Crafted in Ireland: 5 Irish Jewelers to love at Romania Jewelry Week 2025

Five independent female studio jewelers from Ireland will exhibit at Romania Jewellery Week 2025 in Bucharest, bringing with them a fresh wave of innovation, craftsmanship, and storytelling rooted in Irish identity and a passion for contemporary design. From the symbolistic of the omnipresent hashtag of our days to kinetic pieces inspired by oceans, from gemstones that carry a world full of symbols to shells that connect us with the power of nature, from structural pieces to the most delicate ones – they are 5 Irish Jewelers to discover and to love at Romania Jewelry Week 2025. 

* From October 1–5, 2025, Bucharest will host the sixth edition of Romanian Jewelry Week, the most important contemporary jewelry event in Romania. The full program will soon be available on www.romanianjewelryweek.com.  (Read here about ROJW 2024)
* Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 – National Library of Romania – October 1–5, 2025. October 1–3 – free entry. October 4–5 – tickets available via www.iabilet.ro. 
* The exhibiting group of Irish Jewelers includes: Nicole van der Wolf – (https://nicolevanderwolf.com) / Vanessa Murtagh – Vanessa Ree Jewellery (https://vanessaree.com) / Louisa Scott – (https://www.louisascottjewellery.com) / Natasha Heaslip – (https://natashaheaslip.com) / Siobhan McArdle – Azulion Designs (https://www.azuliondesigns.com).

From minimalist forms to expressive textures, from narrative-led pieces to technical experimentation, the work of these makers offers insight into Ireland’s rapidly evolving identity in contemporary design.

Vanessa Murtagh of Vanessa Ree Jewellery – @vanessaree_concept_jewellery

The main message of your collection presented at ROJW 2025 is…
Communication. I have studied many languages over the years and a language has no structure without symbols of grammar. These symbols and their shapes have always intrigued me. When I was a child the hashtag symbol # was a random button on the telephone that had no apparent use. Fast forward 3 decades and this little symbol # has becoming a globally ubiquitous tagging system in a digital world. We even speak it in our vernacular as short had for making a statement. As a shape the # in its 3D form is very tactile – rigid, yet playful & interesting to touch and feel with its hollowed interior. For the collection I explored the negative space of the #, played with sizes, split the symbol in two, examined it’s simple side profile – but always maintaining the structure of the grid regardless of whether it became earrings or a necklace or cufflinks. For me this collection is symbolic of the rapidly evolving nature of language in a digital world and our human attempt to organize it and give it structure. 

From all the fashionable things, you chose to focus on jewelry because… for me jewelry has always been an artistic form of armor. I love manipulating metals, using ancient and modern techniques to create solid forms of wearable art, that reflect our characters, our personalities with a statement piece that will last for centuries to come. There is a strength in these factors, a gravitas that makes jewelry more than just an accessory, far more than a fashion item, but a statement of confidence and intent with a connection to our earth’s precious resources.  I feel powerful when I wear my jewelry. And I hope people that wear my pieces do too.

The perfect jewelry for you / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… 
I love brooches. I think they are the most under – utilized piece of jewelry of all. They are effortless and have the most visual impact of all jewelry, making an outward statement about the person wearing it.  I would wear a statement brooch on a bright orange sweatshirt in any city around the world. Well I guess it would have to be a city with a slightly cooler climate to wear a sweatshirt, and I’d be rocking my brooch to “Strangers” by Kenya Grace.

(READ here – about German jewlery designers from one edition of ROJW)

Nicole van der Wolf – @nicolevanderwolfjewellery

The main message of your collection presented at ROJW 2025 is… 
I’ve always felt a profound connection to water, and my work often explores the ways we interact with it. “My ShipShape collection” celebrates water as a mode of transport. The kinetic pieces are inspired by historic ocean voyages, when barrels of goods rolled below deck in heavy seas. The chains echo the industrial anchors that secured large vessels off my native Dutch coast. Made in Argentium silver, the links are fused so that the traces of their making remain visible, just like the joins on heavy anchor chains. Oxidized silver adds to the industrial feel, while gems and precious metals honor both the courageous seafarers and the powerful oceans they braved.

From all the fashionable things, you chose to focus on jewelry because…
It began with the allure of colorful gems, but the real turning point was my very first jewelry class — I was instantly “bitten by the bug.” For me, jewelry-making is about the process as much as the outcome: the escape into a world of tools, materials, fire, and gemstones. My studio feels like an adult playground where I can experiment and create. I’ve never followed fashion; instead, I want to make pieces that connect on a deeper level. When someone chooses one of my pieces, it’s never just a transaction — it’s proof of a shared connection. It makes me feel seen and heard, and I love the joy and meaning my work can bring into another person’s life.

The perfect jewelry for you / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that…
For me, the perfect jewelry is something distinctive yet wearable every day — a piece that becomes part of me, almost like a second skin. The perfect city to wear it is Barcelona, where life spills out onto the streets and everything feels vibrant and alive. And the soundtrack? Where Is My Mind by the Pixies — especially that dreamy verse about swimming in the Caribbean, bumping into curious little fish. That sense of play, wonder, and connection to the water captures exactly what I love.

(READ here about Romanian jewelry designers at one editin of ROJW)

Louisa Scott – @louisa_scott_jewellery

The main message of your collection presented at ROJW 2025 is…
Ancient Islands is a symbiosis of my Irish heritage and influences from time spent living in, and exploring Sri Lanka, the land of gemstones. Inspired by ancient design and layered with symbolism, it explores themes of nature and spirituality, and reflects a journey of personal exploration 

From all the fashionable things, you chose to focus on jewelry because…
Every culture has a relationship with Jewelry, and from a makers perspective it combines a hoard of interesting topics , from alchemy, gemology, geology,  art, history, and many more. I love the physical nature of making and There’s a kind of energy in Jewelry that you get from the materials and the symbology of design, that you don’t get anywhere else. You wear it not to be seen, but to feel something. It’s a creative expression that carries stories and meaning for the wearer. Unlike fashion which follows trends and seasons, jewelry is timeless and good jewelry can be treasured for generations 

The perfect jewelry for you / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that…
Golden torc necklace, somewhere outdoors and in nature (I’m not really a city person), with Thievery Corporation as the soundtrack! 

Natasha Heaslip – @natashaheaslipjewellery

The main message of your collection presented at ROJW 2025 is…
Both collections are intertwined, but yet have their own spirit in essence. With “Wave of Atlantis” collection (Green Gems) is inspired by the hidden secrets and lost gems in the depths of our oceans. As if new life emerges from the stories of lost civilizations bringing forth a forgotten wisdom, as the waves on a shoreline unveil the treasures of our earth. “The Conch Collection” (pieces with shells) although oceanic in its nature, is more an exploration of the divine feminine — her connection to life, through her lunar cycles and mother earth. As a woman I want to celebrate our beauty in our most natural, uninhibited form. I hope to portray a sense of the liberated woman, in her own sovereignty, in her own power, in allowing the pieces of body adornment to embrace her naked body, as an artist would stroke paint onto a canvas. 

From all the fashionable things, you chose to focus on jewelry because…
Jewelry is art, and is something that can last centuries, telling stories of time and love. And my love of gems, their beauty and energy inspires me to my core. 

The perfect jewelry for you / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that…
Something crafted with care and love embracing a large rare tourmaline with magical colours, in Paris, “Shine Bright like a Diamond” by by Rihanna.    

(READ here about Italian jewelry designers – at one edition of ROJW)

Siobhán McArdle, @azuliondesigns 

The main message of your collection presented at ROJW 2025 is…
The collection is inspired by fragility and our deep connection to nature. “Embrace” invites us to slow down – to rediscover our connection to the feminine and to reawaken our often forgotten bond with the natural world.

From all the fashionable things, you chose to focus on jewelry because…
The scale of the pieces, I love small wearable things. And also the heirloom quality of jewelry – the fact that pieces can be passed down for generations. 

The perfect jewelry for you / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that…
A sculptural blend of emotion and technicality, a mix of Roman and Celtic elements with a high-quality Star Sapphire. To wear it in Rome playing “Dreams” by the Cranberries.