On January 24th and 25th, The Unique Club presented The Art of Jewellery at Firetti Contemporary—a two-day exhibition that brought together exceptional jewellery design and contemporary art during Dubai’s Al Quoz Art Festival, attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum himself.
Over the course of the weekend, the exhibition brought together gallery founder Mara Firetti, contemporary artist Yousra Wahba, jewellery designer Hugo Cahill, Nafees’ Creative Director Anju Jain and Assistant Creative Director Ananya Jain, our team, and guests including curators, artists, and collectors who share our commitment to supporting emerging voices in both art and design.
The exhibition featured three distinctive jewellery houses, Hugo Cahill, Nafees, and The Contrast Club, each chosen for their singular approach to craftsmanship and conceptual depth.
Hugo Cahill‘s collection commanded attention throughout the weekend. As Cahill shared with us, “I am less concerned with embellishment than with clarity. How an object occupies space, how it alters perception, and how it establishes a quiet but undeniable dialogue with the wearer.” His pieces. including the Atlas Spur Earrings and Laniakea Supercluster Cuff, functioned as structure rather than ornament, revealing their architectural logic from every angle.
Presenting my work at Firetti Gallery in Dubai during the art festival was particularly meaningful because of the context. The pieces were not isolated objects but part of a broader artistic conversation. What I valued most was the quality of engagement. Visitors approached the work with curiosity, often asking about material, process, and intent rather than price or trend. That atmosphere allowed the jewellery to be experienced as sculpture in dialogue with the body, which is precisely how I conceive it.
Nafees brought Jaipur’s rich gemstone heritage into conversation with contemporary design. The mother-daughter team presented pieces inspired by the city’s palace domes and Art Deco influences, working with exceptional stones sourced internationally and cut in-house. Their approach centers on creating jewellery for life’s personal milestones: pieces meant to be lived in and passed down.
The Contrast Club introduced movement into the conversation. Suvi Ellilä and James Cole’s mechanically interactive designs transformed jewellery into kinetic objects, merging watchmaking precision with artistic wonder. As Suvi explained, “What we are ultimately seeking is a mixture of amazement and joy.“
At the heart of the exhibition, Yousra Wahba’s sculpture The Brilliant Green explored the interaction between light and coloured gemstones, creating a poetic dialogue between organic form and the crafted jewellery surrounding it. The work acted as a quiet anchor for the space, reinforcing the connection between contemporary art and high jewellery.
Supporting emerging designers and local artists remains central to our vision. The Art of Jewellery reaffirmed our belief that jewellery and contemporary art thrive when presented together, meeting on equal ground through craftsmanship, materiality, and conceptual depth.
In the weeks leading up to the exhibition, we spoke with each participating designer about their creative process and vision. These conversations with Hugo Cahill, Nafees, and The Contrast Club are available on our blog and offer deeper insight into the ideas behind their work.
We invite you to visit The Unique Gallery and discover our curated selection of contemporary jewellery within an intimate, thoughtfully designed space, where each piece can be experienced at a slower, more personal pace. For those who wish to explore the collections in greater depth, private appointments are available, offering a tailored experience and dedicated guidance: book your personal shopping experience here.
To stay connected with our upcoming exhibitions, presentations, and special events, follow us on Instagram and be part of our ongoing dialogue between art and jewellery.
