Dec 2020
The first thing I noticed while putting the Gemma on was how vast the cups are. My goodness, there is no way these cups are anywhere close to the 40L Annie I purchased a few weeks earlier. I was astounded at how much room there was FOR MY HANDS as I tried to reposition myself in this bra after swooping and scooping. My god, the cups seem huge! Bravissimo recommends sizing down if you are normally a J cup or more in their other styles but I ignored this advice, much to my chagrin. Even with the narrow wires, the wires on the sides are at least a half inch outside of my torso. With a band this large and cups so tall and deep, I will not be surprised if this measures out to be a 42LL. All that said, this is super comfy, perhaps my most comfortable bra yet.

Jan 2021
I have loaded the measurement data for this Gemma and although a good portion of the measurements were similar to most of my other bras, there is no doubt that cups are very tall and very deep. If the Gemma cup depth and height stretches, this will definitely be my largest 40L by a long shot. That said, I have decided to keep it because it is so comfy and have ordered a 38L which, hopefully, will not be the wrong size in the other direction. I am puzzled by how round I was in this 40L Gemma. since a fellow reviewer had a far more pointier look than I was getting. Based on her review, which she submitted after I placed my order, I was kinda cringing when I started to pose in the mirror, expecting to see a similar result but, YAY!, a fairly rounded profile.
Even with the new narrow wires, the cup extended out and a bit to the back from the sides of the wire. The sides of the cup were much further out from my torso than normal, leading to a lot of arm rubbing against the bra as I moved about. Hopefully my 38L will alleviate this.

Feb 2021
My 38L Gemma has not arrived yet and I am observing some significant differences with this 40L Gemma and the similar sized Annie I purchased a few weeks earlier. The wires appear to be identical and same with the gore yet the cups on the Gemma seem absolutely huge compared to the Annie. On the outer sides of the cups at the wires, the material of the left cup takes a hard left for about a quarter inch before projecting out while the right cup takes a hard right. I have never experienced this before and am not certain what is causing this. I think this may be caused by my being too small for the 40L Gemma and am hoping the 38L Gemma I have coming in proves this. More to come.

Mar 2021
Since receiving my 38L Gemma and Annie, I haven't had much desire to use this 40L Gemma. This Gemma is perfect though for lounging around at home as the amount of compression is far less than anything else I have which allows for greater comfort. If I am ever looking for the "boobs of steel" feeling, this Gemma is the last bra I would reach for, at least among my Bravissimo bras.
I am still not that fond of darker colored bras though. I was hoping the 38 & 40 band Gemma's and the 38 band Annie in Navy I recently purchased would help me overcome this aversion but so far, I still feel the same.

Jun 2021
A fellow reviewer recently announced she was ordering a JJ cup Gemma. My initial reaction was to caution her about the Gemma sizing but I relented after she stated she had sized down by 2 cups. I hope the Gemma works out for her but I still wonder if sizing down another cup would have been better.
This 40 band Gemma is definitely my lounging around the home bra as I rarely notice the wires and or feel excess compression. Both of my Gemma's are more rounded than my Annie's which are more rounded than my countless Alana's and Selina's. The straps on this 40 band Gemma is more prone to falling off my shoulder but that is not an issue as I only wear this at home and my 38 band Gemma is far less prone to this.
I find the straps on the Gemma's and Annie's are ideal for me, soft yet firm with not much of a tendency to roll up and dig in. If Bravissimo comes out with a lighter colored Gemma, I may go with a 38KK although I am more or less convinced the 38L is the ideal stay at home bra for me. A 36L might be an even more ideal fit for me.

Nov 2021
This cups aren't rubbing against my arms anymore, YAY! I have put on a kg this year but I don't think that's enough to alleviate the arm rubbing, which was my biggest complaint with this Gemma. I suspect that the cups have stretched enough that my projection is now further forward instead of to the sides.
The Gemma seems to have been discontinued as I no longer see it available on Bravissimo's site. Even the sale section has nothing.
After a year of infrequent wear, I am noticing the band to be a little on the stretchy side. My 38 band Gemma, which I have worn maybe twice as much (but still infrequent) also seems a bit stretchy. I seem to wear both Gemma's on a tighter hook setting than any of my other Bravissimo's of the same band size so in this particular instance, their recommendation to size down a band was spot on, at least for me.
In retrospect, I wish I knew then what I know now as I would have stocked up before they sold out. If you are familiar with the Bravissimo brand, you may have already experienced their practice of not replenishing bras that have become one of your favorites.

Navy colorway

Updated on Nov 12, 2021 Flag this

• I have lost about 2 kgs since my Nov review update which now means this 40 band is simply too loose now. In hindsight, a 36L Gemma would have been the ideal size for me.

• I have put the 2 kgs I lost 6 months ago back on and so this Gemma is wearable again. I still dislike the wide profile and the resulting arm rubbing I get. I think the biggest reason why I dislike it is that the rubbing reminds me how big I really am. The amount of projection is less than my many Alana's so in that respect it is a bit of a minimizer for me.

  All in all, Bravissimo's narrow wired bras have been a godsend and so I rarely have the need to try something else, and that includes their new Oti-X line which was introduced a few months go.

• I have been feeling kind of giddy recently as this 40 band Gemma has risen up my rotation. It seems to be more and more comfy with each wear. I suspect this is the result of the slow break-in period covering over a year of increased wear. I disliked the Gemma out of the box but it is so much better now.

• My previous comment was posted after giving the Gemma a hand wash. The Gemma was reasonably tight and left me feeling happy with the fit but subsequent wears left me realizing the band was stretching more and more.

  Today, I measured a stretched band length of 42.5 inches and it certainly feels way too loose. On the tightest hooks, if I lean over, the cups fall away from my body so the band ends up supporting the full weight of my boobs, not a good feeling for sure. Looks like I will need to wash this bra after each wear, either that or buy a Rixie Clip to "shorten" the band length.

• Yesterday, I did something that was unusual for me - I tightened the straps about 1-1/2 inches more than usual and although the Gemma started off a little too tight, I was much better supported. Doing so also seemed to stretch things out even more and so the rest of the day was not noticeably uncomfortable. The side wires were still unnoticeable but the straps were stressing my shoulders a bit more than usual.

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