'Gems' Exhibition at Electrum
18th April - 10th May
In their studio in Germany, Tom and Jutta Munsteiner have held an annual exhibition entitled ‘Munsteiner and Friends’ for many years. They invite a group of jewellery artists to join them in displaying examples of the best in contemporary stone based jewellery. This regular fixture always attracts a great deal of attention and after many conversations with Tom about creating a version of this event, we now have pleasure in presenting our curatorial collaboration at Electrum Gallery. We wanted to continue the series as the Munsteiner’s had established it with a slight variation; Tom and Jutta invited four of their regular co-exhibitors and five UK based jewellers were chosen by Electrum Gallery.
Tom and Jutta Munsteiner and before them, Tom’s father Bernd, have exhibited with Electrum Gallery since the early 1990’s, both in special feature exhibitions and as part of our permanent collection. As fourth generation in the Munsteiner family to be involved in the stone cutting workshop, Tom and Jutta have brought their own distinctive style to the business and set the highest standards in contemporary stone cutting and jewellery. Sourcing the very best raw material from all over the world, they bring to life each individual stone creating finished gems a world away from traditional stone cutting. Their work is a creative reflection of the essence of each mineral.
This special group of jewellery artists have each developed their own clear approach to using precious and semi-precious stones. They are all inspired by the natural beauty of these materials and create stunning pieces of jewellery.
Malcolm Betts transforms rare, old cut stones into modern classics using his distinctive hand beaten finish in gold and platinum. Marc Tafler crafts sleek perfection around traditionally facetted gems, setting soft coloured stones in subtle tones of gold. Mark Nuell’s own stone-cutting skills give him a distinctive edge, setting pale, misty colours of tourmaline and sapphire into matt silver and gold. Ulla Hörnfeldt is well known for her use of the most unusual pieces of rare minerals, her expert eye ensuring all the elements are in perfect balance. Josef Koppmann incorporates his bold stones into jewellery inspired by urban modern architecture softened by flowing organic shapes.
Lina Fanourakis is known internationally for her use of rose-cut diamonds. Inspired by the beauty of stained glass windows, she recreates the mosaic effect in her beautiful pieces. Angela Hübel uses strong geometric forms to create miniature sculptures that conform perfectly to the human form. The jewellery of self-taught artist Enric Majoral instantly evokes the powerful landscape of his homeland Formentera, extracting simple lines from the natural forms and materials that surround him. The legacy that is Michael Zobel is continued in Studio Zobel by his successor, Peter Schmid. A perfect summary of all we are presenting to you is attributed to Michael Zobel… “a piece of jewellery is above all a concept, an idea. On the one hand such a concept has to be subordinated to the material; it is on the other, deeply inspired by it.”
Janice Hosegood