AMALGAM: My Experience at Cluster's Jewelry Fair during London Design Festival
Curated by Valeria del Vacchio, AMALGAM: Jewellery and Fashion in Hybrid Systems was a contemporary art jewelry fair presented by Cluster, held in London September 11-20, 2026.
Cluster is a contemporary gallery, residency program, online selling platform, and community without a permanent physical space. Cluster does pop-up-style exhibitions, residencies, and collaborations with other design and art institutions at various locations and venues throughout the year.
AMALGAM brought together a curated group of over 40 jewelry artists and digital and A.I. creators (more on that in a sec) for an exhibition that “reveals jewellery as a network of connections shaped by human, technological, and cultural contexts”. This is jargony, I know, but after seeing and interacting with the works and their creators over the 10-day show, my interpretation of the theme was wearable and digital art unbounded by materials, creation processes, or references. These works could be personal, historical, organic, artificial, or anything in between.
Wait, What’s this about A.I.??
Cheesin’ with an A.I. video behind me on the screen.
My work was displayed in the basement along with several screens playing digital A.I. videos on loops. I knew when I agreed to participate that A.I. would be involved in the exhibition, and to be perfectly honest, I paid less to participate in the show which got me a basement spot rather than a street-level gallery spot. I, as do others, feel conflicted about A.I., its questionable authenticity or authorship, its effects on energy resources, its ability to manipulate truth and reality. I didn’t want to be associated with it in the basement gallery, or know how coexist with it in the exhibition space.
I was not alone in this feeling. The jewelers in the show who pride themselves on creating work by hand using ancient techniques and physical skills felt uncomfortable that A.I. was presented alongside out work. And, While I am still not a fan, nor do I understand these digital works fully as an artform, sitting in the basement with these looping videos day after day made me contemplate A.I. as a tool for creation. Whether I agree with it or not, it is here, and it will be a part of the future in art, commerce, creativity, and probably more ways than I can fathom right now.
Thankfully, down in the basement where the A.i. videos were on loops, I had a few pals keeping me sane, especially Ollie, the artist behind Monaghan-Mori. We kept each other sane, playing music, sharing sour Haribo gummies, and allowing each other to take ample breaks throughout the show.
Installation and Opening Night!
Many artists came for the install on Friday, before the Opening night party that evening. Others sent their work to Cluster for set-up by their team. I was one of only a handful of artists committed to being present at the gallery for the entire duration of the exhibition, and I’m really glad I did this in the end! This allowed me to really connect with viewers and the other artists present. I made more sales and developed vital relationships by being there in-person.
I also liked having total control over how my work was displayed. Since some of my work is delicate or even not very obvious as to what it is or how it’s worn, it was nice to be there to set it all up and demonstrate to visitors how to wear a particular piece.
Ollie hamming it up with intrigued jewelry lovers on opening night of the show!
This very sweet visitor took home my one-of-a-kind coral ring at the opening! Perfect for her because her name means “ocean” in Gallic.
Opening night was bustling! The event was sold out! Everyone was so friendly and had such kind words about my work. I even made a sale during the opening!
LASTING FRIENDSHIPS AND INSPIRING ARTISTS
I MADE FRIENDS WITH SO MANY AMAZING, TALENTED ARTISTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS DURING THE EXHIBITION. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOUT THEM ALL OUT HERE, SO PLEASE CHECK OUT CLUSTER’S WEBSITE TO GET A FULL ROSTER OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS IN THE AMALGAM SHOW. It was so inspiring to see the work in-person. Considering we all started with the basic concept of “wearable art jewelry”, it was a revelation to see how vastly different everyone’s work was and how many materials and techniques are employed to achieve different concepts.
Pictured From left to right: Elisa Mattonai, Ollie Monaghan, Pei-han wu, Hanan Sultan, me, and Sandrine diodati. Pei-han was the curatorial assistant for the show, but she is a very talented jeweler, herself!
Trying on absolutely stunning fold-formed ring in sterling silver by neighboring exhibitor Ziyi Sun. The skill involved in creating these pieces made my jaw drop.
Trying on a stunning woven metal hat by Giacomo bevanati.
Shout outs to my Jewelies!
A non-exhaustive list of some of the wonderful, talented folks I met in london.
Playing with a ring (stainless steel ring on the right) by Hungarian designer Anna Börcsök. The stone slides back and forth in the setting. Genius!
Outcomes?
I made some sales while there! Not nearly enough to cover my expenses, but still! I was overjoyed to make some, as I had no idea what to expect. Would people be interested in my work? Was it priced too low? Too high? Is it different enough? Too weird? Not weird enough? Not wearable enough? It’s so easy to get in your head about this kind of thing, especially as I work alone in my own world. So I was thrilled to meet people who resonated with what I make, gain new followers, talk about my process and design philosophy with people who were genuinely interested.
Beyond that, however, I have been invited to participate in a jewelry showcase in November at FORGE, a gallery and metalsmithing studio offering classes and rental benches in London’s jewelry district! So exciting. Details to come.
My real takeaway is the community I feel a part of in the international jewelry world, something I will continue to cultivate going forward.
How did it compare to Milan Jewelry Week, you ask?
My experience with Cluster in London blew Milan out of the water, to be honest. I think I paid more to be included in the Milan show, but I was only able to show two pieces, and I wasn’t allowed to sell my work while there. The venue in Milan was Gorgeous; a historic Palazzo, but it was huge, and I felt like my two small pieces got lost in the throngs of exhibitors spread across may rooms.
The Cluster fair felt much more intimate and curated. While I met fellow artists and industry folks in Milan, the connections I made in London felt much more genuine and potentially long-lasting than those in Milan.
Furthermore, I was able to bring 20 pieces, rather than just two, and I could actively promote and sell my work in London. Three of my pieces featured in the show remain for sale on Cluster’s website, along with other pieces by international participants in the show.
Milan led me to apply for a prize I would not have heard of if I hadn’t attended, but didn’t lead (as of yet) to any tangible sales, grants, residencies, or measurable outcomes. While I didn’t win any prizes at the Amalgam show (others did, and well-deserved!), I was welcomed home with an email from FORGE London, a gallery and creative space in London’s historic jewelry district, inviting me to participate in their November showcase. How incredible is that!?
I don’t mean to poo-poo my time in Milan— it was still a wonderful experience and I’m so honored and happy to have had the opportunity to participate (and my family was excited to travel there with me), but perhaps it wasn’t the best fit for me at the time.
My set-up near the closing of the show after I had made a few sales! Yay!
I had the opportunity to visit Forge on my last day in London with some of my fellow exhibiting jewelers. Owner of the workspace, Amanda (tan jumpsuit on the right) gave us a tour of the space. I can’t wait to exhibit there in November!
I’ve only been back from London for a week and I feel great momentum from my time exhibiting there. I feel so inspired to get back to the bench and create, and crucially, I feel I have a very supportive network of jewelry industry maters across the world I will keep in touch with and continue to share resources with in the future. Overall, I feel incredible lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in Cluster’s jewellery fair and look forward to the opportunities that will come from the experience!