Unikate: Pforzheim Designer Jewelry

Artist list

Hans Bauer, Iris Bodemer, Georg Dobler, Frieda Dörfer, Ute Eitzenhöfer, Katrin Feulner, Jesamine Frei, Spencer Gaudoin, Tamara Grüner, Andi Gut, Winfried Krüger, Kerstin Mayer, Yasutaka Okamura, Oliver Schmidt, Johannes Stoll, Olga Struck, Sam Tho Duong, Sylvia Witzenmann

The gemstone and jewelry company took this double anniversary as the occasion to invite to an extraordinary exhibition concept. Young and established jewelry artists with a close relationship to Pforzheim were asked to participate. 18 goldsmiths, designers, and artists followed the request, in November 2016. Each of them selected one gemstone out of Schütt’s rich assortment and integrated it into a new jewelry design, by March 2017.

The exhibition project unikate managed to demonstrate the potential of contemporary jewelry designers to Pforzheim’s public. Supporting local designers was strongly aspired by the company Schütt. Therefore, a unikate Prize was awarded at the end of the exhibition-period (May to December 2017). The winning designer, which was allowed to finally keep the gemstone he or she had worked on, was elected by the exhibition visitors. Furthermore, the company Schütt bought one additional piece for their private collection.
 
Winner of the unikate Prize is Vietnamese born, Pforzheim resident artist Sam Tho Duong, creator of the neck jewelry Spinel-Look in which he incorporated synthetic spinel.
 
Ute Eitzenhöfer, former student in Pforzheim and now professor in Idar-Oberstein, is the designer of the piece that was purchased by Family Schütt. Her brooch includes an aquamarine stone with history. When an air raid hit Pforzheim, on February 23rd, in 1945, heat exposure fragmented the aquamarine stone, which had been stored in the vault of the company Schütt. Ute Eitzenhöfer’s creation will enter the permanent exhibition as a not saleable exhibit, after the unikate exhibition's closing.


The exhibition will travel to Industrial monument Jakob Bengel art museum Idar-Oberstein: March 29th to May 6th, 2018