The GEMA lighting family was first introduced in 2023. Its distinctive ceramic shade was originally developed in Portugal, a country with a deeply rooted tradition of ceramics.
GEMA has now been further refined with great care. In the future, the shade will be made of porcelain – a material fired at higher temperatures and to a greater density than ceramic, resulting in exceptional durability. Production is also being relocated: from 2026 onwards, the shade will be manufactured in a new version at a porcelain manufactory in Upper Franconia.
The production process begins with a model from which the plaster mould is created. This mould is filled with liquid porcelain slip, which slowly settles along the inner walls. As the material rests, the wall thickness gradually forms. Once the right moment is reached, the excess slip is poured off and the still fragile shade is carefully removed from the mould.
In the subsequent stages, the body is further refined with precision: the opening for the cable is created, surfaces are smoothed, and contours are sharpened. Every step serves the calm, even appearance that defines the character of GEMA.
After its initial shaping, the porcelain body undergoes a bisque firing. This stabilises the material and prepares the surface for the subsequent finishing. An engobe is then applied – a highly diluted porcelain slip, subtly tinted with mineral pigments. It bonds homogeneously with the shade and ensures that both body and surface are made from the same material base.
During the final firing process, the porcelain densifies further and the shade shrinks by around fifteen per cent to its final dimensions.
The porcelain version lends the lighting family a new material poetry. It combines clarity with warmth, technical precision with handcrafted gentleness – and turns GEMA into an object that does not merely illuminate spaces, but carries their atmosphere.
Photography by Stefanie Kuhnlein