Meet the Jury Members of the New Talents Award 2024. The Annual Recognition Supporting Graduates and Schools.

This year's Award Winner, announced on January 27, 2025, will receive a one-year free artist membership with Klimt02, a personal artist profile, and a solo exhibition at Hannah Gallery in Barcelona.

This award underscores the importance of promoting new talent in contemporary jewellery, ensuring the voices of young, innovative artists are heard. Previous winners of the New Talents Award include Natascha Frechen (2023, nominated by Hochschule Trier), Lucy Pearl Petts (2022, nominated by Glasgow School of Art), and Shuyao Hong (2021, nominated by Nanjing University of Art), among others. These artists have since achieved international recognition, with the award serving as a key stepping stone for emerging jewellery designers.


This year’s jury members for the New Talents Award is composed by: 



Iris Bodemer:
Internationally renowned, Iris Bodemer has held numerous solo exhibitions and is represented by Galerie Marzee, Jewelers´Werk, and Galerie Annick Zufferey. Her work is part of prestigious public collections such as the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim , the CODA Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. She has won several awards, including the Herbert Hofmann Prize in 2014.
Although she refrains from discussing her work in detail, she encourages her audience to form their own interpretations based on what they see and feel. Her creative process is driven by the expressive potential that arises from combining diverse materials.




Maria Luisa Samaranch:
Graphic designer, book publisher, and jewellery collector, Maria Luisa Samaranch founded the Hipòtesi Gallery in Barcelona (1986–2011), which won the FAD 100 Years Medal in 2003. The gallery specialised in contemporary jewellery before expanding to textiles, glass, and ceramics. In 2005, she founded the publishing house Sd·edicions / Mudito & Co, which won the FAD Medal in 2007 and several Gourmand Book Awards. From 2020-2022, she served as the president of A-Fad, and she is now a board member and one of the presidents of FAD.




Natascha Frechen:
The 2023 New Talents Award winner, Natascha Frechen, was graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Gemstones and Jewellery from the University of Trier, Campus Idar-Oberstein. With a background as a goldsmith specialising in fine jewellery, she combines technical expertise with a sculptural approach to stonework. Natascha’s creations are known for the tension between the raw and the refined, embodying a dialogue between the stone's natural qualities and the artist's craftsmanship. 




Amador Bertomeu and Leo Caballero:
Founders of Klimt02 and Hannah Gallery, Amador Bertomeu and Leo Caballero have played a key role in promoting the contemporary jewellery scene internationally. Klimt02, launched in 2004, serves as a comprehensive database dedicated to contemporary jewellery, while Hannah Gallery, established in 2007, showcases a curated selection reflecting their personal vision of jewellery art. 
"We understand the work of the artists such as the synthesis resulting from the combination of several variables: language, memory, tradition, history, research, character, purpose, materials, technics..."




Cécile Maes:
Graduated of ENSA Limoges with a specialisation in contemporary jewellery design, Cécile Maes is the content editor at Klimt02. Through her researchs, she explores the social function of jewellery, its role in creating narratives, and its cultural significance. Her work connects historical references with everyday elements, offering a fresh perspective on the art of jewellery and the reasons why we wear it.



  >> Check out the 2024 Selected New Talents Award Nominees