Growing Gems. When gemstones become a creative language at Romanian Jewelry Week

For David Sandu, the growing interest in creative gemstone cutting signals a significant shift in contemporary jewelry. A tradition shaped over thousands of years by technical standards and precision is increasingly opening up to experimentation, artistic interpretation, alternative materials, and new approaches to the stone itself.

With Growing Gems, Romanian Jewelry Week creates a dedicated space for this emerging field, bringing together independent artists, designers, craftspeople, and makers who are exploring what happens when the gemstone is no longer simply selected and mounted, but actively reimagined.

The 2026 selection brings together international voices working across very different approaches to stone: from gemstones shaped by hand and inspired by nature, mythology and memory, to rubies and sapphires grown directly onto metal structures, discarded stones given new life, and stone powder combined with recycled plastic, the artists in this section approach the gemstone as both material and concept.

Their practices explore transformation in many forms: the passage of time, the resilience of nature, family and memory, the relationship between ancient objects and contemporary forms, and the question of where value truly lies. Together, they reveal a new territory for author jewellery, one in which the stone itself can become the starting point, the process and the story.


The Artists

Angelina Kafka - Austria
Angelina Kafka creates one-of-a-kind jewellery celebrating the beauty and individuality of gemstones and minerals. Her practice combines traditional craftsmanship with experimental techniques, including her signature Fan Cut, developed to make the gemstone itself the starting point of the design.


Angelina Kafka: Light mineral collection, 2026. Synthetic substance, 24kt gold-plated, gold. Photo credit: Lisa Schmerold. 


Angelina Kafka: Rings. Gold, emerald, sapphires. Photo Credit: Atelier im Ersten.


Alexandra Bardac - Gem O'clock, Romania
Gem O’clock creates bespoke gemstone jewelry inspired by nature, mythology, architecture, and the arts. Chronicles of a Desert Bloom explores patience, resilience and transformation through the rare flowering of a cactus.

Alexandra Bardac. Brooch: Chronicles of a Desert Bloom Collection.

Alexandra Bardac. Brooch: Natural Zircon Germina, 2026.


Elias Neuspiel - Taiwan/Austria
Elias Neuspiel creates dreamlike jewelry centered on carved stone, silk, silver and gold. Inspired by memories and fleeting images, his sculptural pieces balance intuition and structure, becoming wearable talismans of imagination.


Elias Neuspiel. Necklace, 2025. Rock crystal, smoky quartz, silk.


Elias Neuspiel. Necklace, 2023. Rhodonite, 18kt gold, silk.


Pei Wu - Taiwan
Pei Wu explores relationships, identity and the lasting imprints of family. Inspired by the parent-child bond, her sculptural jewelry captures moments of movement, balancing softness and tension.


Pei Wu. Brooch: Gut Feeling, 2026. Jesmonite, mineral mix, glass beads.


Pei Wu. Brooch: A way of owning, 2023. Rock crystal, silver.


Oles Tsura - Ukraine/Germany
Oles Tsura explores attraction, emotion and sensory memory through sculptural brooches inspired by lollipops, crafted from amber, gemstones and precious metals. His playful yet introspective pieces explore desire, vulnerability and the emotional associations of colour, form and touch.

Oles Tsura. Brooch: Sweetbeat, 2026. Amber, synthetic ruby, stainless steel, 925 silver, nickel-plated. From series: Sweet Sins. 
Oles Tsura. Brooch: Honeylight, 2026. Amber, 18k gold. From series: Sweet Sins. 


Jingya Yang - UK/China
Jingya Yang explores Nephrite jade through a contemporary, reductive approach, allowing its natural irregularities and internal landscapes to emerge through repeated cutting and polishing. Her work challenges traditional ideas of perfection and value, creating pieces that remain between jewellery and object.


Jingya Yan. Necklace: Her Silent Migration. Nephrite, jade, 925 silver, leather thread. 


Jingya Yan. Necklace: Her Silent Migration. Nephrite, jade, 925 silver, leather thread. 


Stephie Morawetz - Austria
Stephie Morawetz creates jewelry from Plastone, a material combining stone powder with discarded plastic flower pots. Her Flowers series uses traditional Pietra Dura techniques to explore resilience and the transformation of waste into beauty.


Stephie Morawetz. Pendant: Toxic Flowers, 2025. Plastone, stone with plastic inclusions, plastic, steel, cord.


Stephie Morawetz. Pendant: Luridian Veil, 2025. Plastone (stone with plastic inclusions), plastic, steel, cord


Sofie Boons - UK
Sofie Boons explores crystal growth as a contemporary craft process, growing rubies and sapphires directly onto metal structures. Her Neo Gemstones project brings together scientific innovation, sustainable materials and hands-on making.

Sofie Boons. Ring: Cross, 2026. Platinum, Sapphire and ruby grown In-situ.

Sofie Boons. Ring: Nucleations, 2024. Ruby, platinum.


Valeria Rossini - Italy
Valeria Rossini combines linear forms, organic materials, and ancient objects. Her Neoclassica collection reinterprets classical shapes through reclaimed elements, antique coins, cameos, and precious metals.


Valeria Rossini. Rings: Neoclassica, 2026. Bronze, tourmaline.


Valeria Rossini. Rings: Neoclassica, 2026. Bronze, onyx carved.


Jury & Special Guests

Sharareh Aghaei - Iran/Germany
Sharareh Aghaei creates jewelry and sculptural works from discarded and overlooked stones, giving leftover materials from carving workshops a new life and exploring the hidden beauty of imperfect gemstones.


Sharareh Aghaei. Brooch: Green zebra, 2024. Jasper, metal structure, malachite powder, cement, epoxy resin, stainless steel.

Sharareh Aghaei. Brooch, 2024. Lapis lazuli woven metal structure, cement, epoxy resin, stainless steel.


Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski - Poland
Sławomir Fijałkowski is a jewellery designer, professor, and curator whose practice connects art, design, fashion, craftsmanship, and digital technologies, with a strong focus on experimental approaches to contemporary jewelry.

Sławomir Fijalkowski. Ring: Maswerk. Gold-plated silver, amber


Sławomir Fijalkowski. Ring: Macao. Rhodium-plated silver, amber.


Julia Maria Künnap
Estonian contemporary jewelry artist and gem cutter known for her meticulous, hand-carved stone pieces made from single rough crystals. 





From September 30 to October 4, 2026, Bucharest will host the seventh edition of Romanian Jewelry Week, Romania’s largest international event dedicated to contemporary jewellery.
More than 300 designers from over 50 countries will bring a diverse range of perspectives, practices and sensibilities from the international contemporary jewellery scene to the Romanian capital.

For the full programme, visit www.romanianjewelryweek.com.
 

About the author

Alexandra Bujenita is the PR manager of Romanian Jewelry Week team, Art developer of Creative team of Imbold Cultural Foundation, PR account at Hello Menthol.