The Slovenian Jewelry Week 2025 (SIJW) is starting

As part of SIJW, three exhibitions will be on display – in Ljubljana, Izola, and Slovenj Gradec – and a diverse festival program will also include more than 20 accompanying events, including workshops, lectures, guided tours, and masterclasses.

The main festival events will take place at Center Rog, which is also a co-producer of the festival.

The official opening of the exhibition will be on Friday, April 11, at 7:00 PM in the Grand Hall (1st floor). The exhibition titled ENERGIJA / ENERGY will be on display until April 19, daily (except Sundays) from 10 AM to 6 PM.

Admission is free – as with all exhibitions at Center Rog, this exhibition is also accessible to the public. On the last day of the exhibition, Saturday, April 19, many of the exhibition pieces by Slovenian designers will also be for sale. The sale will take place directly in the hall.

The exhibition, curated by Dalija Sega, Olga Košica, Metka Mikuletič, and Rok Marinšek, explores the creative power and transformation that contemporary jewelry designers express through various materials, forms, and concepts. “A necklace made from cuttlefish bones symbolizes the raw power of nature and sudden inspiration. A golden lightning bolt represents the higher meaning of events in life,” says jewelry designer Dalija Sega, emphasizing that contemporary jewelry is not just a decorative object, but a carrier of stories, energy, and symbolism.

Selected Slovenian and international designers are participating in the exhibition, as well as three renowned international institutions:

• Les Brucelles (Belgium) – featuring a distinguished selection of Belgian creators who set new trends in contemporary design;
• Romanian Jewellery Week (Romania) – with collections that intertwine tradition and innovation;
• Birmingham City University, School of Jewellery (United Kingdom) – Europe's largest school for jewelry design, presenting outstanding student works.

A significant part of the event at Center Rog is also the exhibition by Zlatarna Celje, which is displayed in the jewelry lab’s window and visible from Petkovškovo embankment. In light of its rich, over 180-year history, it reveals the art of jewelry design – from the first sketches on paper to perfected gold masterpieces that combine tradition, knowledge, and contemporary aesthetics.

On this occasion, Renata Zamida, director of Center Rog, points out: "In just over a year, the jewelry lab, which was fully equipped with a donation from Zlatarna Celje, has become a recognizable creative hub where goldsmithing, contemporary design, and community meet. We have held more than 200 different programs here, including around 40 programs with universities, and approximately 50 regular users come to create independently. For this reason, we are proud that Center Rog has become the central location for the Slovenian Jewelry Week festival and a strong co-producing partner."

Accompanying Program at Center Rog:

In addition to the exhibition, Center Rog will also host a rich accompanying program with top lecturers and creators:

• April 14, 6:00 PM: Lecture by Justin Prim – Beauty, Value, and Power of Gemstone Cutting
• April 15, 6:00 PM: Lecture by Milica Bubanja – The Talisman as Jewelry, Then and Now
• April 16 and 19: Guided tours of the ENERGIJA exhibition
• April 14 and 15: Masterclass in Metal Engraving with Anastasia Young

Events Across Slovenia:

• Izola (DRAT Gallery)
• Slovenj Gradec (Koroška Regional Museum)
• Maribor (E2RD Gallery)
• Rogaška Slatina (School Center)

The conclusion of the Slovenian Jewelry Week 2025 (SIJW) will be on April 19 with the announcement of the best Slovenian and international creators at a ceremony in the Grand Plaza Hotel in Ljubljana.

Photo: Tine Lisjak