Meet the Jury Members of the New Talents Award 2025. The Annual Recognition Supporting Graduates and Schools.

This year's Award Winner, announced on January 26, 2026, will receive a one-year free Klimt02 artist membership, a personal artist profile, and a solo exhibition at Hannah Gallery in Barcelona. For the first time, the award also includes a €1000 prize sponsored by M. Luisa Samaranch, in recognition of a piece that will become part of the Maria Luisa Samaranch Collection — both a gesture of support and of acquisition.

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 Yonghak Jo (2024 nominated by Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle), Natascha Frechen (2023, nominated by Hochschule Trier), Lucy Pearl Petts (2022, nominated by Glasgow School of Art), among others. These artists have since achieved international recognition, with the award serving as a key stepping stone for emerging jewellery designers.

For this selection, the jury will focus on several key aspects: the clarity of the artist’s statement, the balance between concept and visual language, the coherence of the project, the quality of the execution, and the work’s ability to offer meaningful layers of interpretation. 


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



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.




Yonghak Jo:
The 2024 New Talents Award winner, Yonghak Jo, graduated from the Jewellery Class at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle (Germany), where he earned his Diploma (2021) and completed his Meisterschüler (2024) under Prof. Hans Stofer. His work explores jewelry as a medium for preserving personal and collective memories, drawing inspiration from historical narratives and the Counter-monument Movement.
A key focus of his practice is the revival of Zoum-Ipsa, a nearly lost Korean silverwire inlay technique, which he integrates into his pieces to symbolize memory, separation, and reunion, exploring the intersection of craft, history, memory, and identity.




Ezra Satok-Wolman & Jennifer Howard (Artists and Klimt02 Partners): 
Ezra Satok-Wolman and Jennifer Howard, are the founders of Atelier Hg. Established in 2009, Atelier Hg functions as a studio and dynamic creative incubator dedicated to the development of concepts in, and creation of contemporary jewellery, multimedia exhibitions, and collaborative projects with other artists. Both Satok-Wolman and Howard are classically trained goldsmiths and gemmologists, each bringing over two decades of extensive experience in the jewellery field. Their atelier caters to a discerning niche market of high-end jewellery connoisseurs and art enthusiasts. Following a decade of close collaboration with Klimt02, they formally joined the organization as associate partners in 2020.




Ivan Barnett:
Ivan Barnett is a studio artist, mentor, and former director of Patina Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico — an internationally recognized space for contemporary art and craft that hosted nearly 275 curated exhibitions. With over five decades of experience, he has devoted his career to artistic exploration and to helping others develop their creative voice.
In 2023, Ivan launched Serious Play, a consultancy designed to guide artists and creatives in building sustainable, authentic careers. Grounded in empathy and collaboration, Serious Play blends professional strategy with personal reflection, helping artists find clarity, confidence, and connection in their practice. 




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 in product design 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 2025 Selected New Talents Award Nominees