Is Gemming in Shoes Bad? The Truth About Goodyear Welting

There’s a long-running argument in the shoe world that refuses to die: Is gemming in shoes bad?

You’ll hear people say that it’s cheap, that it fails, that it’s inferior to hand-welted construction, and that you should avoid it at all costs. And like many things in this industry, that argument is built on a mix of partial truth, misunderstanding, and a bit of snobbery thrown in for good measure.

So let’s clear it up properly.

What Is Gemming in Shoes?

Before we even ask, ‘is gemming in shoes bad?’, we need to understand what it actually is.

Gemming is the canvas rib that’s glued to the insole in most Goodyear welted shoes. That rib is what the welt stitch goes into, replacing what would otherwise be a carved holdfast in the leather insole.

In simple terms, it’s a construction shortcut—but not necessarily a bad one.

And here’s the reality that a lot of people conveniently ignore:
The vast majority of Goodyear welted shoes on the market use gemming. Even very good ones.

Why People Say Gemming Is Bad

The main argument goes like this: Gemming is glued, and glue can fail. Therefore, gemming is a weak point in the shoe and makes it inferior.

On paper, that sounds logical. In practice, it’s exaggerated.

Yes, gemming can fail. But so can a lot of things in a shoe. Welts fail. Soles separate. Heels come loose. That doesn’t mean the entire method of construction is flawed. This is where the conversation often gets skewed—people take a possibility and present it as an inevitability.

It’s the same argument we often face in reality, where certain people want to make the exception for the few at the sacrifice of the many. The exception becomes the rule instead of what it simply is: The Rare Exception.

Is Gemming in Shoes Bad? Not Really

Let’s answer the question directly: No, gemming in shoes is not bad—at least not in the way people make it out to be.

If gemming were truly a major flaw, the entire Goodyear welted shoe industry would have collapsed a long time ago. It hasn’t. In fact, it thrives on this exact method of construction.

A well-made shoe with gemming can last years, take multiple resoles, and perform exactly as it should. That is exactly why this idea of Gemming = Bad, cannot become the rule. Its premise is weak as it contradicts years of people wearing great shoes that lasted +20 years, which had gemming.

The idea that gemming automatically makes a shoe “cheap” is simply not true.

Where the Argument Falls Apart

The problem isn’t gemming itself—it’s how people interpret it.

There’s a tendency, especially online, to chase absolutes.
Hand welted = good | Gemming = bad.

But shoemaking isn’t that binary. A poorly made hand-welted shoe can be worse than a well-made Goodyear welted shoe with gemming. Construction method alone doesn’t determine quality—execution does.

And that’s the part that often gets lost and often forgotten when slogans and ideas get abused, especially online by ‘know-it-alls’ that really know little to nothing.

When Gemming Can Actually Be an Issue

Now, to be fair—and this is important—there are situations where gemming becomes a problem.

• Very low-quality adhesives
• Poor factory application
• Excessive resoling over many years

In those cases, yes, the rib can detach. But this typically happens far down the line or in shoes that weren’t well-made to begin with. So again, the issue isn’t gemming as a concept. It’s bad manufacturing to start.

Gemming vs Cut Holdfast: What’s Actually Different?

If you look at the structure of a welted shoe, the holdfast is the critical point. It’s the part that connects the upper to the insole, and then the welt to that same insole. Everything depends on it.

When done by hand, a shoemaker cuts the holdfast (or rib) directly into the leather insole. Typically, you’re looking at something around 2mm in height and anywhere from 4–8mm in width, depending on where it’s made—Italy tends to be slimmer, England a bit wider. It’s controlled entirely by hand, and yes, it’s a beautiful thing when done well.

Now compare that to gemming.

With gemming, that rib is no longer carved—it’s a canvas strip glued onto the insole. Because a machine is doing the stitching, the dimensions change. The rib becomes taller and much thinner—usually around 3–4mm high and about 1mm wide. That’s not because it’s worse, but because it has to accommodate a different method of construction.

Here’s where things get interesting.

There’s also a machine method that cuts the holdfast directly into the leather insole—so no canvas rib, no gemming. But even then, the machine has to create the same kind of shape: tall and narrow, just like the gemmed version. And despite what people like to claim, there’s no real evidence that this leather holdfast is any stronger than the canvas one used in gemming.

The only real argument people fall back on is that gemming is glued, whereas the cut holdfast is part of the leather itself.

Fair enough—but let’s be realistic.

We see glued soles last years, even though they’re exposed to constant stress, moisture, and wear. The gemming rib, on the other hand, sits inside the shoe, protected by cork, away from water and friction. So the idea that it’s just going to fall apart quickly doesn’t really hold up in practice.

And if it did?

Then brands like Gaziano & Girling, John Lobb, and Edward Green—who all use gemming in their RTW—would be in serious trouble.

They’re not. Their shoes aren’t falling apart. They last years. They get resoled. They perform exactly as they should.

So no—there isn’t a convincing argument that a machine-cut leather holdfast is inherently better than a gemmed one.

Now, to be clear:
A fully hand-cut holdfast, welted by hand, is superior. No question. But it’s also far more labor-intensive, and far less practical if you’re trying to produce shoes at a price point that most people can actually afford—especially in countries where workers are paid livable wages for the ‘Western World.’

The Reality: Hand Work vs Modern Production

Now, as a counterpoint to everything I’ve said, let’s be clear about one thing:

Doing everything by hand, using all genuine leather components, is always going to be better. There’s no debate there.

But that doesn’t suddenly make modern methods like gemming a “rip-off.” That’s where people lose the plot.

If you look at vintage shoes from the early 1900s, yes—they were often better made in an all-around sense. There was more handwork involved, and materials were, quite frankly, easier to source at a higher quality.

But the world was completely different then.

Leather was more abundant. Labor was cheaper. Expectations were different. Today, good leather is harder to come by, wages are significantly higher, and production has to move faster just to survive. That’s not a shoemaker problem—that’s a global reality.

And yet, people still expect the impossible. They want Gaziano & Girling quality at Meermin prices. It doesn’t work like that. It never has.

Something has to give.

Why Gemming Exists (And Why That Matters)

Gemming exists because it saves time and cost. That’s the truth.

Whether that saving is passed on to you, the consumer, or kept as margin by the company is another discussion entirely. But the method itself doesn’t suddenly make the shoe inferior.

A shoe from Gaziano & Girling that uses gemming is not going to fall apart any faster than a shoe from a maker using a machine-cut holdfast like JM Weston or Bridlen. There’s simply no real-world evidence to support that claim.

And that’s what this entire debate comes down to—people arguing theory over reality.

So… Is Gemming Bad?

Is doing things by hand better? Yes, of course.

Is gemming bad? No, it isn’t.

For the vast majority of people, it’s not going to impact the lifespan of your shoes in any meaningful way. Unless you’re the type to wear the same pair every single day for years on end, you’re simply not going to notice a difference.

And if gemming were truly such a fatal flaw, do you really think so many respected shoemakers would be using it?

They wouldn’t.

Why This Debate Even Exists

This debate exists because people like to talk. More specifically, people like to argue online—often without real manufacturing experience, and often without applying basic logic.

If every brand abandoned gemming and only made fully hand-welted shoes, then shoes from England, Western Europe, or the U.S. would become unaffordable for nearly everyone.

It’s simple math. But that reality doesn’t get clicks the same way bold claims do.

Final Word

To those who criticize gemming, take a step back and think about this: Many—if not most—of the shoes you’ve worn, loved, and praised for years were made using this exact method.

They’ve been comfortable. Supportive. Durable. So clearly, it works.

And if you’re in a position to only buy and wear fully hand-welted shoes, then consider yourself lucky.

But don’t confuse “better” with “necessary.”

If you really want to understand where gemming fits into the bigger picture, you need to look at the full comparison between construction methods—especially hand welted vs Goodyear welted. I break that down in detail here.

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

Shop · Marketplace · J.FitzPatrick · Patreon

***Please note: The technical pictures do not belong to me. If you are the owner, please email me for credit, as I forgot where I got them from***