Welcome to the Art Jewelry Forum bi-monthly news report for November 2026, Part 1. AJF is continually pleased to share global contemporary jewelry news, exhibition updates, awards, and member achievements. Members of AJF are invited to contribute news and ideas to upcoming reports by submitting through the organization’s official submission portal. Those who are not yet members but wish to support the contemporary jewelry community and gain access to member benefits can join AJF through their support page.
Some news items in this edition do not include accompanying images due to staffing limitations regarding requests for imagery and permissions from non-members. However, individuals or organizations can submit a high-resolution image of 1 MB or larger for a specific news listing by contacting the managing editor directly via email. Approved images are promptly added to their corresponding news bytes.
AJF Events at NYC Jewelry Week 2026
Art Jewelry Forum is hosting two major events during NYC Jewelry Week 2026 at The Jewelry Library, offering unique opportunities for collectors, makers, and enthusiasts to engage with contemporary adornment.
The first event, titled Wear Next? The Many Lives of Art Jewelry, takes place on November 18, 2026, from 4:30 to 7:00 PM. This panel discussion traces the journey of contemporary art jewelry from the intimate environment of the artist’s studio into private collections, major museums, and the secondary market. Speakers will explore how provenance, historical patronage, and personal relationships shape the significance and value of art jewelry over time. The panel features prominent gallerist Sienna Patti, dedicated collector Jennifer Clowe, a featured artist, and Sarah Klass Retallick, a jewelry and watches specialist at Rago. Attendees can secure their spots through Eventbrite.
The second gathering, Cocktails, Queries, & Karats, is scheduled for November 20, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Organized in collaboration with Radical Jewelry Makeover, this lively happy hour and pop-up exhibition invites participants to discuss what we choose to preserve, how jewelry connects with contemporary audiences, and what the future holds for the medium. Guests can preview the new Radical Jewelry Box lending program, wear their favorite Radical Jewelry Makeover pieces or try new ones on, step into the AJF photo booth, and join the broader conversation about sustainable and conceptual jewelry practices. Registration is also available via Eventbrite.
For those looking to explore more exhibitions worldwide, AJF maintains a dedicated exhibition listings page, alongside a comprehensive calendar for global jewelry events and happenings.
News from Our Members
Galeria Tereza Seabra Closes After 33 Years
On October 31, 2026, the contemporary jewelry world marked a bittersweet milestone with the conclusion of Jardin d’Agrément, an exhibition featuring the work of Catarina Silva. This show marked the final chapter for Galeria Tereza Seabra, which for 33 years played a foundational role in organizing exhibitions and promoting contemporary jewelry in Portugal. To celebrate a lifetime of dedication to the field, the extensive Tereza Seabra Collection is being formally donated to Lisbon’s MUDE (Design Museum), accompanied by a commemorative publication celebrating her enduring legacy.
Last Chance to See Preziosa Young 2026
The traveling exhibition Preziosa Young 2026, organized by Le Arti Orafe and curated by Alice Rendon, is concluding its tour at the Thereza Pedrosa Gallery. Running from November 7 to November 29, 2026, the exhibition showcases prize-winning jewelry by emerging talents Lulu Tian, Jiangling Wang, Nga Ching Ko, and Lois Lo.
Noon Passama: Grey Loops in Tokyo
Noon Passama, winner of the 2012 AJF Emerging Artist Award, is presenting her solo exhibition Grey Loops at Gallery Deux Poissons in Tokyo, Japan, from November 14 to November 22, 2026. Passama’s practice focuses on creating forms that bridge the classic and the unfamiliar, transposing archetypal jewelry structures into entirely new contexts. In this exhibition, she uses the chain—a quintessential, foundational element of jewelry—as her primary centerpiece, combining imaginative interpretation with exceptional technical skill.
Everything’s Under Control at Espace Borax
Espace Borax in Vevey, Switzerland, is hosting a large group contemporary jewelry exhibition titled Everything’s Under Control. Scheduled across three weekends (November 28–29, December 5–6, and December 12–13, 2026), the show features works by Dua Fatima Baig, David Bielander, Amal Yung-Huei Chao, Nicolas Christol, Dominik Cunningham, Poras Dhakan, Esteban Erosky, Shilpa Gupta, Matti Höfert, Yaning Liu, Jorge Manilla, Teresa Milheiro, Matteo Staffaucher, Sinem Yildirim, and Melane Zumbrunnen.
New Monograph: Robert Baines: Plenitude
A master goldsmith whose work transcends time and tradition, Robert Baines is the subject of a new publication titled Robert Baines: Plenitude, published by Arnoldsche. Grounded in his extensive research into archaeometallurgy, Baines connects the artistry and techniques of ancient Greek and Etruscan goldsmiths with contemporary innovation. His creations combine wry humor with technical brilliance to challenge perceptions. The publication features texts by AJF member Barbara Gifford, alongside contributions from Nicholas Bastin, Diane Soumilas, and Rüdiger Joppien.
Coexistências: Jewellery and the World’s Beauty at MUDE
Running through January 31, 2027, at the MUDE Design Museum in Lisbon, the exhibition Coexistências: Jewellery and the World’s Beauty explores how humanity can coexist in a fairer, more empathetic, and interconnected manner. Co-curated by Marta Costa Reis, chair of the AJF board, the exhibition asks what it means to design a future based on alliances between cultures, species, and technologies, highlighting the symbolic and sensitive thinking inherent in contemporary jewelry during a time of profound global mutation.
Contemporary Jewellery: The Tereza Seabra Collection
Also on view at the MUDE Design Museum through January 31, 2027, this exhibition reflects Tereza Seabra’s visionary role as a collector, author, teacher, and gallerist. Featuring more than 300 works, the exhibition serves as a visual map of her professional relationships and her pivotal influence on the consolidation of contemporary jewelry in Portugal.
Marion Delarue: Stone, Feather, Scissors
At the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, through January 10, 2027, French artist Marion Delarue presents Stone, Feather, Scissors. A finalist for the 2022 AJF Young Artist Award, Delarue is passionate about traditional Asian body adornments and creates ornaments using diverse materials such as feathers, mother-of-pearl, porcelain, glass, and lacquer. Fascinated by tian-ts’ui—an ancient Chinese craft incorporating kingfisher-feather marquetry—Delarue spent three months researching the museum’s collections to conceive new works, which include four oversized, striking headdresses. The exhibition has received widespread critical acclaim, including a feature in The French Jewelry Post.
Gigi Mariani: My Private Garden
An intimate monograph published by Thereza Pedrosa Gallery explores the artistic universe of Gigi Mariani, tracing his trajectory from painting to contemporary art jewelry. With texts by Thereza Pedrosa and Paola Stroppiana, the richly illustrated volume reveals Mariani’s creative process through previously unpublished paintings, sketches, and collages alongside an in-depth look at the techniques defining his sculptural metalwork.
Sharif Bey Wins 2026 Spector Craft Prize
Artist and educator Sharif Bey has won the 2026 Spector Craft Prize. Bey creates ceramic sculptures and adornments that examine the cultural and political significance of identity, material history, and ritual objects. Drawing from modernism, functional pottery, and African diasporic traditions, Bey reinterprets traditional genres by assembling handmade parts into emblematic forms. As part of the award, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will acquire his notable work Raptor Return.
Winners of the 3rd Lisbon Jewellery Biennial Award
The winners of the 3rd Lisbon Jewellery Biennial Award were announced on September 25, 2026, during the opening of the exhibition O Que Nos Cega at Convento dos Cardaes. First place was awarded to Viktoria Austmeyer, second place to Maria Benedita, and third place to Carla Solheiro. Each winner received a Silver-level annual membership to the Art Jewelry Forum valued at $500, presented by Marta Costa Reis (general curator, artistic director, and president of PIN) and Marina Elenskaya (founder and director of Current Obsession).
Steven KP: Pick-Up-Sticks at Gallery Loupe
A solo exhibition by Providence-based artist, jeweler, and educator Steven KP—a finalist for the 2026 AJF Young Artist Award—was presented at Gallery Loupe through November 13, 2026. Titled Pick-Up-Sticks, the show explores empathy, material culture, and queer experiences through carved wooden forms, knots, and intricate gestures examining the relationships between bodies, objects, and memory.
Delicate Creatures by Märta Mattsson and Sona Kobanova
Presented by Martina Dempf at her studio in Berlin-Kreuzberg from November 6 to December 6, 2026, Delicate Creatures explores the emotional ambivalence of human daily life through fragile-appearing artworks crafted from unusual and extravagant materials. Both Mattsson and Dempf are active AJF members.
Lori Talcott Wins Seattle Metals Guild Project Grant
Lori Talcott has been awarded the Seattle Metals Guild’s 2026 Project Grant. The grant will provide Talcott with dedicated time away from teaching and commercial commissions to research and prototype new forms, establishing the foundation for an upcoming body of work.
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Breakfast Event
The Board of Directors of the American Friends of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum hosted a special breakfast event at Whitby’s in New York City on November 17, 2026. The morning featured cinematographic and live performances celebrating Greek jewelry history, the museum’s educational programs, and the legacy of Ilias Lalaounis.
Phoebe Porter: Raw and Refined, City and Bush
Phoebe Porter’s exhibition Raw and Refined is on view at the Canberra Airport Departure Lounge through November 22, 2026, as part of the Canberra Craft & Design Festival. Critic Kevin Murray has praised the jewelry as an emblem of Canberra’s dual identity as a designed city and a bush capital. Porter and Murray also participated in a public conversation on November 12, 2026.
News from All Around
Hoyeon Chung Wins Grand Award at Romanian Jewelry Week 2026
Korean jewelry artist Hoyeon Chung received the Grand Award at Romanian Jewelry Week 2026 for her sculptural series Shape of Time (2026). Crafted from polyester mesh and organza, the works translate the intangible experiences of time and memory into wearable forms, investigating jewelry as a vessel for personal history and life transitions.
Online Masterclass on Tab-Style Prongs
Nisa Blackmon is leading a three-session online course covering tab construction and folding techniques for three-dimensional forms on November 4, 11, and 18, 2026. The workshop explores how mechanical tabs can hold forms together securely without solder while offering decorative and structural versatility.
10 Years of Astonish in Idar-Oberstein
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the all-female artist collective Astonish is presenting an exhibition at Villa Jakob Bengel in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, through February 14, 2027. Founded by students at the Gemstone and Jewelry Campus, the collective explores a new theme each year to continually reinvent its exhibition concepts.
Charlotte Vanhoubroeck at DIVA Museum
At the DIVA Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, Charlotte Vanhoubroeck presents Inspired by Queen Louise-Marie, on view through April 11, 2027. Emerging from Vanhoubroeck’s academic research, the exhibition reacts to historical inventory descriptions of lost sentimental jewelry belonging to the Belgian queen, reinterpreting them through contemporary creations.
On Friday: Vivi Touloumidi at Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau
Greek artist Vivi Touloumidi is exhibiting her work at the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau through April 11, 2027. Touloumidi’s jewelry addresses social and political issues, examining symbols of belonging, exclusion, and resistance while blending theoretical historical research with workbench practice.
From the Senses: Jewellery by Therese Hilbert
Also on view at the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau through January 17, 2027, this display-case exhibition in the foyer highlights the empathetic, sensory-rich work of Therese Hilbert, transforming personal observations and environmental responses into evocative, sensuous forms.
Face to Face | Nicola Heidemann and Stephan Hampala
Galerie Slavik in Vienna, Austria, presented a dialogue between artists Nicola Heidemann and Stephan Hampala through November 21, 2026, exploring color, surface textures, and the contrasting artistic approaches of unpredictability versus mathematical calculation.
Opportunities
- Open Call: Paradox – Prezentacje 2027: The Association of Goldsmithing Artists (STFZ) invites international contemporary jewelry artists to apply for the 23rd edition of the international competition Prezentacje. The theme, Paradox, explores situations where contradictory qualities coexist. Selected works will be exhibited during Amberif 2027. Deadline: January 31, 2027.
- Open Call: Preziosa Young 2027: Organized by Le Arti Orafe in Florence, this global platform supports emerging artists, goldsmiths, and designers in research jewelry. Application forms are currently available.
- Open Call: 35th International Jewellery Competition Authenticity: The Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER invites global designers to participate in its central competition centered on the theme Authenticity. The use of silver is traditional but optional. Deadline: January 17, 2027.
- Open Call: KORU9 – Traces of Labour: This exhibition platform invites artists to explore the intersections between jewelry, labor, identity, and society. Deadline: November 15, 2026.
Pages Spotlighting Jewelry
For those interested in historical context, design historian Amy Azzarito has published Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry: The History and Lore of Gems, Charms, and Talismans through Penguin Random House. The guide explores how modern jewelry motifs—from hearts and buckles to hair brooches—trace their symbolic origins directly back to Victorian traditions.
The opinions stated here do not necessarily express those of AJF. Readers are welcome to submit thoughtful letters to the editor electronically via the AJF website.
