Schmuck 2012: highlights from the contemporary jewellery fair in Munich

Necklace of brass, bone and balsawood
(Image credit: Press)

It may be tucked away in a far corner of the annual International Trade Fair in Munich, but Schmuck is the most significant annual event on the international contemporary jewellery calendar. It’s little known outside the art jewellery platform but it’s been that way since 1959, when it was first established as a unique platform for jewellery artists to display their work.

Schmuck has always been a natural cultural exchange, as jewellers, gallerists and collectors converge from across the globe. This year's event inspired 700 submissions from 35 countries. And, with a week-long series of related events staged in varied major venues and pop-up satellite exhibitions across the city, Schmuck has become a crucial intellectual hub and a melange of new trends, ideas, and techniques.

The event also serves as a vital exploration of the nature of the contemporary jewellery scene – a movement that rattles common notions of jewellery as simply adornment by exploring it as a substantial art form. 'A characteristic of this year’s show is the broad range of materials employed and probed with respect to their design potential and expressive force,' says the show’s director Wolfgang Lösche.

On display was a pendant created from shell, brass and rubber, named 'Wearing Device for a Sea Shell' by its Norwegian creator, Sigurd Bronger; a brooch made from bamboo, nylon and gold by Tokyo jeweller Kazumi Nagano; and a necklace of leather, Tarmac and wood by Belgian jeweller Jorge Manilla.

'Unlike previous years, we asked a known collector – Vienna’s Dr Karl Bollman – to curate this year’s exhibition,' says Lösche. 'It’s a subjective choice but an informed one that reflects an openness to diverse design approaches.'

Silicone ‘Escapade’ necklace

Silicone ‘Escapade’ necklace by Ursula Guttmann, Germany

(Image credit: Press)

Resin brooches

Resin brooches by Kiko Gianocca, Switzerland

(Image credit: Press)

Resin and silver brooch

Resin and silver brooch by Kiko Gianocca, Switzerland

(Image credit: Press)

Silver and lacquer brooch

Silver and lacquer brooch by Doris Betz, Japan

(Image credit: Press)

Pine, bronze silver and nickel silver brooch

Pine, bronze silver and nickel silver brooch by Lacov Azubel, Argentina

(Image credit: Press)

Silver, pearl, laminated postcard and foil brooch

Silver, pearl, laminated postcard and foil brooch by Jana Machatová

(Image credit: Press)

Pearl and laminated postcard brooch

Pearl and laminated postcard brooch by Jana Machatová

(Image credit: Press)

Leather, Tarmac and wood necklace

Leather, Tarmac and wood necklace by Jorge Manilla, Belgium

(Image credit: Press)

Bamboo and nylon brooch

Bamboo and nylon brooch by Kazumi Nagano, Japan

(Image credit: Press)

Grenadil and horn bracelet

Grenadil and horn bracelet by Liv Blåvarp, Norway

(Image credit: Press)

Silver and plastic 'Busy' brooch

Silver and plastic 'Busy' brooch by Machteld van Joolingen, the Netherlands

(Image credit: Press)

Silver and plastic 'Grace' brooch

Silver and plastic 'Grace' brooch by Machteld van Joolingen, the Netherlands

(Image credit: Press)

Silver and stone flower brooch

Silver and stone flower brooch by Margit Jäschke, the Netherlands

(Image credit: Press)

Crystal, enamel and silver ring

Crystal, enamel and silver ring by Philip Sajet, France

(Image credit: Press)

Rock crystal, silver and gold necklace

Rock crystal, silver and gold necklace by Philip Sajet, FranceRock crystal, silver and gold necklace by Philip Sajet, France

(Image credit: Press)

Crystal, enamel and gold ring

Crystal, enamel and gold ring by Philip Sajet, France

(Image credit: Press)

Gold-plated brass and shell Wearing Device for a Seashell

Gold-plated brass and shell ‘Wearing Device for a Seashell’ by Sigurd Bronger, Norway

(Image credit: Press)

Caragh McKay has been a contributing editor at Wallpaper* since 2014. She was previously watches & jewellery director and is currently our resident lifestyle & shopping editor. Caragh has produced exhibitions and created and edited titles for publishers including the Daily Telegraph. She regularly chairs talks for luxury houses, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier among them. Caragh’s current remit is cross-cultural and her recent stories include the curious tale of how Muhammad Ali met his poetic match in Robert Burns and how a Martin Scorsese film revived a forgotten Osage art.