Museum Worthy: Previewing the Highlights of TEFAF Maastricht 2025

If you believe as strongly as we do that jewellery is art, then TEFAF Maastricht is the place to visit this month. Taking place from March 15-20, the fair blends a curated selection of paintings, contemporary art, sculpture, furniture and historical, vintage and contemporary jewellery, offering a playground of sorts for museum curators, art buyers, private and institutional collectors, and more. Amazingly, the event covers around 7,000 years of art history, presented by 270 dealers from 22 countries. This year, there are some additions to the TEFAF Maastricht jewellery crowd, including Feng J, Margot McKinney, Buccellati and Santi. We reached out to the jewellery exhibitors heading to the Netherlands to get a preview of their rarest and most precious creations…

As one of the jewellery debutants at TEFAF Maastricht 2025, Feng J can also claim to be the first exhibitor from Mainland China to appear at the fair. Her painterly gemstone compositions are well-known to us here at KaterinaPerez.com, but nothing beats seeing her double rose-cut minerals and delicate precious metal structures in person. At TEFAF, Feng J will present a trio of new pieces with opals – a relatively new addition to her gem palette – including the Comme Moi brooch with a 25.67-carat Australian opal surrounded by petals made of over 1,200 gems, including diamonds, rubies, spinels, sapphires, tourmalines, aquamarines and tanzanites. 

The Toi et Moi brooch also contains peachy-hued precious opals, surrounded by double rose-cut tourmalines, aquamarines, chrysoberyls, sapphires, spinels, tsavorites, quartzes and white diamonds. Finally, there’s the Je Suis La Brise (I am the breeze) dragonfly brooch with a black Australian opal head and wings composed of green, blue and yellow minerals and diamonds. Although there will be many pieces on display, I would like to specifically mention the Nuit Blanche earrings, which have a slightly different aesthetic to Feng’s typical ‘watercolour’ approach. Here, we see feather-light and feather-like titanium pendants, bursting with natural diamonds and natural pearls as if caught on a phantom breeze. As Feng produces fewer than 35 pieces of jewellery art per year, it will be a treat to see so many under one roof.

Another newcomer, Margot McKinney, will present a carefully curated selection of works at the behest of TEFAF Maastricht organisers. One of these is brand new for the show – the Marina Collier – and draws inspiration from the natural landscapes of Margot’s native Australia. It is set with a 241.14-carat green beryl (mined in the 1980s) plus a 65.72-carat aquamarine and green tourmaline against a backdrop of 25 rare baroque Australian South Sea pearls. Each large stone is surrounded by a halo of diamonds, sapphires, aquamarines, Paraiba tourmalines and tsavorites that evoke the play of sunlight on the shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Italian brand Buccellati is returning to TEFAF Maastricht after 11 years with the aim of celebrating the creative genius of Gianmaria Buccellati, who first exhibited the brand in the Netherlands in 1992. Vintage items such as diamond-studded brooches from the 1960s and a set of earrings, pendant and brooch with aquamarines from the 1970s reveal Gianmaria’s passion for goldsmithing. Elsewhere, there will be pieces made especially for this year’s event by Andrea Buccellati, such as a bi-metal, lace-like bracelet and necklace set from the Opera High Jewellery collection. 

Another TEFAF Maastricht jewellery brand not to miss is Santi, which will showcase 25 contemporary pieces alongside a selection of historical Mughal jewels. The former are set with Golconda diamonds, Colombian emeralds, wine-coloured spinels, Kashmir sapphires and natural pearls to echo the inimitable style of the Maharajahs. Among the items that Santi has declared ahead of time are the Diamond Lotus bracelet with diamond-set flowers floating above blackened platinum waves, graduating pavé diamonds and brushed yellow gold. The Emerald Pyramid ring is also exceptional, with a sugarloaf emerald from the 18th century and invisible-set, custom-cut diamond shoulders set in 18k white gold. 

Moving on to returning exhibitors, let’s start with Hong Kong-based FORMS and the nine limited edition monochromatic pieces that it will showcase at TEFAF in homage to the changing seasons. Some creations draw on fall colours, including a ring with a vibrant 9.20-carat orange mandarin garnet, diamonds and Japanese shakudo, while others are more summer-like, such as an 8.09-carat blue sapphire ring and a pair of earrings with rubies, diamonds and red undulating aluminium curves. 

Another expert in colour, Hemmerle, will also be on hand to provide a welcome dose of vibrant, intoxicating tonal combinations in its jewels. Three sets of earrings caught our attention from its fair preview, including a pair with tassels of agates and peridots set in aluminium and white gold, another with a green and red tourmaline weighing a combined 50 carats set in aluminium, bronze and white gold, and a third with more than 25 carats of tanzanites, amaranth wood, aluminium and white gold. Lastly, it would be remiss of us not to mention a fourth pair of Hemmerle earrings with two deep brown-yellow pear-shaped diamonds (total 21.8 carats), set in ‘cages’ of bronze and white gold. It will be intriguing to see how Hemmerle has constructed these earrings to achieve their incredible ‘floating’ appearance.

Anna Hu is also returning for the fourth year with an edit of 50 designs reflecting two main themes: nature and Chinese culture. Her stand will be divided into three distinct areas, including one that highlights the pioneering technology of nano-electroplating titanium, which is definitely worth exploring in more detail. As 2025 is the Year of the Snake, Anna will present the Cleopatra collection, inspired by the Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and her strength, beauty and intelligence. The eye-catching Cleopatra necklace is the star, with 225 spinel pearls (245.07 carats), 247 yellow diamonds (8.45 carat), 214 green sapphires (10.61 carats), 248 diamond beads (110 carats) and three 3.64-carats of round brilliant-cut diamonds. The Dance of Butterfly collection will also be represented by the Midsummer Dream Butterfly brooch with a 7.26-carat chrysoberyl, canary tourmalines and diamonds in nano-electroplated titanium.

Others on our radar are German goldsmith Otto Jakob, who will present the Ondine earrings with light grey baroque pearls, custom-cut emerald beads, and ruby cabochons in white and yellow gold, the Selene earrings with antique Ceylon moonstones and white chalcedony in yellow gold, and the Tycho II ring with a Renaissance-inspired table-cut diamond surrounded by Celtic scrollwork in textured white gold. 

Many exhibitors at TEFAF Maastricht specialise in antique and vintage jewellery, typically the finest examples in any given category or era. A La Vieille Russie will showcase some sensational 19th and 20th-century pieces, including a Donald Claflin for Tiffany & Co. diamond dagger brooch with coral and turquoise in 18k gold (c. 1960) and a collet necklace from the 1870s with 28.65-carats of diamonds in silver and gold. 

Epoque Fine Jewels will undoubtedly draw the eye of collectors with its incredible Art Nouveau thistle necklace by René Lalique, which is considered one of the most significant Lalique necklaces ever to be offered for sale. The piece, dated to 1905, comes from a French private collection in its original case. Open the lid, and you will find six pentagonal plaques of moulded, amber-coloured glass, each adorned with two intertwined thistle flowers, topped by three yellow enamel rods, and surrounded by diamond-set thorns. This piece of design history must be seen in real life! 

More exhibitors of note include Véronique Bamps, who will highlight a modernist cuff bracelet in silvered bronze (c. 1935) and Van Cleef & Arpels Flammes brooches/hairpins from the 1960s set in platinum with diamonds (Jackie Kennedy famously owned two of these). Somlo London will showcase some impressively decorative pocket watches, including an 18k gold Patek Philippe pendant watch with an enamel portrait of Saint Fabiola, crafted in 1889. Fans of Art Deco can also rely on Marjan Sterk Fine Art Jewellery for some Cartier finery, including an 18k gold desk clock, a pair of platinum clip earrings, and a platinum bracelet set with 12 natural pearls and diamonds. Its piece de resistance, however, is an important necklace by Pierre Sterlé (c. 1950), who is considered one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. 

Some exhibitors will offer a fusion of old meets new, such as Maison Auclert, which specialises in contemporary mountings of antique artefacts. At TEFAF 2025, it will show a selection of pieces via the Basel-based classical antiquities gallery, Cahn, including the Tetradrachm ring with a Macedonian silver coin (336-323 BC), the Impression earrings with a rock crystal intaglio engraved with the head of Apollo, and a Cameo ring with 1.39-carats of sapphires and a white and black onyx cameo from the 3rd century AD. Similarly impressive are the Egyptian falcon amulets (circa 2,000 – 700 BC), set into contemporary gold jewellery by Kallos Gallery. 

Finally, another TEFAF Maastricht jewellery highlight is Van Cleef & Arpels' presentation of a tempting collection of pieces from its own archives. The brand has participated in the event for the last 12 years, highlighting a small ensemble of creations from its Heritage collection that are available to purchase. This year’s treasures include the Orsay bracelet from 1994, with mystery-set rubies and diamonds in platinum and yellow gold, a turquoise and diamond necklace dated 1955, and the Marguerite clip with diamonds and emeralds in white, yellow and rose gold (c. 1964). 

I hope these first looks have stirred some excitement in you, especially if you are already packing your suitcase for a flight to the Netherlands! There are so few places where one can find an artistically diverse array of modern, vintage, antique and historical jewels under one roof. TEFAF Maastricht has, therefore, officially earned the title of ‘place to be’ this month.