiration from a range of styles and artistic movements. Recently, Celeste and her team embarked on a creative journey lasting nine months to produce an exceptional piece of fine jewellery entitled Moon Fairy & Rose. The piece will be unveiled in a world avant-première at GemGenève in November 2023.
Villa Milano, Italy
Villa Milano – Still Life earring 
Villa Milano – Still Life ring
As a member of the fifth generation of the eponymous family jewellery company, Alice Villa is today the owner and creative force behind Villa Milano. With a solid financial education and experience combined with creative flair and deep immersion in her family’s tradition, Alice succeeded her predecessors four years ago and took over the company. Since 2018, she has been managing Villa Milano with the clear goal of nurturing the family business and expanding it internationally.
Passing through the hands of five generations, Villa Milano, founded in 1876, has evolved into a prominent jewellery brand well-known to both Milanese and international audiences for its sophisticated taste and artisanal savoir-faire. Now, under the leadership of Alice Villa, the company is undergoing a transformative phase where enthusiasm, femininity, and elegance have driven further global expansion under the banner of Villa Milano’s core values: craftsmanship, quality, uniqueness, and innovation. Alice’s design expertise has led her to conceive collections with a distinctive design language that makes every creation easily recognizable as a Villa Milano piece.
Shavarsh Hakobian, Armenia
Shavarsh Hakobian is a jewelsmith based in Yerevan, Armenia. He has always been inspired by the desire to experiment with unconventional materials including wood, leather, fabric, tusks and butterfly wings, combining them with precious metals and stones. Since launching his own-name Shavarsh Hakobian brand in 2008, the artist has been producing unique pieces in limited editions: fashionable jewels for men and women alike.
As an artist, he is especially interested in wax sculpture. This process gives him absolute freedom of expression, allowing him to improvise and experiment with shapes, volumes, and dimensions and thus ‘feel’ the piece even as he brings it to life.
Each jewel created by Shavarsh reveals a natural balance between daring shapes and a host of details. As the designer explains, “when I’m creating a piece of jewellery, anything and everything around me can be a source of inspiration: an engaging piece of music, a butterfly alighting on a flower, a detail on a building, or the workings of a watch”. As a perfectionist, Hakobian strives to achieve aesthetic perfection in an exhaustive creative process, with plenty of thought and special attention paid to even the minutest details.
YOURA Jewelry, Saudi Arabia
YOURA Jewelry is a fine jewellery brand based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, YOURA taken from the Arabic words “to be seen”.
The designer Rabaa Saleh Alangari started her journey with a great passion for diamonds, painting, colours and creation; she was moved by the great connection between the soul and all these elements. Her curiosity to learn more, follow the latest trends and visit the most famous design houses, eventually led her to establish her team with the desire to produce exceptional pieces that can appeal to all different tastes and personalities.
YOURA JEWELRY – Shades of Date Cuff Bracelet 
YOURA JEWELRY – Shades of Date Earring
In 2015, YOURA Jewelry took its place in the field to announce the birth of a new dimension in the world of jewellery and beauty. Jewellery is universal, and although YOURA was born in Riyadh, the company is inspired by beauty in all its forms and shapes.
Rabaa stresses “When you look at all those pieces displayed, it is usually one piece that catches your eye and the heart, and then a decision is made, because the heart knows better.”
Four New Designers
JMG Designer, Thailand
José María Goñi is a Franco-Chilean artist of fine jewellery. The designer spent his early years in Chile before his passion for jewels led him on a journey of learning across the USA, Argentina and France. Those are the countries where he studied, experimented, and found his inspiration. As an eternal lover of beautiful jewels, he has been drawn to the gleam of the most precious stones ever since childhood.
José María Goñi was introduced to the world of luxury at a very early age. His grandmother, Harriete Hou Carrier, half-French and half-Japanese, owned an impressive collection of European jewels, his original source of inspiration. He inherited his particular taste for stones and metals from his grandfather Emilio Tutera, who owned gold mines. With a degree in textile design from the University of Palermo Buenos Aires, the Chilean designer went on to perfect his talent by undertaking specific studies in art and gemmology.
Multi-talented and creative in the way he develops his works, he has acquired all the knowledge required to produce highly complex pieces. He has set up his own studio in Bangkok, where he crafts each of his exclusive pieces by hand.
Elke Berr Créations, Switzerland
An inveterate huntress of stones and an adventurer at heart, Geneva-born Elke Berr has been searching mines all over the world since she was 24 in search of extraordinary gems. Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Mozambique, Madagascar and Brazil are among her preferred countries in this respect. Her journeys to the actual mining sites, at the heart of deposits and amidst the raw materials, provide the inspiration for most of her pieces. While diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds form the basis of her expertise, the artist also likes to work with fine stones and introduce her fans to so-called collector gemstones that are little-known among the general public, such as spinels and Paraíba tourmalines.
At once gemmologist, designer and trainer, Elke Berr launched her own fine jewellery line alongside her bespoke pieces under the Rock’n Roses name for a niche clientele in 2003. Many well-known figures from the artistic scene have been won over by the singular nature of her collection, notably DJ Bob Sinclar and his children, Swiss painter Ricow and US actor Tobias Truvillion, to name but a few.
Diva Jewels, India
In the world of fine jewellery, the journey of Diva Jewels by Rishi Mukesh Mehta has been an inspiring testament to innovation and creativity. Rishi aims to shatter traditional boundaries of jewellery-making and has redefined the art of adornment. Each design is an expression of emotions and unwavering commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
Based in Mumbai, India, Diva Jewels offers timeless jewellery that resonates with elegance and sophistication. The family-owned business founded by Rishi’s father and visionary Mukesh Mehta in 1995, stands out as one of the few houses that provide both custom jewellery design and sales under one roof. All the firm’s unique creations are meticulously handcrafted using brilliant-cut diamonds and rare gemstones. At Diva, every process is carried out in-house, allowing for seamless transition from a concept on paper to the delivery of a jewellery piece in record time.
The vision of the brand is to breathe life into every design with an element of movement, also known as ‘En Tremblant’ jewels. The ‘Dance of Brilliance’ collection presented at GemGenève comprises breathtaking jewels that sparkle with every move. Made with carefully chosen diamonds and precious gemstones, these jewels are sure to leave visitors awestruck.
Serendipity Jewelry, France
Serendipity Jewelry – already present at the November 2022 edition in the Emerging Talents section – has now joined the New Designers for May and November 2023.
Serendipity Jewelry was founded in Paris by Christine Chan in 2017. She discovered her passion for stones during a trip to Australia over 10 years ago. A chance encounter that led to the birth of a beautiful brand.
With Serendipity Jewelry, Christine Chan presents a beautiful collection of pieces, combining a concept of respect for nature, respect for freedom and respect for oneself, so that each piece of jewellery has its own perspective, temperature and depth.
About GemGenève
GemGenève represents a unique hub where jewellery designers, dealers in precious stones, retailers, collectors, connoisseurs and buyers both professional and private can all gather under the same roof. Over the course of four days, GemGenève offers an opportunity to acquire exceptional pieces and to be inspired by a community of specialists in the field of gemmology and jewellery. It is a laboratory of creativity and innovation, bringing together recognised designers and emerging talents; a world of design, of rare gems, of antique and contemporary jewellery. Created by exhibitors, GemGenève offers a platform for expression and exchange that encompasses passion, expertise and education.
For more information, please visit https://gemgeneve.com/.
