GemGenève 2026 – Brooch 2.0

Inspired by « An American in Paris »

At the renowned GemGenève jewelry fair, which is celebrating its 10th edition this year, second-year students in the Bachelor’s program in Product, Jewelry, and Accessories Design will exhibit their creations at Palexpo from May 7 to 10, 2026.

The result of an annual workshop conducted in collaboration with the Grand-Théâtre de Genève, our young designers’ creations draw their inspiration from the famous musical “An American in Paris,” an iconic post-war work, driven by the music of George Gershwin and the energy of a Paris in full renaissance.
It was during this period that the brooch experienced its golden age: a visible piece of jewelry, worn on the chest as a statement; it embodied boldness, color, and unabashed optimism. Accessible, theatrical, and narrative, the brooch is, by nature, a piece of stage jewelry.

During the workshop led by Valentina Brugnatelli, a designer specializing in luxury jewelry for major fashion houses, the students were tasked with this challenge: to make the brooch not merely an accessory, but a true object of staging and storytelling. To create a contemporary, expressive, and conceptual fashion brooch: a piece of jewelry 2.0.
Each project engages with a personal universe while echoing the themes conveyed by the musical work: movement, emotion, freedom of expression, and staging.

Students ' projects

Pigeon Vole — Alexia Götz. Hardened steel, 925 silver  
In an effort to demystify the romanticised vision of an Americanised Paris and ground it in everyday reality, these two spread-wing brooches symbolise the tragic yet utterly commonplace fate of these birds, fallen angels in the gutter. 

L'amour au rat — Aurélien Dumoulin. Copper, bronze and brass 
Three rats with intertwined tails represent Jerry, Lise and Henri in a post-war Paris. Their red stone eyes evoke the passion of the love triangle, whilst the knot of their tails speaks of the bond that ties them together forever. 

Rêverie — Balthazar Merland Plexiglas. Aluminium, rhinestones 
This piano brooch is inspired by Adam, a tormented and passionate artist who dreams of living from his music. It captures the ambiguous relationship between a musician and his instrument, at once a source of joy and of suffering. 

Baby wake up, le pli est à la mode ! — Caroline Rochat. Thermoplated bronze 
Inspired by the gathered costumes of the musical, these two brooches create the fold rather than simply adorning the garment. Ornament and fabric merge into a single object, generating volume and movement. 

Ballet d'illusions — Delphine Grétillat  
Reversible and modular, this brooch is composed by two faces: one colourful and vibrant, inspired by the final ballet and costume jewellery, the other more refined, rooted in the jewellery world and evoking the Paris reconstructed by Hollywood studios. A central pin unites them, just as the film unites illusion and reality. 

Trichromie — Ella Barrau. Brass, with sandblasted, polished and painted finishe.
Three independent modules, three primary colours, three characters. Their forms are inspired by organ pipes, in reference to the symphonic poem from which the musical originates. The brooch assembles or separates, reflecting the shifting closeness and distance of the love triangle. 

I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise — Emilie Rau  
A star and a diamond shape represent the two protagonists, united on a symbolic staircase. The brooch evokes their shared ascent, from dream to reality, from war to hope. 

Tir à l'arc — Larissa Jenne  
Five Cupid's arrows, one for each character, each following its own trajectory. This tremblant brooch comes to life with the movement of its wearer, evoking the romantic disorder and dreamy atmosphere of the film. 

I love you but I love me more — Laura Marie Braillard. 925 silver, automotive paint, epoxy resin, copper, silicone 
Pink on the front, silver metal on the reverse: this reversible brooch offers a reinterpretation of Lise Bouvier, no longer an idealised muse, but a woman in her own right. The inscription engraved on the back raises the question the film never dares to ask: who is Lise, before being someone's lover? 

Galeries Duval — Lena Zambrano  
Inspired by Lise, a perfume sales assistant, this brooch takes the form of a perfume bottle. Its shell pendants are designed to chime softly, making this piece as much a sensory object as an ornamental one. 

L'Aile de Milo — Nicolas Ulrich. Steel and feathers  
Red feathers and cold steel compose this brooch dedicated to Milo, a character who appears carefree on the surface yet is deeply lonely within. The materials reflect his duality: warmth and passion on one side, rigidity and sorrow on the other.  

Blue Memory — Prune Berger. Bronze, brass, grosgrain ribbon coated in resin.
This commemorative pin pays tribute to the victims of war. A grosgrain ribbon—the material used for military medals—is embedded in resin as a preserved memento. Its shape evokes both a star and an atomic structure, symbols of an era focused on the future yet rooted in memory. 

Kitschissime — Ana Rodrigues Fereira   
This brooch draws inspiration from kitsch, an aesthetic that permeates *An American in Paris*—in its sets, its storytelling, and its use of contrasting lighting. 

 

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GemGenève 2026 – Broche 2.0
© HEAD – Genève, Raphaëlle Mueller