January 2025

Art Jewelry Forum is pleased to share the news that members of our community find noteworthy. Is something missing? The success of this compilation of compelling events, news, and items of interest to the jewelry community depends on YOUR participation. If you’re a member of AJF at the Silver level or above, you can add news and ideas to this bi-monthly report by going here. If you aren’t a member, but would like to become one, join AJF here.

SAVE THE DATES FOR AJF TRIPS IN 2025!
AJF’s highly curated trips provide an opportunity to travel with like-minded enthusiasts and give you access to venues and activities you couldn’t do on your own. We have two trips planned. Santa Fe, New Mexico: May 12–15, 2025. And Mexico City, Mexico: September 7–10, 2025, with an optional Oaxaca add-on September 12–14. Become a member at the Gold level for priority invitation to AJF’s trips. Additional info here.

FEEL LIKE SEEING A JEWELRY SHOW?
Find listings from around the world on our dedicated exhibition page.

EVENTS
We have a dedicated page for them. Go here to see the list.

LINKS IN PREVIOUS NEWS REPORT FIXED
You can check out the updated news report from December here. We apologize for the glitches.

FROM OUR MEMBERS

SUSAN GRANT LEWIN DONATES GENTILLE BROOCHES TO MULTIPLE MUSEUMS
During AJF’s recent trip to Amsterdam, Lewin gave brooches by Thomas Gentille to CODA, the Rijksmuseum, Design Museum den Bosch, the Françoise van den Bosch Foundation, and the Stedelijk museum. She also donated pieces by Daniel Jocz. “There is a huge void of American work in these museums,” states Lewin. “I even gave the Sam Kramer ring I was wearing to the CODA museum.”

DON’T MISS ORNAMENTA, THE BJC’S ANNUAL BENEFIT PARTY!
Ornamenta will take place Saturday, February 8, from 7–11pm, at 2640 Space. Ornamenta includes a silent auction where you can bid on beautiful pieces of art jewelry to grow your collection, as well as a raffle full of goodies from all our supporters. Your finest cocktail attire is requested and this year’s party is inspired by all things diamond! Tickets are live on the BJC’s website and even if you’re not local to Baltimore there are ways you can support the BJC’s annual fundraiser! More info.

GALERIE DOOR IS NOW IN NIJMEGEN
Galerie Door relocated from Mariaheide to the city centre of Nijmegen. It’s now on the oldest shopping street of The Netherlands. With ever-changing presentations, you’ll be treated to surprising, inspiring, and beautiful wearable artworks at Lange Hezelstraat 93. Its current show, on view until February 22, 2025, is called Klara Brynge & Dot Melanin.

EXHIBITION—ALTERED STATES: PLASTICS TRANSFORMED
On view at Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry, January 27–April 6, 2025. Jennifer Merchant, emiko oye, and Nikki Couppee transform plastic into wearable art. Plastic is undoubtedly a part of our everyday lives, and is an often overlooked material for jewelry. But this transformation from ordinary to spectacular calls into question how we place value on objects. More.

NEW EXHIBITION PROJECT IN MILAN: SALOTTO SPJ
Salotto SPJ aims to highlight contemporary art jewelry in an informal setting and create a space for artists to connect with museums, collectors, and new audiences. The inaugural exhibition is Giovanni Corvaja, January 22–25, 2025. Corvaja, who is known internationally for his exceptional and experimental approach to gold, will be present the entire time. His work blends technical mastery with mythological inspiration, and each piece requires hundreds of hours of labor, resulting in an ethereal, almost divine quality. Info. Appointment necessary; contact the gallery by email.

FOUR GALLERY MOVES TO UMEÅ
Gothenburg, Sweden, is a strong center for contemporary jewelry, but Four wants to expand the contemporary jewelry map in a northerly direction. Its workshop and parts of its group will remain at Risåsgatan, but the gallery part will move to Umeå and next autumn they are planning exhibitions in that small but culturally rich city in Västerbotten. Until then, they’ll show jewelry digitally. We wish them all the best in the new digs!

EMILY COBB AND KERIANNE QUICK TO TEACH AT HAYSTACK
Quick will teach “Second Skin: Leather Jewelry Wearables,” June 8–20, 2025. Cobb will teach “Metal Connections,” June 22–July 4, 2025. Young Artist Award finalist Everett Hoffman will also be teaching, August 10–22, 2025; his class is called “The Bejeweled Form.” The application deadline’s been extended to February 7. Info.

PINK & PUNK, AT PLATINA
This exhibition is an explosion of edgy interpretations, wild ideas, humorous figures, and irresistible creations. It features unexpected, bold pieces that push boundaries.
Twelve artists appear in this unique, fun and slightly mad collection, raising questions and offering answers on a variety of subjects: Karin Roy Andersson, Caroline Broadhead, Tim Carson, Paul Derrez, Geraldine Fenn, Tove Knuts, Daniel Kruger, Felieke Van Der Leest, Helena Lehtinen, Eric Loubser, Reka Lörincz, and Hansel Tai. More.

JOB OPENING AT BALTIMORE JEWELRY CENTER
The BJC is offering one three-year teaching fellowship; start date August 2025. In addition to gaining teaching experience, the selected fellow will develop pedagogical skills, build leadership experience, receive mentorship from experienced educators, and play an influential part of a vibrant educational community. The ideal candidate is passionate about metalsmithing and art jewelry as well as teaching and learning. They should be eager to engage with students in a variety of settings, from the studio to community events. Applicants should have an MFA in metals and/or jewelry, or a BFA in metals and/or jewelry and work experience (in teaching or other aspects of the field). Some prior teaching experience is highly preferred. More.

UTE DECKER TO EXHIBIT HER SCULPTURAL JEWELRY AT COLLECT

Collect Art Fair is the leading art fair for contemporary craft and design in London. It presents unique collectible objects, with 40 renowned galleries showcasing 400 living artists and their works. Discover Ute Decker’s works with Objects Beautiful Gallery. At Somerset House, London, WC2R 1LA, February 28–March 2, 2025 (previews February 26–27). More.

TALK: “BEYOND THE GALLERY”
How do we value creative work in the wider world? Join a conversation about the alternative spaces for objects that give meaning to our shared world. January 28, 2025, at 10 a.m. GMT (5 a.m. New York). Info. If you can’t join in person, join via Zoom by preregistering here.

JEWELCACHING PROJECT TO HAPPEN AGAIN AT MUNICH 2025
In a twist on geocaching, three jewelry pieces by Sint Lucas Antwerpen students will be hidden in different locations. Online and offline clues will point you to them. These treasures are inspired by the founding of Antwerp. While you search, the story will unfold. Bring your own piece to swap with the jewelry in the cache and become part of the chain. To participate—March 12–15—and get your first clues, visit www.instagram.com/studiosieraad or scan the QR code.

BRICKS AND SAND INSPIRE EXHIBITION IN MUNICH 2025
We paused before a House that seemed | A Swelling of the Ground will feature Saskia van Es, Elise Hoebeke, Saskia Van der Gucht, and Irma Földényi, representing jewelry practice, research, and theory from Sint Lucas Antwerpen. Sand is being mined to the point that it is becoming scarce. The scale of extraction harms ecosystems. Bricks have been hand-made in Belgium and the Netherlands for centuries. What can a single brick or a handful of sand tell us about their value and the time it took the earth and the people to shape them? More. Lecture/Artist Talks: March 13, 2025, 15:30–17:30 at Hirschbergstraße 9; register here.

EVERYBODY’S BOLOS EXHIBITION
This touring show features the work of 30 contemporary artists who bring their unique voices to bear on the bolo tie, a type of neckwear traditionally constructed with a cord or braided leather string. The exhibition examines the cultural history and significance of the bolo tie in marginalized communities, as well as its expressive potential and relevance as a gender-neutral form of personal adornment. At Fuller Craft Museum, through June 8, 2025. More.

OTHER NEWS

OPEN CALL: EMERGING ARTISTS LECTURE SERIES
Present your jewelry and metals work in the Seattle Metals Guild’s online lecture series. You’ll give a 15-minute talk, followed by a moderated discussion with two other presenters. This series of four one-hour events will feature 12 emerging artists in total. Info.

BREAD INSTEAD OF GEMSTONES
Cindy Xinyi Wu’s jewelry is an ode to baking and the energetic nature of dough. The Rising collection features sculptural pieces with baked bread dough bulging out of intricate metal frameworks. The shapes were produced by allowing the dough to expand freely within the metal bands while rising and baking. See more.

DOROTHY ERICKSON: JEWELLERY INSPIRED BY LIGHT AND LAND
Philippa O’Brien reflects on the career of Dorothy Erickson, a West Australian jeweler whose work is inspired by a unique natural environment. Erickson has recently been named a WA State Cultural Treasure. More.

EVENTS

TALK: THE CHARM OF CORAL
“The Charm of Coral: Tradition, Innovation and Sustainability in Contemporary Jewelery,” with talks by Vincenzo Aucella and Loredana Prosperi moderated by Laura Astrologo Porché, will explore the renaissance of coral in today’s jewels, analyzing its symbolic, aesthetic, and cultural value. February 24, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., in the Fiera Milano Rho convention center during the Milano Fashion and Jewels fair. Info.

OPPORTUNITIES

CALL FOR ENTRY: AUTOR
This year’s edition is the 22^nd. The event takes place May 2–4, 2025, in Bucharest. Deadline: January 30, 2025. Info.

PAGES

PARIS, CITY OF PEARLS, BY LÉONARD POUY
Besides unraveling the mysteries surrounding the biomineral, this book shows the extent to which pearls inspired Parisian jewelers and artists of all kinds between the two world wars. They were driven by a pearlomania, whatever their medium—from opera to cinema, painting, photography, posters or illustrated books—making the pearl one of the symbolic forms of the Roaring Twenties. More.

THE FASCINATION OF JEWELRY: 7,000 YEARS OF JEWELRY ART AT THE MAKK
The jewelry collection of the Cologne Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK) is showcased for the first time in a dedicated exhibition that presents diverse approaches to the art of jewelry-making. Photos of around 370 objects, with descriptions, demonstrate just how multifaceted jewelry design is. The social, societal, emotional, and symbolic aspects of jewelry are also discussed in an essay by Beatriz Chadour-Sampson. More.

INSPIRED BY LIGHT AND LAND: DESIGNERS AND MAKERS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1970 TO THE 21ST CENTURY
Author Dorothy Erickson features hundreds of craftspeople whose talent and confidence sculpted the jewelry story of Western Australia. This book tells of the expansive world of the mineral boom followed by recession and crisis through the 1970s and 1980s, and then the more pensive and austere lead-up to the new millennium and into the digital age. Works of precious stone, wood, textile and clay, woven, stitched, fired, and forged, are detailed throughout. More.

POSTDIGITAL FASHION & JEWELLERY IN THE MAKING
Projects carried out between 2020 and 2023 in the Fashion Design Laboratories at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli examine hybrid practices that blend digital and physical materials in contemporary fashion and jewelry. Edited by Chiara Scarpitti. Free PDF here.

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