AJF Speaker Series at Munich 2025: Jewelry That Makes You Think

This fascinating series, which featured 16 talks over five days, took place from March 12–16, 2025, in the booth AJF shared with Arnoldsche Art Publishers at the Messe. You'll find the recordings below.

The speakers included:
Otto Künzli on "Cracks"
Liesbeth den Besten on “The Dialectics of Lead: The End of C.J. or a New Beginning?”
Khanya Mthethwa on “Defining a South African Aesthetic in Art Jewelry”
Chequita Nahar on “Rethinking Jewellery”
Ellen Zilioli on “Shalo boli duge”
Deedie Rose and Sarah Schleuning on "Creating Constellations of Curiosity"
Geraldine Fenn on “Pinning down Butterflies”
Christoph Zellweger on “Agency—Urgency”
matt lambert on “Jewellery Doesn’t Have to be Art”
Susan Lewin on “Promises Made—Promises Kept?”
Jorunn Veitberg on “Jewellery in a Time of Rearmament”
Evert Nijland on “Manus & Machina”
Monica Gaspar and Patricia Domingues on “The End of Curating”
Ilaria Ruggiero on “What Is Contemporary in Jewelry?”
Marta Costa Reis on “Complicit”
Atty Tantivit on “My Journey through the World of Art Jewelry: Where Do I Go From Here?”

Otto Künzli: Cracks

March 12, 2025

Karl Fritsch, Untitled, 2021

What makes it art jewelry: SUBVERSION. Although Fritsch makes rings from precious metal and stones, he uses these materials in revolutionary ways that upend traditional jewelry formats.

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Helen Britton, Flowers and Stars and Hearts and Tears and Diamonds and Everything Else, 2021

What makes it art jewelry: SUSTAINABILITY. Preservation of the environment, along with a fondness for costume jewelry, are displayed in this necklace made from repurposed elements.

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See Seven More Examples of Art Jewelry

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AJF Readers Describe Other Attributes of Art Jewelry

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Where to See Art Jewelry

AJF Member Galleries that Sell Art Jewelry

Their knowledgeable owners showcase the top artists and best work.

Click on the photo to see the full list.

Current Exhibitions

A calendar of shows from around the world.

Click on the photo to find out what's on show right now and coming soon.

Museums with Online Jewelry Collections

See jewelry from around the globe without leaving your seat.

Click on the photo to go museum hopping.

Collecting Art Jewelry

The Art of Collecting

Helpful suggestions as you build your collection.

Click on the photo to read the article.

Contemporary Art Jewelry and How to Wear It: An Exhibition in Berlin Shows the Possibilities

Jewelry makers Svenja John and Petra Zimmermann originally developed Jewellery & Garment as a fashion-week side event. They paired jewelry by 10 makers with wearable garments from 10 avant-garde fashion houses.

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Video: AJF Live with Jorunn Veiteberg

The Norwegian collector takes us through her home, showing just some of the pieces in her vast collection of art jewelry. In an easy-to-understand way, she talks about how she made her choices and examines her motivation to collect.

Click on the photo to watch the video.

Publications about Art Jewelry

Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective

This 2013 book includes essays and histories from all the top international writers in the field.

Click on the photo to get the full PDF from AJF's Digital Library.

A Review of Cold Sweat Suor Frio

This book is the printed legacy of the 1st Lisbon Contemporary Jewelry Biennial, a public event in Autumn 2021 that included exhibitions, colloquia, and masterclasses.

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Seven More Books about Art Jewelry

This is just a small selection of the book reviews we’ve published.

Click on the photo to link to the article.

Travel with AJF

Berkshires bonnie-kittle-unsplash 800x 600

Upcoming: Berkshires (July 2023)

+ Visits to Sienna Patti and to Ornamentum, with maker Ted Noten present
+ Visits to the homes of collector Susan Grant Lewin and gallerist Mark McDonald
+ Brunch and a pop-up exhibition at the home of Carol Green
+ Dinner and a concert at Tanglewood
+ A performance at Jacob’s Pillow

Contact Yvonne for availability: yvonne [at] artjewelryforum [dot] org

Photo: Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
Switzerland_photo Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash 800 x 600

Upcoming: Switzerland (September 2023)

Zurich, Lausanne, Geneva, Solothurn, Biel

+ Private tour of the Louis and Alice Koch ring collection and archives at the Swiss National Museum
+ Visit Christoph Zellweger's home/studio; he was a 2017 Susan Beech Mid-Career Grant finalist
+ Exclusive visit of Bernhard Schobinger's studio
+ Johanna Dahm's and Fabrice Schaefer's studios
+ Special event with the Magpies (a group of European collectors) at the home of jeweler Esther Brinkman
+ Go to Friends of Carlotta gallery, Galerie SO, Galerie Viceversa, Galerie Annick Zufferey
+ Tour of MUDAC

Contact Yvonne for availability: yvonne [at] artjewelryforum [dot] org

Photo: Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

AJF's 2022 Trip to San Francisco

Highlights:
+ Visits to the studios of Rebekah Frank, Julia Turner, emiko oye, and Sandra Enterline
+ Mike Holmes (Velvet da Vinci) presented his personal jewelry collection
+ Tina Rath shared her latest body of work
+ Visits to the homes of collectors Susan Beech and Dorothy Saxe, and to de novo gallery
+  Exhibitions: Guo Pei and Iris Eichenberg: Where Words Fail, from the 2021 Susan Beech Mid-Career Grant winner

Click the photo to see the photo essay.
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