Two new lightboxes, one very busy booth
GemIQ launched the GemLightbox Max and the GemLightbox Mini at Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong (JGW), welcoming the trade to Booth 5E602 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 16 to 20 September 2026.
Over five days, the booth worked less like a display and more like a live studio. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and long-time GemLightbox users stopped by with their own pieces, their own photography headaches, and plenty of questions. Many of them left having seen their jewelry look better on screen than it ever had before.
The world's biggest jewelry stage
JGW 2026 drew 57,632 unique buyers, a 4.5 percent rise on the previous edition, with around 3,000 exhibitors from 46 countries and regions, according to organizer Informa Markets (JNA).
The show ran across two venues. AsiaWorld-Expo hosted loose diamonds, gemstones and pearls from 14 to 18 September, while the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted finished jewelry, tools, equipment and technology from 16 to 20 September (Gem Spectrum). Trade press also reported a clear rise in European and North American buyers restocking ahead of the holiday season (Retail Jeweller).
For a brand built around making jewelry imaging faster and simpler, it was the right room to launch in.
Meet the Max and the Mini
JGW was the first show to feature both new models together, side by side on the booth counter. Visitors could shoot their own pieces on each unit and watch the GemIQ App turn a single capture into polished photos and video, ready to post.
The GemLightbox Max is built for jewelers who shoot their entire collection in-house, from loose stones to statement necklaces on a bust. It offers 2.5x the shooting area of the previous model, Infinity Lighting for a completely shadowless look, and a 12-point LED sparkle system that works with the rotating turntable to bring out every flash of fire and brilliance.
The GemLightbox Mini is a compact studio for everyday selling, small enough to sit on a showroom counter or workbench right where the work happens. At just 2.2 kg, it delivers one-tap photos and 360° video of rings, diamonds and gemstones, with sparkle lights, a glowing turntable for a floating effect, and an open lid for taller pieces.
The demos did the talking. Instead of a spec sheet, visitors got a result they could hold up against their current photos, which is exactly the comparison several of them made out loud.
Voices from Booth 5E602
The people who stopped by ranged from users who have relied on GemLightbox for years to jewelers seeing it for the very first time. Four of them shared their stories on camera.
Jonathan: Seven or eight years and counting.
Jonathan has used GemLightbox for about seven or eight years, and says he relies on it more and more. Before switching, he shot jewelry with a DSLR inside a traditional light box.
"I was losing a huge amount of time with editing and stacking. Very, very frustrating process. It was almost harder to photograph jewelry than make jewelry."
GemLightbox, he says, added speed and convenience with far less equipment, all in one package. His one word for it: outstanding.
Joaquin and Kayla, Mardoza Fine Jewelry: Content made easy.
For the Mardoza Fine Jewelry team, the biggest change is how simple content creation has become.
"Capturing content for our products has never been easier."
Kayla pointed to the macro lens and autofocus, and to the software that lets them upload photos and videos straight to Instagram or their website. Joaquin highlighted the compact, all-in-one design.
"Everything that you need to shoot jewelry content is already there. You don't need any extensions."
Having seen other brands, they say GemLightbox stands out on quality. Their word for it: magnificent.
Jesuk Singh, Jewel Sarison: A one-click answer to a 25-year problem.
Jesuk Singh runs Jewel Sarison, a manufacturer and wholesaler based in Jaipur, India, dealing in gold, silver, diamonds, and all kinds of stones and minerals. After 25 years in the business, one challenge has never gone away.
"Opaque stone photography is the big challenge for us. We use all kinds of cameras and software, but the pictures that I got from here were something different."
His team includes photographers and Photoshop editors, and he estimates the business spends thousands on getting images right. What he saw at the booth looked like a shortcut.
"I think it's a one-click solution that we got from here."
He was just as struck by the people behind it: "I like the service more than the product, but the product is awesome."
Kahn, Jenna Jewelry: Bought on the spot.
Kahn of Jenna Jewelry in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, compared several options on the show floor before walking back to Booth 5E602 to buy.
"I saw somewhere else also, but I see yours was the best quality. The pictures we can make here are more professional, so I decided to come and buy."
His wife handles the store's photography and has long struggled to capture gemstones and diamonds well. Kahn's view is that the GemLightbox will take half of that burden off her shoulders. His word for it: amazing.
What we heard, again and again
Different markets, different business sizes, the same few pain points:
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Time lost to editing. Stacking, retouching and reshooting eat hours that jewelers would rather spend making and selling.
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Stones that refuse to cooperate. Opaque stones and diamonds remain the hardest subjects to capture, even with professional gear.
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Too much equipment, too many people. Cameras, lights, software and editors add up fast, and a compact all-in-one setup cuts that down.
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Getting content live, fast. Publishing straight to social channels and websites matters as much as the photo itself.
And more than once, visitors mentioned the team. A product that works well matters, but so does being looked after while you learn it.
Thank you, Hong Kong
To everyone who visited Booth 5E602, shared a story, or put their own pieces under our lights: thank you. Launching the GemLightbox Max and Mini in front of the global trade was a milestone for our team, and your feedback is already shaping what comes next.
Missed us at JGW? See the GemLightbox Max and Mini in action and book a personal demo at here.
