Annemiek Steenhuis

In The Jewel Without Repeat, Dutch artist Annemiek Steenhuis transforms yarn, childhood memory, and generational craft into a contemplative necklace full of soft volumes and rich symbolism. The piece was originally created for the Confrontations competition held by New Traditional Jewellery, exhibited at the SIERAAD Art Fair in Amsterdam and later at Museum Arnhem between November 2014 and January 2015.

Using swatches knitted by her grandmother, Steenhuis builds a visual bridge between generations of women in her family. “When I see my daughters wearing clothes from my childhood, I’m confronted with the passage of time,” Steenhuis writes. “Patterns repeat themselves; I, too, loved wearing clothes from my mother’s youth.” This emotional entanglement is visible in the object’s nostalgic forms that are bulbous and plush, studded with pearls and sequins, punctuated by stylized roses and heart shapes.

By choosing textile as her medium, Steenhuis invites us to reimagine jewelry as something tender and temporal. It is both sentimental and deliberately out of proportion. The piece recalls charm bracelets, classic necklace silhouettes, and vintage lacework. Yet nothing about it feels conventional. Her design playfully critiques traditional ideals of beauty and perfection. “I enjoy stimulating and teasing a little bit with the work I make,” she explains. “Too big, too thin, improper use of material, unusual techniques, strange combinations…the perfect imperfection.”

A graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven and the AHK School of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, Steenhuis has been working in contemporary jewelry since 2008. Her practice continues to embrace idiosyncrasy, softness, and slowness; valuing the past without being bound by it.

References

New Traditional Jewellery. “The Jewel Without Repeat by Annemiek Steenhuis.” Accessed July 19, 2025. http://www.newtraditionaljewellery.com/cms/?page_id=3248&lang=en.

Museum Arnhem. “Confrontations Exhibition Archive.” Accessed July 19, 2025. http://www.museumarnhem.nl/.

Kakavaka. “Calendar – November 24, 2013.” Accessed July 18,  2025. https://kakavaka.blogspot.com/.

TextielMuseum. “Collection: Chair by Annemiek Steenhuis.” Accessed July 19, 2025. https://textielmuseum.nl/.

Weidesign. “Artists.” Accessed July 19, 2025. https://weidesign.nl/.