Overview
Ward Strootman grew up in a family of jewellers, but he was the only one of his generation drawn specifically to gemmology. While studying business, he discovered that his true passion lay in gemstones. After completing his degree, he went on to study gemmology at the GIA in London, where his fascination with minerals and their formation deepened further.
Returning to Amsterdam, he joined his mother at JeSse Jewelry, attending trade shows and observing an industry that had remained largely unchanged for decades. Seeking a more contemporary and expressive approach, he began combining his gemological expertise with a strong aesthetic sensibility, reimagining raw minerals not only as materials for jewelry, but as sculptural objects in their own right. This vision led to the creation of Ward Strootman, a practice that sits at the intersection of natural history, art, and jewelry. His work treats gemstones as unique geological artifacts, celebrating their raw and unpolished states as much as their refined forms. Each piece becomes a dialogue between nature’s slow accidental design and human craftsmanship, resulting in collectible objects that blur the line between jewelry, sculpture and mineral specimens.
Works
-
Bench, 2025 -
Low Table, 2025
-
Stool, 2025
Exhibitions
