Japanese jewellery emerged as one of the most visible creative forces surrounding Paris Fashion Week this season, with brands participating at the Week’s various trade shows and a dedicated exhibition at Sotheby’s.
What united many of the brands was a strong sense of materiality and craft. At a time when international buyers are looking for designs that can distinguish their assortments, this combination gave the Japanese jewellers in Paris an immediately legible point of difference.
At Sotheby’s Paris, Japan: Stillness and Substance presented contemporary Japanese jewellery through a cultural rather than purely commercial lens.
Curated by Sandrine Merle, founder and editor of The French Jewelry Post, the exhibition brought together work by Mariko Sumioka, Aya Iwata, Shinji Nakaba, Kimiaki Kageyama, Fumiki Taguchi, Manami Aoki and Takashi Kojima. It ran from 1 to 6 October as part of Parcours Bijoux 2026, the Paris triennial dedicated to contemporary jewellery.
Materials ranged from Japanese hinoki cypress and pearl oyster shell to enamel, silver, discarded plastics and centuries-old urushi lacquer. The emphasis was on the time spent and technical craft skills involved in each piece, positioning jewellery as collectible artistic practice.
