Why Scotland’s modern jewellery is becoming some of the most interesting you can find

Now, that legacy is expanding its international reach.

“Scotland has always produced exceptional makers,” says Keira Wraae-Stewart, founder of Aetla, a fine jewellery gallery that opened in Edinburgh in 2020. “But I think what has changed is the confidence and visibility of the contemporary jewellery scene.”

Scottish jewellers, she says, are carving out their own niches and building followings abroad, aided by a network of galleries, schools and events in Scotland that has grown far more robust in recent years.

Among these she credits Elements Festival, an annual Edinburgh selling fair and exhibition last held in 2023, with raising the sector’s profile, and highlights Craft Scotland’s Harvest, a contemporary craft fair in the same city held for the first time in October 2025. She adds that the Scottish Gallery and a growing number of independent galleries and retailers are helping connect makers with collectors.