GemGenève BUDDING DESIGNERS TO WATCH OUT FOR AT GEMGENEVE

Visitors to GemGenève's forthcoming edition, between May 9 and May 12, 2024, at Palexpo Hall 1, should not miss the amazing space known as the Designer Village. Bringing together rising stars of the gem and jewellery industry, the Village offers an uplifting overview of some of the most promising talents

For the eighth edition of GemGenève, the organizers have chosen a select handful of contemporary artists from across the globe. Coming May, five Emerging Talents and five New Designers will have the privilege of putting their art and Fine Jewelry pieces on display in the exhibition. Their inventive and entrancing works will be presented on exactly the same terms as those of established professionals, some of them going on show for the very first time outside their country of origin.

WILLIAM LLEWELLYN GRIFFITHS, Australia

William Llewellyn Griffiths is a jewelsmith who is unafraid to challenge traditional style codes. Born in the UK, the independent artist originally trained in London with a family jeweller in Hatton Garden. Aware that travel could sharpen his creative edge, he took a series of jobs everywhere from Barcelona to Auckland, before settling in Melbourne in 2004, where he established his own brand.

Griffiths's pieces are at once sculptural and mythical in nature. His universe is a mixture of baroque influences, gothic architecture, and deep, intensely-coloured gemstones. From majestic cathedral rings, to chandelier-like drop earrings, each of his creations is a whole world in miniature.

Griffiths draws inspiration from his own personal story. Taking the Latin aphorism 'memento mori' as his dominant artistic leitmotif, he uses jewellery art to explore the infinite number of ways of celebrating life.