FENINJER+: Inside Latin America's Largest Jewellery Fair

Over four decades of history in São Paulo — how a shipboard exhibition among ten Brazilian jewellers grew into the region's most influential jewellery trade show.

FENINJER+ — the Feira Nacional da Indústria de Joias, Relógios e Afins (National Fair of the Jewellery, Watch, and Related Industries) — has a founding story unlike most trade shows: it began in 1983 as an exhibition staged aboard the transatlantic ship Italia C by ten Brazilian jewellery companies known as the "Grupo dos 11." That shipboard showcase became the seed of what is now billed as the largest jewellery fair in Latin America, organised annually by IBGM (Instituto Brasileiro de Gemas e Metais Preciosos) at the Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo.

At Jewelslly, we track shows like FENINJER+ because more than four decades of continuous reinvention — from a hotel ballroom event to a full-scale expo spanning gold, silver, watches, gemstones, design, and technology — says a lot about where the Brazilian jewellery industry is headed. This guide covers the show's history, what's on the floor today, and how buyers and manufacturers can make the most of it.

Four Decades of Reinvention

FENINJER's history reads like a timeline of the Brazilian jewellery industry itself. What began in 1983 as a shipboard exhibition became the first official "Feira Brasileira de Joias" at the Hilton Hotel in São Paulo in 1985, then adopted the FENINJER name in 1989. IBGM took over professional management shortly after, moving the show first to Clube Hebraica and then to the Hotel Transamérica as it grew. By 2002, on its 34th edition, the fair had outgrown hotel venues entirely and moved into the Transamérica Expo Center — its home ever since.

The show's evolution kept pace with the industry: an official catalogue launched in 1999 eventually became F. Magazine, a full trade publication covering products and business management topics. In 2016, the fair introduced its virtual mascot Maitê to humanise its promotion. During the pandemic, FENINJER ran its first fully virtual editions between 2020 and 2021. And in 2022, on its 74th edition, the show rebranded as FENINJER+, formally expanding its product mix to include technology and design alongside traditional jewellery and watch categories — a shift that reflected where the global jewellery industry itself was heading.

What's on the Floor

FENINJER+ organises its exhibitor base into seven official segments, giving buyers a clear map of the show floor:

• Gold — the fair's largest segment, featuring dozens of Brazilian manufacturers producing fine gold jewellery across styles and price points
• Silver — sterling silver jewellery brands and manufacturers
• Watches — timepiece brands and distributors
• Gems — loose gemstones, emeralds, opals, and coloured stone specialists, many sourcing from Brazil's own significant gemstone deposits
• Design — independent and studio jewellery designers
• Technology — jewellery-making equipment, software, and production tools
• Services — security systems, gemological laboratories, insurance, packaging, and display solutions

The show's public exhibitor directory for recent editions lists well over a hundred confirmed companies across these categories — from long-established names like Costantini, Denoir, and Vianna Brasil in gold, to specialist gemstone houses like Esmebras and Diniz Gemas, to service providers spanning gemological laboratories and security systems for the trade.

Beyond the Show Floor

FENINJER+ layers substantial educational programming into its show week. Recent editions have featured talks on clienteling strategy, live commerce and TikTok Shop retail trends, ethical customer service, and AI's impact on retail — alongside a dedicated "Espaço Design," a research and design hub featuring talks and workshops on jewellery design techniques, traceability, illustration, and creative process, aimed at both students and working professionals.

Why a B2B Marketplace Still Matters After the Show

FENINJER+ concentrates an extraordinary amount of Brazilian jewellery manufacturing — gold, gemstones, silver, and design talent — into four days at the Transamérica Expo Center. But like any major trade fair, the relationships that start there need somewhere to continue once the halls close for the year.

That's the gap a B2B jewellery marketplace like Jewelslly is built to close. Buyers who connect with a Brazilian manufacturer or gemstone supplier at FENINJER+ can keep that relationship active online — comparing catalogs, requesting updated pricing, and placing repeat orders without waiting for next year's edition.

Frequently Asked Questions About FENINJER+

From a shipboard gathering of ten companies to Latin America's flagship jewellery fair, FENINJER+ has spent over 40 years proving that the best trade shows evolve alongside the industries they serve. Whether you're sourcing Brazilian gold craftsmanship, gemstones, or discovering the next wave of independent design talent, the smartest approach is treating FENINJER+ as the start of a relationship — not a once-a-year transaction.