JURY OF ROMANIAN JEWELRY WEEK 2025
David Sandu - Curator and Founder of Romanian Jewelry Week
David Sandu is the first Romanian artist who made contemporary jewelry his main field of interest and expression. David Sandu participated in numerous exhibitions as an individual artist, gaining International recognition. In 2005, he opened his own designer jewelry gallery, and in 2010 he was appointed Supplier of the Royal House of Romania. In the same year, he founded the first private educational platform in Romania dedicated exclusively to jewelry design – Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School. In 2020, he became a Founding Member and Curator of the international event Romania Jewelry Week, the largest event in Romania dedicated to the jewelry field.
Andrea Eisenschink - Exhibition Manager of «Handwerk & Design» Munich, Germany
Andrea Eisenschink is Exhibition Manager of «Handwerk & Design» in Munich, one of the leading exhibitions for applied arts, jewellery and design within the framework of the Internationale Handwerksmesse. For over two years, she also has been responsible for FRAME, a curated area surrounding the special show SCHMUCKmünchen, where international and national galleries present contemporary jewellery. Andreas’ many years of professional experience in the trade fair business, her studies in Italian philology, Spanish and European ethnology at LMU Munich, and her training as an event manager form the foundation of her expertise in the conception, organisation and communication of sophisticated trade fair formats.
Claudia Lassner – Designer, Curator, and Co-Organisation for SCHMUCK münchen
Claudia Lassner is a jewellery designer and founder of her own label in Munich. As a graduate of Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, she has been working for over 15 years at the intersection of design and craftsmanship. Her passion lies in uniting contemporary jewellery with meticulous artisanal execution and a distinctive design language. Since 2017, she has been part of the curatorial team at Galerie Handwerk in Munich, where she develops and organises exhibitions. She is also closely involved in the organisation of SCHMUCKmünchen, the internationally acclaimed special show for contemporary jewellery, and contributed to its recent rebranding, infusing the event with a fresh, forward-looking identity.
Bryna Pomp - Director and Curator of MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, New York
Bryna Pomp is the director and curator of MAD About Jewelry (MAJ), the annual five-day sale of international contemporary jewelry, at the Museum of Arts and Design. MAD is the only museum in America with a gallery dedicated permanently to modern and contemporary jewelry. Additionally, more than half of the holdings in MAD’s permanent collection are pieces of jewelry. MAJ, which was formerly known by the name LOOT, is widely regarded as the most important opportunity in America for the public to see and to buy from this breadth and depth of international contemporary jewelry. This is the beginning of her 16th year as the director / curator of the event. During the past 15 editions, Bryna Pomp has curated the work of more than 800 different contemporary jewelers from approximately 40 different countries.
Justyna Teodorczyk - Director Of The Gallery Of Art In Legnica, Poland
Justyna Teodorczyk, graduate of the Wroclaw University, Poland. PhD in culture studies, art curator, educator, lecturer, artist mentor, organizer and main curator of the Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER (Poland). Since 2019 director, formerly (from 2006) employee of the Gallery of Art in Legnica – an institution which for over 40 years has been organising the Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER – one of the oldest and most important reviews of unique author’s jewellery in Europe. Curator of numerous exhibitions organized in frame of the Festival. She initiated a project which resulted in the creation of the website Biżuteria Artystyczna w Polsce (Artistic Jewellery in Poland) – www.bizuteriaartystycznawpolsce.legnica.eu. Apart from curating art jewellery shows and events, she is involved in exhibitions of contemporary art by Polish artists and numerous educational projects.
Andreia Gabriela Popescu - Senior Lecturer Assamblage Contemporary Jewelry School
Andreia Gabriela Popescu is a teacher, designer and jewelry manufacturer who creates unique and sophisticated contemporary jewelry since 2010, having multiple award-winning collections at prestigious international jewelry exhibitions. Her art is innovative and stands out through daring volumes, colors and special surface finishes. Her artworks are also notable for the brave way in which she chooses to combine precious metals and stones, in the same piece, which she works using traditional jewelry techniques, with alternative materials such as resin and corian, which she chooses and processes through innovative techniques, in order to support her concept from the basis of her works of art. She will designate the special Assamblage School Award at Romanian Jewelry Week.
MYDAYBYDAY Gallery in Rome Special Award
Mydaybyday space, is a Gallery in Rome which promotes and sells contemporary jewelry both onsite & online. It offers services of communication & advertising on various social medias.
Irina Probst, Exhibition Manager at INHORGENTA MUNICH
Irina Probst is the Exhibition Manager responsible for the Contemporary Jewelry Design section at INHORGENTA MUNICH, Europe’s leading platform for jewelry, watches, and gemstones. This section serves as a distinguished showcase for innovative and distinctive contemporary design, emphasizing emerging trends and creative concepts. As curator of several subsections, Irina creates an exclusive annual platform that elevates aspiring jewelry designers, artists, and young goldsmiths and silversmiths onto the international stage, while providing established creators with prominent exposure. Combining her professional role with her passion for beauty and art, Irina is a devoted art enthusiast who frequently attends art fairs, museums, and theaters. Her deep connection to the broader art scene enriches her curatorial vision and nurtures her genuine enthusiasm for contemporary art and design.
Byron Vafeiadis - Curator of Education and Collections at Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
Byron Vafeiadis is a museum professional with a background in museology, museography, and exhibition design. He holds a master's degree in Applied – Clinical Sociology and the Arts, with a focus on Mental Health and Community Art. His hands-on experience in metalsmithing and decorative arts enhances his ability to understand and engage with the making process. The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (ILJM) is a non-profit cultural institution dedicated to the art and history of jewelry. Founded in 1994 in Athens, it is the first and only museum of its kind in Greece, serving as an international hub for research, education, and exhibition in the decorative arts. Its permanent collection highlights the life’s work of Ilias Lalaounis, with over 4,500 pieces from 50 collections designed between 1957 and 2002. Through curated exhibitions, academic programs, and initiatives such as residencies and workshops, ILJM promotes cross-disciplinary dialogue and innovation.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Muriel Piaser - Founder Precious Room by Muriel Piaser
Muriel Piaser is an international artistic consultant, expert in fashion, public relations and international brands development strategies. She is known for her major actions as Exhibition Director of the famous trade show «Prêt-à-porter Paris» in France, New-York, and Tokyo. After graduating from the EFAP in 1994, Piaser started building her strong reputation as a public relations expert, working for some of the greatest contemporary fashion designers such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Atsuro Tayama. Launched in 2011, Muriel Piaser Consulting has the purpose of offering services to the greatest pillars of the fashion industry. Piaser has been providing counselling to companies working on emerging markets, designers or famous international brands for over 15 years.
Lost in Jewelry Magazine Special Award
A new International Art jewellery showcase. 'Lost in Jewellery Magazine' is the official online magazine of Mydaybyday Gallery in Rome, Italy. The magazine goal, is to give International contemporary jewellery Artists & participating Galleries & Other Institutions, a 'SPOTLIGHT', a place where they can make their 'Voices' heard.
Revista Atelierul Special Award
Revista Atelierul (Atelierul Magazine) has been establishing since 2010 an international intercultural dialogue between the creators and the public, a well-defined mix of established and beginner product designers and creators, becoming an active platform for networking and inspiration.
Magdalena Vélez Salinas, President and Co-founder of
AdOC and organizer of the Exhibition· Contemporary Goldsmithing
Architect by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), lecturer at the Escuela de Arquitectura of the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio and Plastic Arts and Artistic Goldsmith and Silversmith Design by the Escuela de Arte 3 in Madrid, she combines professional activities with artistic investigation. Cofounder and President of the Association of Contemporary Jewelry and Goldsmithing Designers (Asociación de Diseñadores de Orfebrería y Joyería Contemporáneas, AdOC), based in Madrid and finalist of the National Craftmanship Award, which organises annually the Exhibition·Contemporary Goldsmithing in several Madrid museums and within the Madrid Design Festival, and at the same time as the Semana de Arte – ARCO, contributing to the city transformation into the global capital of contemporary art.
Charon Kransen - Charon Kransen Arts, New York
Charon Kransen ( Netherlands 1950 ) has worked in the field of contemporary jewelry since 1969; as a jeweler trained at the Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts Jerusalem Israel, Hochschule fuer Gestaltung Pforzheim Germany and at Juhls Kautokeino Norway, as professor of jewelry ( and enamel) design at the Hogeschool der Kunsten Utrecht Netherlands, as president of the VES ( Dutch Jewelry Designers Organization) and as a lecturer at universities, colleges and art organizations all over the world, curator,art-dealer and agent of about 150 international innovative contemporary jewelers in North-America.For the past 30 years he has shown the work of these artists at art fairs in the USA and at various curated exhibitions in galleries and museums. He has been a juror for Talente Munich, Athens Jewelry Week, Joya Barcelona, Gioielli in Fermento Italy, Romanian Jewelry Week, Cheongju International Craft Biennial, S. Korea, Legnica Silver Festival Poland, Itami Museum Jewelry Competition Japan, Enjoya Spain, Kioskedia Design Turkey etc.
Jessica Armstrong -
Owner Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry
Chicago
Jessica Armstrong is not only a trained contemporary art jeweler, but also the Owner of Pistachios Contemporary Art Jewelry in Chicago, Illinois. Jessica received her MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and has continued her education at various institutions by taking workshops. Armstrong’s work has been featured both internationally and throughout the United States. Additionally, Armstrong has been a Visiting Lecturer for Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2025 and 2023, as well as Guest Lecturer for Halstead’s Jewelry Business Forum in 2024 and Stay Gold Collective in 2023. As sole Owner of Pistachios since 2018, Armstrong has proudly continued the gallery’s 30+ year legacy.
OTOTO Special Award
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