Attendance Up 11% At 2025 TEFAF New York As It Enters Final Day

TEFAF New York is showing an 11% increase in attendance over the prior year’s fair as it enters the final day. The fair’s eleventh edition hosted 91 international exhibitors, including 13 new galleries that showcased modern and contemporary art, antiquities, jewelry and design objects. Fair officials reported “robust sales,” as private collectors and public institutions were ready and willing to buy.

The art, design and antiques fair opened on May 8 with an invitation-only preview day, followed by a public opening on May 9. The fair will close on May 13. The preview day was quite crowded, even mobbed at times, with eager buyers, including some high-profile collectors. Fashion designer Carolina Herrera and Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia were seen at the Anna Hu booth. Other notables included Steve Martin, Marc Jacobs, Reed Krakoff, Michael Bloomberg and Larry Tisch.

Speaking of Anna Hu, the Taiwanese high jewelry artist, who also exhibited at the TEFAF Maastricht fair in March, brought one new piece to TEFAF New York and it was a beauty: the Duo du Serpent Vert et Blanc (“The Green and White Snake Duo”), a combination ring and bangle consisting of two serpents with their mouths attached to a Ying-Yang tachi made of mother-of-pearl and onyx.

The green serpent bangle is paved with garnets and diamonds and white serpent is paved with diamonds and emeralds with emerald eyes. The hand ornament represents the friendship between women, a spokesperson for Hu told me.

German high jeweler, Hemerle, brought several new examples of their latest jewels, including a few that the brand didn’t exhibit at TEFAF Maastricht. This included a couple pieces in colorful aluminum, a material that can change color when anodized. The first pair consists of round floral-inspired purplish anodized aluminum set with 135 sapphires weighing 8.29 carats with bronze stems.

The second pair featured two tanzanite gems each weighing more than 9 carats, set in blackened silver and white gold and attached to three wing-like strands of anodized aluminum in three different shades of blue.

TEFAF is an art fair and the contemporary jewelers who exhibit are referred to as artists. High jewelry artist Ana Khouri presented a novel way to display her latest pieces that is within this theme. Each individual piece was placed on a wall in her booth backed by simple sheet of parchment paper. It created a gallery setting for her jewels that is in line with most exhibitors at the fair who are gallery owners.

Her latest group of jewels focused on raw, organic and somewhat abstract takes based on nature. The gold is roughly textured. In some cases, wood was used for the creations. Her works are also personal, reflecting on how she views the world around her.

FD Gallery, owned and operated by Fionna Druckenmiller, brought a recreation of its Upper East Side gallery to the fair with its collections of JAR, Cartier, Bulgari and many other pieces from historic brands and contemporary jewelry artists.

In the booth with Druckenmiller was French high jeweler Alessandro Sabbatini who founded the brand, SABBA. Sabbatini designs and creates pieces in classic styles using a variety of gemstones in rare cuts and finishes, often set in titanium. His creations are sold exclusively at FD Gallery through an agreement Druckenmiller and Sabbatini made several years ago.

Didier and Martine Haspeslagh, owners of the Didier Ltd. London gallery that specialize in jewels created by modern artists, brought many of the same jewels that the couple exhibited at TEFAF Maastricht. However, there were few new items, including those from artist Alexander Calder, renowned for his kinetic sculptures and monumental public works. His jewelry pieces are almost always made of common materials such as silver, steel and rock crystal and are roughly handcrafted.

This includes a bracelet, circa 1938, made of hammered silver wire with three spiral ornaments that Dider explained takes its inspiration from primitive art forms, which were popular among artists at the time.