Benedict Haener constantly questions value and its many manifestations, viewed through the prism of the mundane and, consequently, the ultra-chic. By creating a tension between the precious and the trivial – a choker made of rings shaped like sour sweets covered in diamond dust – he not only prompts us to consider what gives an object its value, we can also see in it the urgency to preserve the carefree nature of childhood, the nonchalance of a self-assured social status, as well as the desire to put an end to all that glitters; the artist leaves us free to choose our own interpretations. By adding a layer of humour and irreverence, he leaves us perplexed: all interpretations are open to consideration, so playful and disconcerting is the work.
This blend of physical and semantic dissonance, combined with irony and craftsmanship, works a treat for all the everyday objects he literally replicates and transforms into luxurious jewellery: a sugar cube, a ring, or even sandpaper! It is hard, however, not to see these as abrasive statements.
Whilst his pieces strike a chord with us through their unsettling familiarity, the sophisticated, highly daring process and technical mastery are equally impressive. In his new series, characterised by its high precision, Benedict Haener uses the diamond as a tool to create the impression of faceted diamonds on an industrial material. Is this the perfect response to the controversies surrounding ‘blood diamonds’ or lab-grown diamonds?
Born in 1992, Benedict Haener lives and works in Lucerne, Switzerland. He supplemented his traditional training as a goldsmith and jeweller with a course in industrial design at the GBS Centre in St Gallen, followed by a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in XS Jewellery (contemporary jewellery and objects related to the human body) at the HSLU University of Applied Sciences in Lucerne.
Having been awarded first place in the Swiss Goldsmithing Championship in 2012, Haener is an emerging artist on the contemporary jewellery scene. He won the ST.ART Young Talent Culture DESIGN & ART prize from the canton of Lucerne, the TALENTE PREIS in Munich in 2024, the AJF Young Artist Award in 2026, and the Swiss Design Prize 2026 from the Swiss Confederation for his ‘First Impression’ series. His work has been hugely successful and is exhibited in numerous galleries, notably in Switzerland, Italy, the United States, Germany and Belgium.
His work was notably showcased at Hectare in 2026 during the exhibition Trouble parfait
alongside Jiro Kamata.
View of the exhibition:
