Stone-Ideas.com 
By Amanda Francisco
As I walked through the booths in the natural stone section of the 2026 Xiamen Stone Fair (XSF), I once again noticed the large number of women among the exhibitors. This was my second visit to this event, which is one of the most important in the world for the stone industry, and it was precisely because of that observation that I decided to talk with these professionals of various nationalities in an environment far removed from my Western reality and turn it into a report. After all, the world of natural stone evokes images of quarries, machinery, and still some manual labor – in other words, a predominantly male-dominated world.
The logical question was: how do so many women fit into this? As to such “dominance”, what I learned is that some of the participants have quite a different notion.
When asked about the female perspective in a traditionally male-oriented industry, Serena Tse, a representative of BMG Stone Co., Ltd., a manufacturer and exporter of natural stone products based in Shuitou Town, Nan’an City, Fujian, told me that, especially now in China and East Asian countries in general, “this is a 50–50 industry” in terms of women’s participation in several roles.
She stated, one can see the “beauty of natural stone, coming from different places of Mother Earth, and we can feel it when we touch it”. For her, the most interesting part of her job is to precisely witness the application of such beauty to the places where people choose to live, with the use of materials such as quartz, marble, granite, among many others, which can be extracted in such different types and colors, “so we one can realize how amazing and generous nature is”, said she. Mrs.
Serena trusts in the potential women have to approach clients, discuss details and better understand their needs. She believes that “attention to detail and an eye for the beauty can help female professionals grow even more in this industry as a whole”.
When it comes to opportunities, one also needs to consider what it takes to succeed in this field. Reyhan Sezgin, Co-founder and export manager of Turkey-based Sezgin Marble, bets on perseverance, searching for and taking on good opportunities when they come up. She recalls when she and her husband traded a business they had in the fruit industry to the selling of marble: They were bold enough to take such a huge step, but she emphasizes how important it is to take well-thought-out decisions and take every step of the way into account.
When asked what piece advice she would give to a young female professional who is joining the natural stone industry, she was adamant about the need to learn as much as possible about the industry as a way of deeply immersing oneself in the field. She also stated the importance of joining talks and discussions involving peers and professionals, in an effort to understand and maybe even anticipate clients’ needs.
She believes this set of strategies was the key to unlocking the pathway towards their new business, back when they changed gears in their career.
These days, Reyhan keeps using this approach to anticipate new trends, so her company can provide what the sector is looking for in different geographies, in terms of specific shades and colors, as well as textures, and mineral profiles.
Italian mining engineer Claudia Chiappino, who has been working in the industry for the 35 years, reminisced about the beginning of her career in a time when not many women were employed, particularly in the field she specialized in, that is, quarry management. Since then, she has witnessed a slow but steady shift in this industry. She still sees the stone business as less welcoming to women, albeit changes have been noticeable.
Claudia Chiappino draws a parallel between the business environment for women in the Mediterranean region, particularly in her home country Italy, and female presence in China.
She said that during her visit to the Xiamen Stone Fair she has met several young female professionals majoring in different areas. There are engineers, architects, business partners and so on, thus highlighting the contrast with a possible preconceived image of assistants and saleswomen.
She remarks this is a beautiful development to witness, saying she is “happy for these professionals”.
Claudia Chiappino left the fair with the “sensation is 50%-50% industry”, echoing what Serena Tse had said before.
As for me, I felt XSF 2026 once again an inviting environment for everyone interested in the world of stone. The 2026 edition explicitly counted on the passion of professionals who develop their careers in the many areas surrounding the stone industry, underscoring the steadfast pledge and accuracy of the XSF 2026 slogan “Keep Passion.”
I wonder to what extent a feminine sensibility might have influenced the choice of this slogan.
Moreover, the different perspectives I gathered while talking to these and other great female professionals gave me the confidence to say women have proved they can succeed in this area, be it working with and revealing female aspects in design or working on hard rock quarries that keep extracting beautiful pieces showcased around the world.
