The Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) has released its comprehensive bi-monthly global news report for October 2026, highlighting a dynamic landscape of international exhibitions, prestigious grants, upcoming virtual and in-person events, and vital community updates. Designed to keep the art jewelry community informed, connected, and engaged, the report serves as a central hub for makers, curators, collectors, and enthusiasts worldwide. AJF members are invited to contribute their own news and ideas to future reports, while non-members can support the organization’s ongoing mission by joining the vibrant community online.
Open Calls and Prestigious Grants
Among the major announcements is the launch of AJF’s 2027 Solo Exhibition Award. Open to jewelry artists of any age and nationality, this $20,000 grant is designed to support the creation of a dedicated solo exhibition, advancing the career of a promising artist working within the field of art jewelry. Proposed projects should focus on jewelry, broadly defined. The application deadline is set for November 15, 2026, offering creators a significant opportunity to secure crucial financial backing for ambitious new bodies of work.
Global opportunities also abound elsewhere. The Israel Biennale of Contemporary Jewelry has issued an open call inviting artists and designers worldwide to engage with this year’s compelling theme: “Silent Resonance—Between Independent Thought and the Movement of the Masses.” The organizers encourage participants to examine jewelry not merely as adornment, but as a statement, an idea, and a quiet force capable of sparking dialogue and exploring the dynamic tension between individual freedom and collective momentum. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2026.
In Germany, young artists specializing in jewelry, fashion, accessories, industrial design, graphics, and other creative fields have until November 2, 2026, to apply for the prestigious "Designers in Residence" program in Pforzheim. Three selected designers will spend three months from April 1 to June 20, 2027, working at EMMA – Creative Center Pforzheim. The residency includes fully equipped workshop workplaces, co-working spaces, free accommodation, a monthly stipend of 1,000 euros, travel cost coverage, and a special material allowance, culminating in a public exhibition.
Meanwhile, KORU9 has launched its open call under the theme "Traces of Labour," inviting artists to explore the intricate connections between jewelry, work, identity, and society by the November 15, 2026 deadline. Additionally, Cluster’s remote one-month jewelry artist residency offers creators the chance to work from their own studios with professional mentorship, guaranteed press features, covered materials, and a sponsored solo exhibition in London complete with shipping, travel, and accommodation provided. The deadline for this opportunity falls on October 23, 2026. Artists aiming for the highest echelons of international exhibition also face an impending October 31, 2026 deadline to apply for the Schmuck Special Show, the world’s oldest contemporary jewelry exhibition, founded in 1959 by Dr. Herbert Hofmann.
AJF Live and Educational Offerings
Connecting the artistic community directly with institutional perspectives, the next AJF Live session is scheduled for October 23, 2026. The virtual event features jeweler and enamelist Aaron Decker in conversation with Emily Banas, associate curator of decorative arts and design at the RISD Museum. Titled "Collecting with Purpose at the RISD Museum," the discussion will explore how museum purchases shape institutional collections and artists’ careers. Drawing on acquisitions made by Banas, the speakers will examine how museum investments provide vital resources for artists while bringing fresh perspectives into public collections.
Educational opportunities extend to specialized technical training as well. Metalwerx has scheduled a virtual class taught by AJF member Kristin Shiga titled “Melting with Purpose: Developing Rich Textures with Torch-Fusing Techniques.” Held across sessions on November 3 and 10, 2026, the workshop instructs participants on utilizing torch heat to selectively melt and fuse surfaces, generating rich, organic textures suited for one-of-a-kind jewelry and small metalwork.
News from Our Members
AJF members continue to make waves across the international art scene with notable exhibitions, publications, and digital launches. In New York, the countdown to NYC Jewelry Week 2026 has entered its final month, featuring a packed schedule of events designed to foster discovery and learning. Among the highlights is Earrings Galore, an annual juried exhibition presented by Heidi Lowe Gallery. Showcasing a rich array of earrings crafted by 60 emerging and established studio jewelers, the exhibition broadens public access to art jewelry while cultivating community connections.
At Patina Gallery, AJF member Brooke Marks-Swanson is currently showcasing her solo exhibition, Where the Land Meets the Sky, through October 31, 2026. Treating the natural world as material, memory, and ritual, Marks-Swanson weaves clay, stone, shell, pearl, silver, and gold into tactile landscapes built row by row. Philadelphia’s Gravers Lane Gallery is also hosting an exclusive preview of Barbara Heinrich Fine Jewelry by appointment on November 4, 2026, alongside celebrating the launch of its completely redesigned website, which features enhanced inventory searchability and dedicated artist pages.
In publishing, a striking new book titled Bodyworks: The Jewelry of Art Smith explores the mid-century modernist designs of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated jewelers. Authored by Joanne Hyppolite and AJF member Toni Greenbaum with a foreword by Joyce J. Scott, the volume features 160 images—including previously unpublished sketches, historic photographs, and newly commissioned photography—documenting Smith’s fluid, body-centric creations.
European member initiatives include Everything’s Under Control, a contemporary jewelry group exhibition running across weekends in November and December 2026 at Espace Borax in Vevey, Switzerland, featuring a diverse international roster of artists including David Bielander, Jorge Manilla, and Shilpa Gupta. In Amsterdam, the annual Marjan Unger Lecture at the Rijksmuseum on November 2, 2026, will explore the role of craft in the age of artificial intelligence through the lens of goldsmithing and filigree, featuring goldsmith Eva van Kempen and archaeologist Maikel Kuijpers.
News from All Around
Global gallery and museum spaces are currently hosting significant exhibitions that trace the evolution of jewelry design and material culture. At Hectare Gallery in Brussels, Belgium, the exhibition Trouble Parfait (Perfect Trouble) runs through November 28, 2026, featuring pop-aesthetic works by 2026 Young Artist Award winner Benedict Haener and Jiro Kamata. In Oak Brook, Illinois, the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is preparing for The Art of Transformation: The Jewelry of Mark Schneider, guest-curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin. Opening November 7, 2026, the exhibition explores Schneider’s unique design process, which begins with gemstones that dictate their own settings—sometimes waiting decades before inspiring a final piece.
The Metalwerx Jewelry School & Studio in Waltham, Massachusetts, is celebrating its milestone 25th anniversary with Metal+Art, an exhibition showcasing contemporary jewelry, vessels, and sculpture created by its community of studio mates, faculty, and staff through October 25, 2026. Meanwhile, the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau in Germany will open a major exhibition dedicated to Greek maker Vivi Touloumidi on November 1, 2026, examining jewelry as an active tool of social and political commentary, resistance, and historical inquiry.
In Japan, The National Museum of Art in Kyoto is presenting Reflections in Jewellery: Memory and Identity from October 24, 2026, to January 17, 2027. This large-scale public exhibition displays approximately 350 post-war masterworks from the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry collection—brought to Japan from Germany after a 50-year absence—examining jewelry’s profound potential as an artistic medium. New York’s Turkish House will host Hand to Form from November 16 to 22, 2026, bringing together eight contemporary Turkish jewelry artists for an exhibition and panel discussion exploring the language of making.
In France, the Musée du Bijou Contemporain in Cagnes-Sur-Mer is presenting L’Art de la Citation, curated by Elsa Vanier, which highlights 11 contemporary designers drawing inspiration from renowned historic artists through January 31, 2027. Additionally, Museum Arnhem in the Netherlands will present Bezieling (Inspiration) from November 21, 2026, to February 7, 2027, celebrating over 50 years of boundary-pushing work by influential Dutch art jeweler Ruudt Peters.
Jewelry Events and Literature
The events calendar for the final quarter of 2026 remains exceptionally robust. The Silver + Form Contemporary Jewellery and Silverware Fair returns to the Turner Contemporary in the UK on November 21–22, 2026, gathering 26 exceptional makers to showcase wearable art and sculptural objects. In Chicago, the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference is celebrating its 10th annual gathering on October 23–24, 2026, addressing critical industry issues ranging from sustainable gold sourcing and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence to gemstone mining communities. Radiant Pavilion kicks off on October 24, 2026, with an extensive lineup of global exhibitions, while the inaugural Birmingham Jewellery Biennial has announced its major festival dates for May 1–30, 2027.
In literature, two landmark publications have recently enriched the field. Sammlung Bollmann presents the complete catalog of the legendary private collection assembled by the late Vienna-based lawyer Dr. Karl Bollmann and his wife Heidi between 1970 and 2022, featuring 1,748 one-off pieces by the international avant-garde. Concurrently, Thames & Hudson has published The Portrait Miniature: A New History by V&A scholars Damiët Schneeweisz, Rosalind McKever, and Adriana Concin, offering a vibrant look at the intersection of miniature portraiture, fashion, and identity.
Comprehensive exhibition schedules, ongoing event listings, and submission details for future reports are continuously updated on the Art Jewelry Forum website.
