Love jewellery that’s full of character? Check out this special exhibition of 11 contemporary jewellers at Ætla Studio during the Edinburgh Fringe. Get all the details below.
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In between the stand-up routines, one-man shows, and boundary-pushing theatre, an exciting new exhibition of jewellery artists promises to delight visitors to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.
Curated by luxury editor Kate Matthams, ‘Terrane’ is opening at the renowned Ætla gallery during the festival and brings together 11 contemporary designers “whose work explores the relationship between jewellery, landscape and place.”
Rather than depicting specific scenes or landscapes in a literal sense, the exhibition revolves around jewels that have been informed by a sense of place in quieter, more subtle ways. Through their forms and materiality, the works of wearable art on display examine everything from geology and architecture to memory, personal history and a wider cultural identity.
“Beirut has always been my greatest source of inspiration. It is the city that shaped me, and My Muse is a reflection of the places, memories and details I return to time and again,” says participating jeweller, Nada Ghazal, of the collection of pieces she has submitted. “[This] isn’t about recreating Beirut exactly. It’s about holding onto the places and details that have shaped my relationship with the city, and translating those memories into pieces that carry a sense of place with them.”
Meanwhile, Ukranian-born designer Inesa Kovalova, who is now based in Germany, is exhibiting her ‘Memoir’ brooch in titanium, 18K palladium and white gold and rose gold, which features a central topaz of about 29 carats.
The piece, she says, is “inspired by the transformation of topaz under sunlight, where colour fades as a metaphor for healing. Each inclusion within the gemstone tells the story of a journey, marking both imperfections and growth. The piece evokes a deep sense of longing for home, turning the brooch into a tactile object that feels like a smooth pebble – precious, personal, and rooted in memory. As the topaz’s colour shifts, the brooch becomes a symbol of both transformation and the fleeting purity of moments captured in time.”
Elsewhere, a set of beaded stacking rings by Nigerian-British designer Lola Oladunjoye, who is now based in Paris, reference the Kofar Mata dye pits in northern Nigeria, established in the 16th century to produce indigo cloth created for the Tuareg people – known as the ‘blue men’ of the desert.
Across West Africa, indigo is a colour of protection, and Oladunjoye has carefully matched aluminium to the deep indigo of lapis lazuli of the rings. Ringed with yellow diamonds, her ‘Indigo Pit’ cocktail ring feels like “a reimagined talisman for contemporary nomads,” she explains.
Other participating designers include Alice Cicolini, Castro Smith, Ellis Mhairi Cameron, Emefa Cole, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Ruth Tomlinson, Sarah Madeleine Bru and Megan Brown.
Rich in craftmanship and textural details, the pieces showcased at ‘Terrane’ are designed to intrigue and inspire, full of hidden meaning and personal stories that demand close attention. Be prepared to linger.
‘Terrane’ runs from 7 – 31 August 2026 at Ætla (17 St. Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5AN).
Get more details: Edfringe.com
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