Switzerland’s Benedict Haener is a rising star. Shortly after his goldsmith’s apprenticeship, he took first place in the technology category of the Swiss Vocational Championships. The year after graduating from the XS-SCHMUCK program at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, he was awarded a 2024 Talente — Masters of the Future prize for his jewelry. And […]
Touching Base with Benedict Haener Read More »
Espace Borax, in Vevey, Switzerland, was founded in 2021 by the Einzweidrei collective. Contemporary jewelry is a shared, self-taught passion for the nonprofit’s gallerists, Nicolas Christol and Mélane Zumbrunnen, who came to the field with backgrounds in photography and arts management. The 12th-century building housing Borax is unique and idiosyncratic. It formerly served as not
Nicolas Christol and Mélane Zumbrunnen of Espace Borax Read More »
Thomas Gentille, a pioneering figure in American studio jewelry, died in Manhattan in March 2026 at the age of 89. Born in Mansfield, OH, Gentille devoted more than six decades to redefining jewelry as a poetic and sculptural art form. He is widely regarded as one of the most important innovators in contemporary art jewelry.
Thomas Gentille (1936–2026) Read More »
March 2026, Part 2 Right now, with the way the world feels, we could all use a treat. What a pleasure to get a terrific piece of art jewelry for ourselves while celebrating and supporting artists and the galleries who show them! Art Jewelry Forum’s international gallery supporters celebrate and exhibit art jewelry. Our bi-monthly On Offer series allows
Join AJF for a conversation on Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture, the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the artist who designed the jewelry for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film franchise. Organized by the Museum of Arts and Design (New York City), where it was co-curated by the Museum’s Barbara Paris Gifford and Sebastian
AJF Live: Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture—Two Institutional Perspectives Read More »
Kukas, as Maria da Conceição de Moura Borges Magalhães was known in the Portuguese world of culture and arts, was born in 1928 in the Beira Baixa region of Portugal. Her trajectory traced one of the most disruptive paths in applied arts in Portugal in the 20th century. She was one of the pioneers of
Lynchburg, VA, USA—Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is pleased to announce that Benedict Haener, from Switzerland, has won the 2026 Young Artist Award. Haener was selected from more than 60 applicants from a number of different countries. He receives an unrestricted cash prize of US$7,500. Through the Young Artist Award, AJF supports new and exciting work
The Australian editor of Garland magazine poses the question: What does it mean to make jewelry for the “more than human”? Murray gave this presentation as part of the 2026 “AJF Speaker Series: Jewelry that Makes You Think,” which featured 16 talks over five days. Most of the series took place in the booth AJF shared with
Kevin Murray: Re-wilding Jewellery Read More »
The Italian-British editor of the Journal of Jewellery Research reframes jewelry as (dis)obedient bodymatter—an active agent rather than a passively worn object. Bernabei gave this presentation as part of the 2026 “AJF Speaker Series: Jewelry that Makes You Think,” which featured 16 talks over five days. Most of the series took place in the booth
Roberta Bernabei: Re-Conceptualizing [Dis]obedient Jewelry Read More »
The educator, artist, and writer from Belarus/Portugal reflects on how to see the contemporary jewelry scene in a broader context—and why we all need, from time to time, to climb up a ladder so that the “furrows” in the ground, when viewed from above, turn into meaningful shapes. Karpilova gave this presentation as part of
Elena Karpilova: To Climb up a Ladder Read More »
The American jeweler asks, is art jewelry just another niche, and if so, what does it serve? Decker gave this presentation as part of the 2026 “AJF Speaker Series: Jewelry that Makes You Think,” which featured 16 talks over five days. Most of the series took place in the booth AJF shared with Arnoldsche Art
Aaron Decker: When a Niche Resists the Market Read More »
The annual Schmuck special show in Munich is possibly the most important exhibition in the world for contemporary jewelry. Anyone can apply with recent work, and a different juror each year selects 60-odd pieces using any criteria. The competition attracted a record number of submissions for 2026. Norman Weber, who is German, served as the
Filtering the Essence of the Contemporary Jewelry World Read More »
