For its 9th edition, the international jewellery exhibition GemGenève, taking place at Palexpo from 08 to 11 May 2025, will welcome second-year Bachelor's students in Jewellery Design from HEAD – Genève for an exhibition of their creations.

For the fifth consecutive year, GemGenève will offer around fifteen students their first exhibition opportunity around a theme freely inspired by the Celtic medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde.
Visitors to the exhibition will thus have the chance to discover a series of projects evoking the love potion shared by the two protagonists.

The Jewellery Design students from HEAD – Genève have imagined "jewelled vessels", in homage to Tristan and Isolde in Richard Wagner’s opera.
The tragic and passionate love of the two protagonists is symbolised by a magic elixir, initially a bearer of death, then a bearer of love, thus altering the fate of the two lovers.

Stage adornments have been conceived as elixir-carriers, objects imbued with symbolism and mystery, with multiple powers: love, friendship, truth, healing, and more.
By inviting each creator to engage with universal legends and themes, this project offers a reflection on the power and transformation of objects.
It is a delicate process undertaken by the students to bring life and poetry to these intimate objects.
The workshop was led by Valentina Brugnatelli, a designer specialising in luxury jewellery for major fashion houses, in partnership with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and sponsored by the jewellery exhibition GemGenève.

On this occasion, all visitors will be invited to vote for their favourite project, which will receive the "Public's Favourite" prize, with the award ceremony taking place on Sunday, 11 May at 11:45pm.
To vote, there are two options:

• On site: a ballot box will be available at
  Stand EC01
• Via a voting link, which will be made available shortly.

Discover the full event programme on the dedicated website.
Find below descriptions of the exhibited works that you can explore here.

PROUT AKRITI – Mort d'Amour Désirée
This ring contains poisoned ink, a metaphor for the tragic and irrevocable love between Tristan and Isolde. The triskel motif embodies the complexity of their relationship, torn between passion, fate, and tragedy.

FORZANI CLAIRE – Sìoraì
Inspired by courtly love from medieval tales, this bracelet is set with three tampered gemstones, each containing a distinct elixir making forbidden love possible. The pearls encased in metallic cages on the bracelet evoke the continuity of life and spiritual bonds beyond death. The clasp hides a mystical balm, representing eternal union.

REBBOUH DEBORAH – Toucher
A bracelet in metal and wood symbolising the light of life and the night. It is divided into two parts to evoke the duality of two beings who love and are magnetised towards each other. Inside it hides a balm-like elixir to heal the greatest of wounds: the wound of love.

FLORA ANAÏS LINGENHEL – Elixirs
A ring that subtly diffuses a blend of essential oils, chosen for their soothing and healing properties, reminiscent of Isolde’s care for Tristan. A contemporary and feminist take, celebrating witchcraft as healing knowledge.

PAGLIARANI FLORA – Atenoux
Atenoux, a term from Celtic culture referring to time perceived as a continuously renewing cycle. A time where each decision leads to a tragic end and where feelings never cease to exist. The elixir contained within this hourglass-bracelet is intended as a means to turn back time and change the course of events.

BROQUET JEANNE – Belle Dame
An ear jewel — but not just that. A red rose, symbol of love, has been dipped in resin to grant it an eternal appearance, but one should not be fooled. The jewel is also a container, hiding the powder of a deadly flower (belladonna). Promise me eternal love — or death.

JACCARD JOSEPHINE – Claddagh Dream
A necklace inspired by Art Nouveau perfume bottles, containing an elixir in the form of a perfume, ethereal and enchanting, revealing the love between two beings: Tristan and Isolde. The aesthetic carries us through eras, blending the Art Nouveau flower, Celtic motifs, and a contemporary opening mechanism.

NADIF KENZA – Insidieux
A reinterpretation of the Tristan and Isolde myth: an alum crystal with protective magical properties, concealing a poison behind the stone, known only to Isolde. Inspired by the Celtic torc, reimagined as a semi-rigid, very contemporary chain.

PASTEUR MAÏLYS – La goutte de trop
A symbol of Tristan and Isolde’s tragic love, the two complementary parts of the pendant attract each other like magnets. Their love, irresistible but impossible, forces them to live apart. When the two halves are separated, the lovers’ suffering is revealed, pouring tears like a tragic rain.

CRIBLEZ NOA – L'éclat du languier
Inspired by medieval "languier" devices, which detected poison, this ceramic pendant dazzles with its appearance yet secretly hides a deadly poison. It plays with the theme of appearances and manipulation, symbolising the ambiguity between what is shown and what is hidden — masking death beneath beauty.
The piece reimagines the relationship to tears, inspired by the theatrical weeping of the 18th century, once performed under the lights of theatres where crying was a social and collective act. The viewer collects and honours these tears through this transparent vial suspended from the wrist, transforming an intimate gesture into a precious object, a testament to embraced sensitivity.

MARTIN PAULINE – Incantation et intubation
At the crossroads between sculpture and jewellery, this necklace is inspired by Celtic gorgets and the codes of contemporary art. A liquid contained in transparent tubes can be drunk while reciting an incantation or a poem to escape mortal love — an antidote to bring one back to life.

DUBAS ROSE PERLE – Arêtes l'inconscience
This rigid necklace, inspired by Celtic culture, pays tribute to the fascinating story of the salmon of knowledge, a legendary symbol of wisdom and the quest for knowledge. A small, elegant tin can opens to tell a story — the story of the pursuit of knowledge.

ZUPPINGER VALENTINE – Ogme
Recognised as the Celtic god of poetry, eloquence, and writing, Ogme drew human souls towards death, pulling them with chains linked to his tongue. Forged as a thick chain, this torc ends in two sculpted tongues containing an elixir, symbols of divine eloquence and passion.