December 9, 2025

PAD LONDON: Heritage and Innovation in Contemporary Jewellery

Must-see design event, PAD London’s leading fair for Historic and Contemporary Design was back in London to once again unite art, design and jewellery. On the programme: a selection of prestigious international galleries from Europe, Asia and North America. This year’s PAD illustrates how contemporary jewellery dialogues with art, design, and fashion, redefining how we understand the body as a site of expression and craftsmanship. Cellotape was there.

From heritage houses such as Boghossian and Hemmerle to curatorial galleries like Second Petale and Carpenters Workshop, via the chromatic audacity of Taffin and the organic elegance of Fernando Jorge, a single energy ran through the fair: that of reinvention. At a time we want to celebrate individuality and self-expression through fashion and design, jewellery becomes a field for experimentation. The exhibitors we met reflect a wider movement towards material hybridity and more fluid aesthetics. This leads us to wonder how to perpetuate heritage while challenging conventional notions of luxury.

PAD has become a privileged observatory of new jewellery narratives. Between family legacies, artisanal gestures and creative freedom, the designers and gallerists sketched out a freer language for high jewellery, yet one that remains profoundly desirable.

Words by Tova Bach

Above; Julia Muñoz

Antique dealer for over twenty years, the Spanish jeweller Julia Muñoz has turned to creating unique pieces crafted using the lost-wax method, without moulds, in gilded bronze and then plated with 24-carat gold, in the spirit of 1970s ateliers.

Based in Paris, Muñoz draws on her antiquarian eye, particularly her fascination with ancient civilisations such as Egypt, which she has visited several times accompanied by archaeologists. She describes her creations as personal archaeologies, revisiting history through symbolic forms.

Her work also explores the sensory. She captures the imprints of centuries-old trees, leaves, or textile textures and translates them into metal to become a material memory. Among her notable pieces are those inspired by men’s shirts, where she reinterprets the original patterns and embroideries in bronze, subverting masculine codes.

Above; Hemmerle

Founded in Munich in 1893, the family-run house Hemmerle defies the conventions of high jewellery with unique pieces that combine precious and unexpected materials such as aluminium, steel, copper, wood and bronze.

Now led by Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle, the maison embraces creative freedom in its designs. A pioneer in the use of anodised aluminium, Hemmerle merges traditional craftsmanship with an experimental approach to new jewellery-making techniques. This singular vision has earned the house a place in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (New York) and Die Neue Sammlung (Munich).

A regular exhibitor at PAD London since 2016, Hemmerle presented a series of one-of-a-kind pieces united by colour and the interplay of materials. Among the highlights was a ring set with cinnabar, chosen not for its value but for its striking chromatic intensity.

Above; Fernando Jorge

The distinctive aesthetic of jeweller Fernando Jorge stems from his multicultural background. Born in Brazil and now based in London, his creations blend natural sensuality with architectural precision, forming a visual language that is both refined and contemporary. In his latest collection, Vertex, baguette-cut geometric stones curve and twist to balance structure and fluidity, echoing the designer’s signature sinuous forms.

For Fernando Jorge, luxury is rooted in nature. His work celebrates the contrast between precious gemstones and organic materials such as wood, onyx, ebony, and semi-precious stones. Each piece is conceived as a living body, vibrating with light until it reaches an almost liquid state. In the Deep Stream collection, the jewels embody a paradoxical harmony, combining 18-carat gold and brown diamonds with Red Louro wood sourced from the Amazon region.

Above; Glenn Spiro

Founded by Glenn Spiro, the eponymous house has established itself in London as a laboratory of jewellery experimentation, based in Mayfair in the former atelier of Sir Norman Hartnell, couturier to Queen Elizabeth II. The creative direction, led by Glenn and his son Joe Spiro, cultivates a singular jewellery language defined by technical audacity, temporal contrasts, and a distinctive taste for rare materials.

Its collection Materials of the Old World revisits artefacts from ancient civilisations, like agate, carnelian, Egyptian turquoise, Indonesian ivory and amber, which the house integrates into its contemporary creations. Part of the collection even incorporates gold elements crafted by the African Baoulé tribe.

In contrast, a more contemporary and architectural line in titanium and coloured gemstones celebrates lightness and movement. Balancing modernity with ancestral memory, the house of Glenn Spiro shapes a form of jewellery that tells the story of material, time, and the human hand that connects them.

Above; Taffin

Founded by James de Givenchy, the New York-based high jewellery house Taffin has established itself since the 2000s as one of the most distinctive ateliers in contemporary jewellery. It breaks away from the conventions of classical high jewellery to invent an aesthetic that is joyful, conceptual, and refined.

Its language is one of intuitive chromatic freedom, where vivid hues, unconventional materials, and unexpected contrasts come together with elegance. Taffin’s sculptural creations highlight the individuality of each gemstone while pairing them with surprising materials such as rubber, steel, wood, and ceramic. The latter being one of the house’s pioneering innovations in 2006.

With no fixed collections, each creation adds freely to an evolving body of work that balances artisanal precision with chromatic playfulness. The result is jewellery that is both playful and noble, where elegance is infused with a discreet sense of humour and a rare creative freedom.

Above; Elie Top

Formerly of Saint Laurent and Lanvin, Élie Top presented his collection “Liaisons Dangereuses” at PAD London, marking the 10th anniversary of his eponymous maison. Inspired by the grandeur of 18th-century French castles and gardens, these creations feature antique diamonds repurposed from older jewellery, set on yellow gold lace which, through reflective plates, evokes the flickering light of suspended candles.

His other collections – La Dame du Lac, Mécaniques Célestes, and Magica Naturae – blend Arthurian myths with a living bestiary, where rings, brooches, and cuffs articulate like animated objects. At Élie Top, each jewel tells a story in motion. His collections function as mechanical tableaux, where craftsmanship, narrative, and technical mastery create a bridge between haute jewellery and narrative design.

Above; Carpenters Workshop Jewellery

For this edition, Carpenters Workshop Jewellery presented a manifesto exhibition: fifteen female artists brought together to explore the intersection between jewellery and sculptural design within contemporary craftsmanship.

The display created a dialogue between jewellery pieces –vintage and exclusive collaborations – and the design objects exhibited alongside them. Among the highlights was the Hunrod Gold Zodiac series by Michèle Lamy in collaboration with Loree Rodkin, a continuation of Lamy’s brutalist and spiritual aesthetic. The French artist showcased rings that act as armour for the fingers, exploring the symbols of the Chinese zodiac crafted in white and yellow gold and set with ethically sourced diamonds.

The all-female selection also featured jewellery by Aki Cooren, Line Vautrin, Jane Schmitt, Alina Alamorean, Léa Mestres, Sylvie Auvray, Hermien Cassiers, Ane Christensen, Alice Cicolini, Ute Decker, Sonia Delaunay, Jacqueline Rabun, Kayo Saito, Cindy Sherman and Caroline Van Hoek.

Above; Second Pétale

The Paris-based gallery Second Pétale showcases the work of both emerging and established contemporary designers, alongside jewellery creations from the 20th and 21st centuries. For its first appearance at PAD London, the curator and founder of Second Pétale Arina Pouzoullic sought to create a creative dialogue around the theme of light and “the way it connects artistic creation to the divine.”

The exhibition, titled “The Halo – Light and Jewelry,” highlighted exceptional creativity and craftsmanship, bringing together ten artists: Dries Criel, Giorgio B, Hugo Cahill, Luz Camino, Nadia Morgenthaler, Salima Thakker, VAK Jewels, Villa Milano, and Vincent Darré with Sarah Mugnier from Maison Belmont. At the centre of the stand stood an illuminated artwork by artist Odile Soundant, embodying the dialogue between light and gemstones.

Above; Karry Berreby Jewellery

Based in Paris, Karry Berreby embodies the subtle balance between collector and curator, assembling a unique selection of vintage and contemporary pieces chosen for their expressive power and rarity. Her vintage collection, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s, includes Bulgari bracelets, Cartier rings, Grima necklaces, Boivin creations, and many other historic jewels.

With over 30 years of experience in the world of jewellery and watches, Karry Berreby is celebrated for her devotion to femininity, allure, glamour, and a touch of whimsy. She stands out for her ability to bridge eras and the unexpected, creating dialogues between vintage treasures, signed contemporary creations, and artists’ jewels. All while maintaining a strong and coherent aesthetic vision.

PAD Jewellers show how today’s designers reinterpret the codes of high jewellery with freedom and innovation. They demonstrate that tradition and experimentation are not opposites, but complementary forces : the perfect example of modern artistry at its finest.

From the upcoming NYC Jewellery Week to Milan’s HOMI Fashion & Jewels, and the London Craft Week next spring, the dialogue between art, design and jewellery continues to expand and confirms jewellery’s place at the heart of contemporary culture.

Looking ahead, the real innovation in jewellery may not come from new designs but from production’s alternatives. From blockchain traceability to lab-grown diamonds and up-cycled gemstones, experimental materials and fully circular ateliers, the next chapter of jewellery will depend on how the industry confronts its environmental footprint. Sustainability has to become a new form of artistry.