Mira Kim was honored for a ring in which she innovatively combined the Mokume Gane technique with the almost forgotten guilloché process. In her ring, different metal alloys form finely structured ornaments that are overlaid with engraved patterns. Mira Kim was born in Seoul, where she first studied metal design at Hanyang University. From 2017 to 2019, she completed a master’s degree in gemstones and jewelry at Trier University of Applied Sciences in Idar-Oberstein. In 2020, she was Designer in Residence at the Emma Creative Center in Pforzheim.
Mira Kim, from Korea, was awarded the 2026 Herbert Hofmann Prize for her ring Patterns. Mokume Gane (silver, copper) combined with guilloché engraving. © Mira Kim.
Zhipeng Wang was honored for his rectangular brooch Stone Gambling in green and white jade, through which a gold ring shimmers delicately. Both materials are culturally charged. The artist reinterprets the conventional understanding of the market. The precious gold is embedded in supposedly worthless jade waste. This creates a new artistic and aesthetic value. Zhipeng Wang, born in China, studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in the jewelry and metal class. In 2025, he was also a designer in residence in Pforzheim.
Brooch Stone Gambling #2 by the 2026 Herbert Hofmann Prize winner Zhipeng Wang. Jade plate, fine gold ring, 750 gold, 8.05 x 4.57 x 0.67. ©Chaoqi Xu.
Ela Bauer was honored for an amorphous, multi-colored brooch. The combination of organic and inorganic materials results in complex, interpenetrating colored structures. “The fine workmanship provides insights into a supposedly closed form that is supported by a disc. The finely balanced play of colors extends into the three-dimensional,” explains the jury. After studying humanities in Jerusalem, Ela Bauer switched to jewelry design and attended the Rietveld Academy from 1990 to 1995, as well as the master class at the European Ceramic Center Den Bosch in the Netherlands in 2005.
Brooch by Ela Bauer, 2025. Synthetic resin, pigments, organic material, aluminum, 15 x 9 x 8 cm. Awarded the Herbert Hofmann Prize 2026. © Ela Bauer.
The jury for SCHMUCKmünchen 2026 consisted of: Dr. Markus Eder, Danner Foundation, Munich; Malte Guttek, Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau; jewelry artist Stefano Marchetti from Padua; Michael Schischke from the Institut français in Munich; and Friederike Zobel, Jewelry Museum Pforzheim.
Winners of the 2026 Herbert Hofmann Prize: Mira Kim, Zhipeng Wang, and Ela Bauer.
The special exhibition is sponsored by the Danner Foundation. The Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy provides financial support for SCHMUCKmünchen. The award is named after art historian Herbert Hofmann, who initiated the first jewelry show at the International Craft Fair in Munich in 1959. The award is considered the “Oscar of art jewelry” and is presented each year at Handwerk & Design as part of the International Craft Fair in Munich. More than 300 jewelry artists, museum curators, and gallery owners attended the award ceremony on March 7.