Romanian Jewelry Week 6.0 Award Winners 2025

The National Library of Romania served as the central venue, a symbolic space for Romanian culture and creativity, while the extended program also included special events at the Museum of Recent Art (MARe) and AlbAlb Gallery, fostering a rich dialogue between design, art, and contemporary cultural heritage.
 
The awards ceremony took place in Bucharest in the presence of the full international jury — a moment of great significance for the Romanian contemporary jewelry scene. Among the jurors were world-renowned figures: David Sandu, curator and founder of Romanian Jewelry Week; Bryna Pomp, Director and Curator of MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Andrea Eisenschink, Exhibition Manager at Handwerk & Design, Munich; Claudia Lassner, designer and curator of SCHMUCK München; Irina Probst, Exhibition Manager at Inhorgenta Munich; Justyna Teodorczyk, Director of The Gallery of Art in Legnica, Poland; Byron Vafeiadis, Curator of Education and Collections at the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, Athens; Charon Kransen, founder of Charon Kransen Arts, New York; and Magdalena Vélez Salinas, President and Co-Founder of AdOC, Madrid.
 
For the first time in Bucharest, at the invitation of Andreia Gabriela Popescu, Bryna Pomp, Director and Curator of MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, joined the international jury of Romanian Jewelry Week. Her presence marked an important milestone for the local contemporary jewelry scene.
 
I have never seen so much contemporary jewelry gathered in one place anywhere in the world — and believe me, I’ve attended many events in my life, said Bryna Pomp, deeply impressed by the scale, diversity and energy of Romanian Jewelry Week VI.
 
A special jury was also present in Bucharest to award prizes to emerging artists, composed of Andreia Gabriela Popescu, Senior Lecturer at Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School and Educational Ambassador of Romanian Jewelry Week; Muriel Piaser, Founder of Precious Room by Muriel Piaser; Jessica Armstrong, Founder and Manager of Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry Gallery, Chicago; Mihaela Ion, Founder and Creative Cultural Director of Revista Atelierul; and Constanța Miscu, curator for OTOTO, Lost in Jewellery Magazine, and MyDaybyDay Gallery in Rome.
 
The Romanian Jewelry Week Awards Ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 1, at the National Library of Romania, celebrating excellence in contemporary design and promoting creativity as a form of cultural dialogue between Romania and the rest of the world.


The Winners of the Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 Awards

• The Grand Award of Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 is awarded to Manami Aoki.
•  “Handwerk & Design” Award for NEW FACES – Antal Zilahi.
• Award by Bryna Pomp, MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York – Ji Young Kim.
• The Inhorgenta Prize – Orsolya Karman.
• The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Award – Manami Aoki & Sara Jacobson.
• The Legnica Silver Festival Award – Kaori Juzu.
• The AdOC Award – Smaranda Isar.
• The Charon Kransen Award – Chad Kelsick & Svenja John.
   

Special Awards:

• The Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School Award – Teo Vasilescu & Katarzyna Czajkowska.
• The Precious Room by Muriel Piaser Award – Kalita Jewelry & Sara Jacobson.
• The Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry Award – Fanni Nagy.
• OTOTO Special Jury Award – Best Sustainable Jewelry Concept – Kenosis Jewelry.
• Revista Atelierul Award – Ji Young Kim.
• MYDAYBYDAY Gallery in Rome Special Award – Clara Cisterna.
• Lost in Jewelry Magazine Special Award – Inhye Kwon.
• Brussels Jewellery Week Award – Antal Zilahi.

The Romanian Jewelry Week VI Fair was a resounding success, bringing together the stories and artistic visions of over 110 designers present in person, representing Romania as well as countries such as Portugal, Germany, Japan, Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

This year’s edition featured two exceptional collaborations — with the Museum of Recent Art and AlbAlb Gallery — expanding the boundaries of contemporary jewelry into an interdisciplinary dialogue with art and visual culture. The official partner of the event was Banca Transilvania, while the exhibition design was created by Kaustik, contributing to a memorable aesthetic experience.

With over 5,000 visitors, Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 set new standards for cultural and design events, reaffirming Romania’s role as a meeting point for global creativity. Organized by the National Association of Contemporary Jewelry Authors and Designers, the event continues to stand as a unique platform for education, innovation, and international visibility, strengthening Romania’s presence on the global cultural map.


Event organized by the National Association of Contemporary Jewelry Authors and Designers.
Main venue - National Library of Romania.
Official partner - Banca Transilvania.
Supported by: Domeniile Sâmburești, Aqua Carpatica, The Balvenie.
Exhibition design by Kaustik.
Cultural partners: Museum of Recent Art, AlbAlb, Arts Thread, Ami Amalia
Media partners: Aiciastat, Curatorial, Curatorialist, Designist, Dreamingof, Empower Artists, Elle, Feeder, Garbo, IQads, Igloo, Klimt02, Kudika, Like5, Lost in Jewelry, Modernism, Nine O’Clock, PR Station, Radio Guerrilla, Revista Atelierul, Revista Golan, The Institute, Wall Street, Zile și Nopți, Zeppelin.


All details about Romanian Jewelry Week are available on the website https://www.romanianjewelryweek.com/