The winners of Romanian Jewelry Week VII and a growing international community

The seventh edition of Romanian Jewelry Week, the most important event dedicated to contemporary jewelry in Romania and one of the most influential in Eastern Europe, has come to an end. The 2026 edition brought together more than 300 designers from over 50 countries, who presented thousands of jewelry pieces exploring innovative concepts, materials, and forms of artistic expression. Through the scale of its exhibition, the diversity of its participants, and the presence of a prestigious international jury, Romanian Jewelry Week strengthens Bucharest’s role as a meeting point for the international contemporary jewelry community. These elements reflect the growing interest among international designers in attending the event in person, participating in conferences, and engaging in dialogue with professionals and audiences in Romania.

The Romanian Jewelry Week awards ceremony took place on October 1 at ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni, the venue that hosted the very first edition of the event in 2020. The ceremony celebrated excellence in contemporary design and the role of jewelry as a form of artistic expression and cultural dialogue between Romania and the international scene.

The official jury of Romanian Jewelry Week 2026 brought together distinguished professionals from the fields of contemporary jewelry, museums, galleries, and international exhibitions: David Sandu, curator and founder of Romanian Jewelry Week; Bryna Pomp, curator of MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Giuseppina Morza, Exhibition Manager, Handwerk & Design, Munich; Claudia Lassner, designer, curator, and co-organizer of SCHMUCKmuenchen; Irina Probst, Exhibition Manager, Inhorgenta Munich, Germany; 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; Magdalena Vélez Salinas, president and co-founder of AdOC, organizer of the Contemporary Goldsmithing Exhibition, Madrid, Spain; and Jennifer Altmann, an independent journalist from New York City. The Growing Gems jury brings together outstand:ing personalities and renowned experts from the international contemporary jewelry scene:  Sharareh Aghaei, Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski, David Sandu, Julia Maria Künnap.

Byron Vafeiadis, director of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in Athens, congratulated the Romanian Jewelry Week team on their professionalism and dedication in organizing the event, highlighting the steadily growing international interest in Romania’s contemporary jewelry scene: “It is a good sign to see that, year after year, more and more designers are coming to Romania. Congratulations, and thank you for the wonderful work you are doing, which continues to grow year after year, with all the support you provide, alongside the artists and institutions around you! Keep going!”

In addition to the awards presented by the international jury, Romanian Jewelry Week also presented special awards through professionals and organizations relevant to the international contemporary jewelry scene, galleries, cultural platforms, and design publications. Among the representatives and partners involved in presenting the special awards were Andreia Gabriela Popescu, senior lecturer at Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School; Enzo Carbone, entrepreneur, designer, and founder and CEO of Prodes Italia, organizer of Artistar Jewels and Milano Jewelry Week; Muriel Piaser, founder of Precious Room by Muriel Piaser; Monica Cecchini, founder of Incinque Open Art Monti and Rome Jewelry Week; Jessica Armstrong, founder and manager of Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry Gallery in Chicago; Constanța Mișcu, curator of beautiful design at OTOTO; Mihaela Ion, founder and Creative Cultural Director of Atelierul magazine, alongside representatives of Lost in Jewellery Magazine and MyDaybyDay Gallery in Rome.

Romanian Jewelry Week VII 2026 Awards

• The Grand Award by Romanian Jewelry Week 2026 – Hoyeon Chung
• “Handwerk & Design” Award for NEW FACES – Estela Williams
• Award by Bryna Pomp, MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York – Konstanze Prechtl
• The Inhorgenta Prize – Kalita Jewelry
• The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Award – Hoyeon Chung, Dalma Goger
• The Legnica Silver Festival Award – Misaki Nomoto
• The AdOC Award – Yuze Pan
• Jennifer Altmann Award – Hoyeon Chung

Special Awards

• The Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School Award – Flavia-Raluca Fabian, Maha Alshaibani, Sarah Alomari
• The Enzo Carbone Special Award – Daniela Angelova, Liyun Yu, Tetiana Chorna
• The Precious Room by Muriel Piaser Award – Daniela Cățoi
• Monica Cecchini Special Award – Fluxis, Hoyeon Chung, Romana Mateiaș
• The Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry Award – Dalma Goger, Yee Je-Lee
• OTOTO Special Jury Award – Best Sustainable Jewelry Concept – Loredana Cleja
• Revista Atelierul Award – Brigitta Horvath, Tomas Miskovic
• MYDAYBYDAY Gallery in Rome Special Award – Hoyeon Chung
• Lost in Jewelry Magazine Special Award – Diana Galan
• Growing Gems Award Winner – Pei Wu

The Romanian Jewelry Week VII fair was a true success, bringing together the stories and artistic visions of more than 120 designers attending in person and representing Romania and numerous other countries, from Portugal and Germany to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Australia, Chile, and Mexico.

With more than 6,000 visitors, Romanian Jewelry Week 2026 confirmed public interest in contemporary jewelry and strengthened Bucharest’s role as a meeting place for the international design scene. Through the scale of the exhibition, the participation of designers from dozens of countries, and the involvement of leading professionals in the jury and cultural program, the event contributes to developing dialogue between the Romanian and international scenes. Organized by the National Association of Contemporary Jewelry Authors and Designers, this platform continues to support education, innovation, and the international visibility of contemporary jewelry.

Organizer: National Association of Contemporary Jewelry Authors and Designers
Main venue: National Library of Romania
Official Partner: Banca Transilvania
Supported by: Domeniile Sâmburești, Aqua Carpatica, Glenfiddich, The Balvenie
Exhibition Design: Kaustik
Cultural Partners: AlbAlb, Arts Thread, Enter the cabin, Mira, OTOTO
Media Partners: Elle, Luxury Magazine, NineOClock

This Partner Content article was edited by Nine O’Clock for Romanian Jewelry Week.   Advertise with us

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